[Sweden] Postdoctoral scholarships – The Swedish Research Council

Postdoctoral scholarships

The aim of postdoctoral scholarships is to provide young researchers within the areas of responsibility of Formas with the opportunity of working abroad for a certain period in an internationally prominent research environment. The application for a post-doctoral scholarship is to be written by the recipient of the scholarship. If there are special conditions (which must be fully motivated) a Swedish university or research institute may be considered, but it must be different from the one where the doctoral degree was obtained.

The scholarship is awarded for one or up to two years. The visit may be divided into several periods, with a minimum length of three months each. Applications for extensions to post-doctoral grants awarded no later than 2007 can be submitted consecutively.

To be eligible to apply for a postdoctoral scholarship, the doctoral degree must have been obtained five years before the closing date for the call, counted from January in the year when the applicant received her/his Doctoral degree. Parental leave, illness, military service or other similar circumstance which have prevented research activities after the degree was awarded are acceptable reasons to make an exception from the five-year rule. If the applicant has not been awarded the Doctoral degree by the time the application is submitted the, a copy of the degree diploma/certificate must be submitted to Formas, no later than 1st of November in the year of the main annual call.

Applicants for the post-doctoral scholarship must have Swedish citizenship or permanent residence permit in Sweden.

The recipient is granted a personal scholarship according to the following:

• An annual scholarship of SEK 250,000-350,000 depending on the costs of living in the host country and the number of accompanying family members. The scholarship conforms to the levels established by EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organisation, www.embo.org).
• Formas covers expenses for return tickets for the recipient of the scholarship and accompanying family members. The most economical travelling option should be chosen.
• A total standard sum of SEK 50,000 for research costs.

The application for a post-doctoral scholarship should be organised in applicable areas in the same manner as a regular grant application, but the research plan should be written for one or up to two years. However, the budget (Appendix B) need not be filled in. The signature appendix (Appendix S) is signed by the applicant only (as the scholarship is personal, no other signature is necessary). The scholarship is personal, and no administrative bodies need to be indicated in the application form. The applicant’s home address should be provided instead of the institution’s. The research plan should include information regarding the proposed host institution as well as a justification for the choice.

The application must contain a letter of invitation from the host institution verifying that the applicant will be able to participate in the institution’s research as well as be able to carry out her/his own research. The application is reinforced by a letter of recommendation from the faculty professor or the previous supervisor indicating the importance of the postdoctoral visit.

The following documents must be supplied via the Formas Direct web based form:

• Application form, including a popular science description.
• Appendix A. Research programme comprising is limited to a maximum of 18,000 characters, including references
• Appendix C. Brief CV (maximum of 8000 characters)
• Appendix D. List of publications (maximum of 8000 characters).
• Appendix G. Letter of invitation from the host institution. Letter(s) of recommendation from previous supervisor(s) are mandatory but reinforces the application. Non-Swedish citizens should include a certificate indicating permanent residence permit.
• Appendix I. Copy of Diploma or certificate of the doctoral degree.
• Appendix J (figures, tables or other illustrations relating to the research programme in Appendix A) is optional (maximum length of two pages).

Please note that the signature appendix (Appendix S) which is automatically generated upon registration is to be signed by the applicant for the postdoctoral scholarship only.

Extensions up to one year, for postdoctoral scholarships awarded no later than 2007, can be applied for consecutively (not later than 3 months before the visit ends). The continuation application should include a progress report as well as a confirmation letter from the institution. The progress report must include a fully motivated justification for the extension.

Contact:
Formas
The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning
Kungsbron 21
P.O. Box 1206
SE-111 82 Stockholm
Sweden
Tel +46 (0)8-775 40 00
Fax +46 (0)8-775 40 10
Org. 202100-5232
info@formas.se

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