Funding

Swedish Research Grants
for Social Scientists

An overview of Swedish grants that social scientists — political scientists, sociologists, economists, and others — can apply for. Covers project grants, postdoctoral funding, conference and travel grants, and more. Click any row to open the funder's website.

Note: Deadlines are typical and shift from year to year — always verify on the funder's website before applying. Some grants have regional or institutional eligibility requirements (noted in the Who can apply column).

Showing 34 grants

Name Funding organization Type of grant Who can apply Usual deadline
Projektbidrag (Project Grant) Vetenskapsrådet Project grant
1–4 years
All researchers at Swedish institutions February
International Postdoc Grant Vetenskapsrådet Postdoctoral grant
18–36 months abroad
Researchers max 2 years post-PhD September; spring call varies
Conference Grant Vetenskapsrådet Conference grant
30,000–200,000 SEK
Active researchers at Swedish institutions Rolling (multiple/year)
RJ Projects Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (RJ) Project grant
Humanities & social science
Individual researchers and smaller groups with Swedish institutional connection January
RJ Research Initiation Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (RJ) Seminar / workshop grant
Min. 50,000 SEK; must include international participants
Researchers at Swedish universities Rolling
Project Grants Forte (Research Council for Health, Working Life & Welfare) Project grant
3 years; health, welfare, working life
PhD holders; welfare/working-life relevance required Multiple per year
Starting Grants Forte Starting grant
2–3 years; 2.5–3.75 MSEK
PhD holders, typically up to ~3 years post-PhD Multiple per year
Conference Grants Forte Conference grant
Max 300,000 SEK; held in Sweden, 40+ participants
Researchers and institutions; conference must take place in Sweden Multiple per year
Jan Wallanders och Tom Hedelius stiftelse Handelsbanken Research Foundations Project grant
Economics, economic history, econometrics
Researchers at Swedish institutions in economics, economic history, economic geography, or econometrics February / March
Research Grants Marianne och Marcus Wallenbergs Stiftelse Project grant
3–5 years; law, economics, social science
Researchers in law, economics, and social science; interdisciplinary and frontier projects prioritized March – April
Research Grants Ragnar Söderbergs stiftelse Starting / junior grant
Economics, medicine, law
Postdoctoral and early-career researchers in economics, medicine, or law Autumn
Research Grants Åke Wibergs stiftelse Project grant
Humanities, social science, medicine
Researchers in humanities, social science, and medicine Varies
Research Grants Stiftelsen Lars Hiertas minne Project grant
All fields; individual researchers
Individual researchers in any field, including PhD students Autumn / Spring
Research and Conference Grants Gunvor och Josef Anérs Stiftelse Research / conference grant
Max 150,000 SEK; humanities & social science
PhD students and researchers in humanities and social science April – June
Research Stipend Widar Bagges stipendiestiftelse Stipend
Political science, international politics, economics
Talented young researchers in economics, political science, or international politics; administered through Stockholm University Varies
International Symposia Grant Marcus Wallenbergs Stiftelse för Internationellt Vetenskapligt Samarbete Conference grant
International symposia organized in Sweden
Researchers organizing international scientific symposia in Sweden Varies
Research Grants Jane och Dan Olssons Stiftelse för Vetenskapliga ändamål Project grant
Equality, integration, social issues
Researchers working on social issues, equality, integration, and anti-discrimination; no independent website — apply through foundation databases Varies
Democracy Research Grant Stiftelsen Torgny Segerstedts Minne Project grant
Interdisciplinary; democracy values
Researchers for interdisciplinary projects strengthening democratic values (freedom of thought, speech, religion) Varies
International Postdoc STINT (Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research & Higher Education) Postdoctoral grant
Research stays at foreign institutions
Postdoctoral researchers at Swedish institutions Autumn
Swedish Foundations' Starting Grant (SFSG) Consortium of 7 foundations (incl. RJ, Ragnar Söderbergs stiftelse, KK-stiftelsen) Starting grant
For ERC "A"-rated applicants who narrowly missed ERC funding
Early-career researchers at Swedish institutions who received an "A" grade in an ERC Starting Grant evaluation but were not funded Based on ERC deadlines (autumn)
Research and Study Grant (USA) Sverige-Amerika Stiftelsen Travel / research grant
Academic stays in the USA
Academics and students for research, study, or work in the USA October / November
International Exchange Grant Wenner-Gren Stiftelserna International exchange
Scientific exchange between countries
Researchers (international scientific exchange) Varies
Project Grants Östersjöstiftelsen (Foundation for Baltic & East European Studies) Project grant
2–3 years; max 6 MSEK
Researchers inside and outside Sweden; research must concern the Baltic Sea region or Eastern Europe Autumn
Postdoctoral Grants Östersjöstiftelsen Postdoctoral grant
Baltic & Eastern Europe focus
Postdoctoral researchers in humanities and social sciences Autumn
Conference Grants Östersjöstiftelsen Conference grant
Max 250,000 SEK
Researchers organizing conferences on Baltic/Eastern European topics Autumn
Nordic Exploratory Networks Nordforsk / Vetenskapsrådet Network grant
3 years; max 1.5 MNOK; humanities & social science
Early-career researchers (2–7 years post-PhD); minimum 4 Nordic countries must be represented April
2-Year Stipend Anna Ahlströms och Ellen Terserus stiftelse Stipend
2 years; humanities & social science
Female PhD students and PhDs at the humanities and social science faculties at Stockholm University Annual (spring)
Research Stipend in Economics Ingrid Hammars minnesfond Stipend
50,000–75,000 SEK; economics at SU
Female researchers at Stockholm University in economics Annual
Travel Stipend Karin Kocks och Hugo Lindbergs resestipendier Travel grant PhD students in economics or statistics, or in criminal law or criminology; Stockholm University Varies
ERC Starting Grant (StG) European Research Council (ERC) Starting grant
Up to €1.5M; 5 years; all disciplines
Researchers 2–7 years post-PhD at a Swedish (or other EU/associated country) institution October – November
ERC Consolidator Grant (CoG) European Research Council (ERC) Project grant
Up to €2M; 5 years; all disciplines
Researchers 7–12 years post-PhD at a Swedish (or other EU/associated country) institution October – November
ERC Advanced Grant (AdG) European Research Council (ERC) Project grant
Up to €2.5M; 5 years; all disciplines
Established researchers with a significant track record at a Swedish (or other EU/associated country) institution August – September
ERC Synergy Grant (SyG) European Research Council (ERC) Collaborative grant
Up to €10M; 6 years; groups of 2–4 PIs
Groups of 2–4 established researchers across EU/associated institutions; at least one PI may be hosted in Sweden November (not every year)
ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) European Research Council (ERC) Project grant
Up to €150K; 18 months; ERC grant holders only
Active or recent ERC grant holders wishing to explore the innovation potential of their ERC-funded research Multiple per year