Eligibility
Persons who have been awarded a doctorate in a preclinical or clinical medical discipline or in a subject area closely related to medicine no more than three years before the end of the application period (15 November 2017) and no later than 31 January 2021.
This period may be extended by a maximum of 24 months for sick leave or parental leave, medical internship/specialist residency (AT/ST service) or military service.
In order to be eligible to apply, applicants must have carried out research activities in Sweden for at least one year (it must be possible for this to be certified by an employer/supervisor) and must intend to conduct their future research in Sweden.
The grant
The grant administrator for a SSMF post-doctoral grant must be a Swedish university or university college and the recipient of the grant must be employed by the grant administrator throughout the grant period. The amount of the grant is SEK 780,000 per year for full-time and SEK 546,000 per year for half-time, combined with 50% clinical practice. In addition, a person who carries out the first two years of the full-time post-doctoral studies abroad is qualified to apply for a return grant in the form of a framework grant of SEK 500,000 for the third year of the grant (the return year). The grant is intended to cover the applicant’s salary, including social insurance contributions. SSMF presumes that the grant administrator will cover any costs in addition to the grant.
For applicants who choose to carry out their post-doctoral studies abroad during the first two years of the support, there is an option to choose support in the form of a personal, tax-free scholarship for that period instead of salary. The amount is then SEK 300,000 per year and applies only to full-time studies. An application may also be submitted for a supplement to cover higher living costs in the host country. The supplement is applied for separately and is payable subject to an individual assessment.
During the third year (the return year), all recipients must be employed by a Swedish higher education institution and salary then applies as the form of support.
SSMF postdoctoral grant – summary of information, terms and conditions
Applications
The application period runs from 15 October to 15 November.
On 15 November at 24.00, the application system will be closed and it will no longer possible to register or make changes to the application.
Applications must be submitted electronically in the TEKLA application system. The thesis defence protocol or diploma must be attached to the electronic application as a PDF. In cases where the defence of the thesis has not yet taken place, the thesis defence application must have been submitted and a copy of it must be attached to the application.
Certificates from a grant administrator and proposed host institution stating that the applicant is guaranteed a place to work and basic equipment necessary for the intended research activities must be attached. The certificates must be attached to the electronic application as PDFs. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
- Applications are submitted electronically -> APPLY ON-LINE
- Guide to the application system Tekla -> GUIDE
Assessment process and assessment criteria
In a first step, the applications are assessed by external reviewers who are active in various areas of expertise. The applications that are selected from the first round are reviewed in a second assessment round by members of SSMF’s review board. Innovation, the scientific quality of the project, the applicant’s skills and the practicability of the project are taken into consideration when assessing the application and the different categories are graded on the basis of a 5-point points scale: 1 not sufficient, 2 adequate, 3 good, 4 very good, 5 excellent.
For full-time grants, mobility is prioritised, primarily abroad, but also nationally. The assessment focuses on the opportunities for the applicant to develop his or her capacity for independent research through the proposed project.
Decisions and start
Decisions on award of grants are announced at the beginning of April.
SSMF’s post-doctoral grant is intended to start no earlier than 1 July of the decision year and no later than 1 January of the following year. The availability period for the grant is three years, but it can be extended under certain circumstances upon request, subject to approval from SSMF.
