Taste and sensorics – from farm to fork

WHAT CAN YOU APPLY FOR?

Applied research projects or development projects that contribute to increased knowledge and development regarding taste and sensorics

WHO CAN APPLY?

Research performing organisations, public and private organisations and private companies (not sole proprietorships) approved by Formas as an administrating organisation. At least one researcher participating in the project must have a doctoral degree. Only multi-party applications, that includes at least one research performing organisation and at least one needs owner ( business sector, public sector, interest organisation or authority ) can receive funding.

HOW MUCH CAN YOU APPLY FOR?

It is possible to apply for funding for projects up to three years 2 million SEK per year, on average, over the years the application is valid for. Maximum grant for a 36-month project is 6 million SEK.

Given decision: 2022-11-23 10:40

Fund­ed pro­jects

Preliminary decisions. Please note that only decisions published in Prisma is a guarantee of granted funding.

Developing new healthy foods, with less climate impact and less sensitivity to external disturbances, is a first step in achieving a safe and sustainable food supply with reduced climate impact. But this is not enough. The consumer must also be attracted to these foods in order to choose them over others and thus create demand. Here, taste and sensorics are a key factor to success.

Formas is therefore announcing funding for applied research projects or development projects that contribute to increased knowledge and development regarding taste and sensorics among actors in the food system.

For the results to meet the needs of actors in the food system and create benefits to society, we see great value in collaborations between academia, industry and other actors in society. The projects must therefore be multi-party projects and consist of at least one research performing organisation and at least one needs owner from industry, the public sector or other relevant organisation, such as industry- or special interest groups.

You can apply for up to six million SEK for an applied research project or development project lasting up to 36 months (3 project years). Formas has allocated a total of 60 million SEK for this call.

The food strategy stresses the need to strengthen competitiveness in the Swedish food sector and to increase domestic food production. Food should also be produced sustainably and meet consumer demand. Since Sweden joined the EU in 1995, the amount of imported food has increased sharply and today we import just over half of the food we consume. This is not sustainable. In addition to having a substantial environmental and climate impact, it makes us vulnerable in times of crisis. This has become apparent during the last two years of pandemic as well as with the changing European security situation we are now facing. Furthermore, we see that poor health caused by poor eating habits is increasing sharply, so there is also a need to make a transition to a health-sustainable system.

Developing new healthy foods, with less climate impact and less sensitivity to external disturbances, is a first step in achieving a safe food supply with reduced climate impact. But this is not enough. The consumer must also be attracted to these foods in order to choose them over others and thus create demand. Here, taste and sensorics are a key factor to success.

Humans have five basic tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami) but how we perceive taste is affected by a wide range of factors. Sensory science is about what we can experience with our senses. Smell, texture, appearance/packaging, temperature, ambient sounds, our previous experiences, previous environments that we have spent time in, and our well-being are examples of factors that affect our taste experience.

In addition to our taste experience being affected by a variety of external factors associated with eating, taste is also impacted by how our food has been produced in the primary stage and processed in the processing stage. For example, the composition of the feed for hens and cows may impact the taste of eggs and milk. Tomatoes grown in the open air have a different taste than tomatoes grown in greenhouses. Potatoes grown in sandy soil may have a different taste than potatoes grown in clay-rich soil. Lean meat gives a different taste experience than meat with fat marbling. The degree of tenderisation is another factor that affects the taste and experience of meat.

Since our taste experience partly depends on our ability to experience with our senses, any impact on our senses also means an impact on our experience of taste. This is highly topical today as studies show that about 20% of people infected by Covid-19 have reduced senses of taste and smell. In Sweden, 300,000-400,000 people are believed to be affected by this. Age is another factor that affects our senses. We are living longer and as we age, our ability to see, smell and taste deteriorates. The elderly can also have trouble chewing and swallowing.

Sweden has a long tradition of high-quality research regarding food and health. However, in-depth knowledge, and development and application of sensory knowledge must be better integrated in food production and processing, nutrition and health to meet the demand for healthy, good and climate-smart food. There is also a need for increased understanding regarding sensorics in relation to the needs and conditions of different groups of people in society and at different stages in life, as well as their cultural and historical context. Social and cultural factors namely influence our food choices and meals. The importance of food, the meal and gastronomy to well-being, identity, social interaction, and group affiliation will, in turn, affect the development of the food system.

A developed understanding and application of knowledge about taste and sensorics will increase the conditions for an increased demand for existing sustainable products. Consumer demand is a key driver of the transformation to a sustainable and competitive food system. Developing sustainable foods with good sensory properties is central to increasing both acceptance and availability when the food product is taken to market. It can also make it easier for both established and new companies to reach out with their products and thus strengthen competitiveness.

The purpose of this call is to fund applied research projects or development projects that contribute to increased knowledge and development regarding taste and sensorics among actors in the food system. This will contribute to Sweden’s transition to a competitive and safe food supply with healthy food and a decreased climate impact.

Swedish primary products, Swedish food and gastronomy have a good reputation internationally. However, knowledge and competence about the consumer as well as new methods, techniques and optimised processes for processing Swedish primary products and by-products need to be strengthened, all the way from farm to fork. In the field of taste and sensorics, the following areas are important, though there may be additional areas that have not been taken into account:

  • To develop the description of the sensory properties and uniqueness of primary products and foods in order to better exploit the potential of Swedish primary products and food. This knowledge will contribute to strengthen the conditions in regional markets, as well as in the Swedish and international market.
  • To increase knowledge and development of new methods, techniques and optimised processes for an improved taste and sensory experience among different consumer groups, such as those with reduced sense of smell or taste. Furthermore, how these methods and processes then can be applied in practice in primary production and processing.
  • To increase knowledge of terms and conditions that can prevail for different groups in society. For example, it may pertain to how the sensory properties of food affect different groups of consumers in their choice towards healthier and sustainable consumption and reduced food waste.
  • To increase knowledge of how the sensory properties of food affect consumers in relation to marketing and how social and cultural norms come into play when it comes to changing food and consumption habits.
  • To develop products and services that can help to protect food culture, to develop meal experiences and promote experience tourism, thereby generating profitability in the food sector and in the tourist industry.
  • To develop methods that predict and measure taste experiences from a multisensory perspective. There is also a need for methods that make it possible to predict sensory quality based on the characteristics of the product and the meal situation. This also requires the development of sensory analyses, sensory vocabulary and capabilities for predicting sensory quality based on the meal situation and the food’s properties.

For both applied research projects and development projects, the combination of evidence-based knowledge and knowledge based on practice and proven experience are of great value. Collaboration between different actors in the food system and researchers from different disciplines also creates good conditions for scalability and dissemination of knowledge, new methods and solutions. The projects must therefore be multi-party projects and consist of at least one research performing organisation (academia or research institute) and at least one needs owner (business, industry- or special interest group, authority or other public organisation).

Project length may be up to 36 months and include a total budget of a maximum of 6 million SEK for a 36-month project (three project years). Project grants can include maximum two million SEK per year, on average, over the years the application is valid for. Formas has allocated a total of 60 million SEK for the call.

This call is carried out within the framework of the National Research Programme for Food. The need for research and development in the field of taste and sensorics has been identified in both the research programme's strategic research agenda “Towards a sustainable and competitive food system” as well as in Sweden Food Arena’s Research and Innovation Agenda External link..

Researchers, public and private organisations, industry associations and private companies which are administrating organisation for all types of calls External link. or an administrating organisation for an individual project External link. are welcome to apply for funding.

The call is aimed at project groups composed of a project manager and participants from at least two different project parties, of which one project party is from academia and one from business- or public sector. The project group must include at least one researcher with a doctoral degree, but this does not have to be the main applicant (project manager), other participants do not have to have a doctoral degree.

Note: Only legal entities can apply in the call, therefore sole proprietorship cannot apply for funding or participate in projects.

Call text

Any changes to the call text will be listed below Revision history.

Before you apply

  • To ensure scientific quality, the project should include at least one researcher with doctoral degree. However, it does not have to be the main applicant (project manager) who has a doctoral degree.
  • The main applicant (project manager) must have a personal user account in Prisma to submit the application. Project participants shall have personal user accounts in Prisma to add their CV details and relevant publications from their profile to the application. Create a user account in Prisma External link..
  • It is not allowed to submit the same application with different main applicants under the call Taste and sensorics – from farm to fork . All finally registered applications that have the same content will be rejected.
  • Main applicants may only submit one application in the call Taste and sensorics – from farm to fork. However, it is allowed to be a project participant in several applications if the applicant's total salary, distributed over the projects, does not exceed 100% funding.
  • It is allowed for main applicants (project manager) to have ongoing project grants from one of Formas’ thematic national or international calls and/or the Annual open call if the applicant's total salary, distributed over the projects, does not exceed 100% funding.
  • Private companies and other organisations engaged in economic activity that want to apply for grants from Formas are subject to state aid regulations for companies and other organisations engaged in economic activity. See, State aid regulations for companies and other organisations engaged in economic activity.
  • Project duration must be 12, 24, or 36 months, that is one, two, or three project years.

The call welcomes applicants from both administrating organisation for all types of calls External link. in Prisma i.e. universities, colleges and research institutes, and applicants from companies and other organisations that may be approved as an administrating organisation for an individual project External link.. The administrating organisation is the organisation that receives and manages the grant funds that Formas finances a granted project. It is possible to apply to be an administrating organisation in our application system Prisma. It is important to do this in good time before the project application is to be registered, however no later than 13 May 2022 so that Formas have time to process your request. See section “Main applicants from organisations that can become administrating organisation for an individual project” .

  • The administrating organisation is the coordinating project party that manages the application for all project parties in Prisma, via the project manager.
  • The administrating organisation is the organisation that receives and manages the funds that Formas pays out to a granted project. The administrating organisation distributes the funds from Formas to other project parties in accordance with Formas’ decision.

When you apply for project funding, you can apply for a grant to cover both direct and indirect costs. Direct costs include, for example, personnel costs, equipment, land and building, costs for consultants and licences, other direct costs including trips. Indirect costs are costs that are shared with other business operations in the organisation, such as for administration, IT and renting of premises. Indirect costs are also called overhead costs.

Grants from Formas can be used to fund research, development and innovation that is partly conducted outside Sweden, although the research must be initiated and managed from Sweden. Note that that private companies or other organisations engaged in economic activity outside of Sweden cannot receive funding in this call. The administrating organisation, in this case the coordinating project party, must be located in Sweden and approved by Formas. It is responsible for, when needed, employing any foreign staff or reimbursing costs for activities or services outside Sweden in accordance with the administrating organisation’s guidelines.

In Formas’ call, Taste and sensorics – from farm to fork, a project can be granted maximum 6 million SEK for a 36-month long project. Project duration must be 12, 24, or 36 months, that is one, two, or three project years.

The project grant can cover a maximum of 2 million SEK per year, on average, over the years the application is valid for. So, applicants can apply for more than two million SEK for one year as long as the amount applied for during another year of the project period is less than 2 million SEK. If the total amount applied for exceeds the average yearly amount of 2 million SEK, the application will be rejected.

The project’s start month is pre-selected in Prisma and cannot be edited as funds for the entire first year will be paid out in 2022. Project grants may be used up to three months after the project end date. Thereafter, final financial reporting shall take place within three months.

We recommend that you write the application in English since the review panel consists of international reviewers. For applications written entirely in Swedish, only the research program will be translated by professional translators into English. In such cases, it will not be possible for you to view or make linguistic adjustments to the application after it is translated and submitted to Formas’ review panel for assessment. The popular science description, however, must be written in Swedish, while the abstract should be in both Swedish and English. Your budget specification and your CV will not be translated. Therefore, we recommend you write these in English, even if you write otherwise in Swedish and make the application in the Swedish version of the application system.

Please note that if you have installed an automatic translation plugin in your browser, you risk having your text translated into the language that you have set as default when you paste your text into Prisma. We recommend that you check the language in the text well in advance of your final registration.

According to Swedish law, your application and its appendices are considered as general public documents once they have been submitted to us. This means that anyone can request and read your application. Before we disclose any applications, we always conduct a confidentiality assessment, but we can only hide information as legislated for in the Public Access and Secrecy Act (2009:400).

The popular science description and project abstracts in Swedish and English will, if the project is granted funding, be published in open access project databases without a confidentiality review. Therefore, the contents of these fields should not contain sensitive information.

We at Formas are very keen to fund projects that maximise positive and minimise negative impacts on the environment and climate. We therefore encourage grant applicants to design their projects so that collaboration takes place primarily through online meetings and that any necessary travel takes place in a climate-smart way. We also suggest that you include measures that minimise energy use and other resource consumption, emissions and waste in project planning. However, this will not be part of the assessment of your application.

Please read about Formas’ own sustainability work

Formas is tasked with working to achieve sustainable societal development. Crucial to such development is that it is equal and inclusive. Formas, therefore encourages grant applicants, to design projects so that they can contribute knowledge that reflects and is relevant to different groups in society. Formas also encourages applicants to consider that the project group has an even gender distribution and that it includes participants with different backgrounds and experiences.

How to apply

The application to Formas must be made in our application system Prisma. There, all the information needed for the application must be registered.

Please read the instructions carefully, even if you have applied for funding from Formas before.

Below follows information and instructions regarding personal user- and organisation accounts in Prisma.

Personal user account

The main applicant who must fill in the information in the application and register it in the application system needs a personal user account in Prisma. If the appointed main applicant does not have a personal user account, the person must apply for it in good time before the call closes, no later than 13 May 2022.

Apply for a user account in Prisma External link.

Organisation account

When the main applicant completes the application form in Prisma, information about the administrating organisation and project site must be stated. This is done in the drop-down lists for “Administrating organisation” and “Project site”. The project sites available for the applicant are retrieved from the organisation structure through the settings made in organisation account by the main supervisor for the account. The organisation that the main applicant represents, the so-called coordinating project party (administrating organisation), therefore needs to have an organisation account in Prisma at the time of application.

If your organisation has not previously been an administrating organisation of funds from Formas, your organisation needs to apply for an organisation account in Prisma. Note that the other project parties do not need an organisation account and should therefore not apply for an organisation account.

Main applicants from administrating organisations for all types of calls

In most cases, universities, colleges, most research institutes and authorities already have an organisation account in Prisma, and it is therefore available as a default in the drop-down list for Administrating organisations in the application form.

Main applicants from organisations that can become administrating organisation for an individual project

Companies, municipalities, industry associations and other organisations can apply to become administrating organisations for an individual project. Decision to approve new administrating organisations is taken when grants are awarded in the call. Prior to any decision, credit control is conducted on all companies and other organisations engaged in economic activity that may be granted funding. However, it is important that the organisation has an organisation account in Prisma before the main applicant starts applying for a grant in the call.

Organisation account for organisations that can become administrating organisation for an individual project

  • If the organisation already has an account in Prisma, contact the responsible research officer Anna Kuznetcova by e-mail: anna.kuznetcova@formas.se to request to be added to the list (drop-down list in Prisma) of possible administrating organisations for this call. State the organisation’s corporate identity number in your e-mail. This applies even if the organisation has been approved as administrating organisation in any of Formas’ previous calls.
  • If your organisation does not have an account in Prisma, an appropriate representative should apply for the organisation account on the Prisma website. State in the motivation for the application that you want to apply in the call “Taste and sensorics – from farm to fork”, the type of organisation and the organisation’s corporate identity number.
    Apply for an organisation account in Prisma External link.
  • If you do not know whether the organisation has an account in Prisma, contact responsible research officer Anna Kuznetcova by e-mail anna.kuznetcova@formas.se before you apply for a new account. State your corporate identity number.

It is important that the main applicant applies in good time for an organisation account for the intended coordinating project party (administrating organisation) if such is missing in Prisma, however no later than 13 May 2022.

Project site -create a structure to describe the organisation:

To be able to register an application, a project site within the organisation must be specified. A project site can be a department, for example. The organisation account supervisor in Prisma must create a structure of units and sub-units (domiciles). If the organisation does not have departments, specify a subunit that has the same name as the project specialisation. For information on how to do this, see Prisma user support.

The organisation must have at least one domicile since this information is mandatory when the application is to be registered by the main applicant.

Read more about creating project sites and show levels for domiciles in Prisma External link.

All limits for the maximum number of characters refer to characters including spaces. A recommendation is to choose the Arial font in font size 12 for the information you enter in all text boxes.

Note, that if you write your application in a word processing program and then paste your application into Prisma, there is a risk the formatting will disappear.

To ensure you do not risk losing valuable information, tables and figures with advanced formatting or formulas, should be uploaded as an appendix.

Your application must include a clear description of the project under the following sections:

Basic information

  • Number of months applied for.
  • Start month. Note that the project’s start month is preselected in Prisma and cannot be edited.
  • Number of project years.
  • Project title in Swedish (max. 200 characters including spaces).
  • Project title in English (max. 200 characters including spaces).
  • Popular science description in Swedish (max. 4 500 characters including spaces). The popular science description will, if the project is granted funding, be published in open access project databases without a confidentiality review. Therefore, the contents of this field should not contain sensitive information.
  • Abstract in Swedish (max. 1 500 characters including spaces).
  • Abstract in English (max. 1 500 characters including spaces).

The project abstracts in Swedish and English will, if the project is granted funding, be published in open access project databases without a confidentiality review. Therefore, the contents of these fields should not contain sensitive information.

Project description

Please note the review panel’s criteria on for each of the following three parts of the project description.

  • Relevance and potential of the project (max 8 000 characters including spaces) Describe the project goal and how it relates to the aim and purpose of the call. Describe the research and/or level of development that underpins the project and why it is important to conduct it. What effect will the expected result have in the field of taste and sensorics?
  • The implementation of the project (max 15 000 characters including spaces) Describe how the work in the project will be conducted. State project plan including activities and schedule. Describe how the results of the project will be utilised. Also, reflect on how gender equality and diversity have been integrated into the project.
  • Project group (8000 characters including spaces) Describe the competence that exists in the project and its significance for the implementation of the project as well as the utilisation of the results. Describe the participants participation and how collaboration is carried out with stakeholders and end users. Also, reflect on how gender equality and diversity have been considered regarding the design of the project group.
  • References (max. 5000 characters including spaces) List the in-line references pertaining to the above sections in a separate field.

Budget and other information

The main applicant is responsible for completing the application with the support of information from its own organisation and from the other participating project parties. Depending on the organisational affiliations of the parties, different rules apply for funding the project costs of the parties.

The budget of the project, funding and other information regarding all organisations participating in the application should be described in Prisma. We recommend that you write the budget and budget specification in English. A Swedish budget specification will not be translated, and it will be reviewed as it is by the international review panel. In Prisma, amounts should be written in full. For example, 1 million SEK should be written as: 1 000 000 SEK.

Note, the first payment to funded projects will be made in December 2022 but you are setting a budget for 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Information on the coordinating project party and other project parties

This is mandatory information. The coordinating party is responsible for filling in the application with the support of information from their own organisation and from the other participating project parties. Depending on the parties ' organisational affiliations, different rules apply for financing the parties' costs in the project.

  • Name of the organisation.
  • Corporate identity number.
  • Address, postal code, city, country.
  • Annual turnover (the total sales or turnover of the higher education institution, research institute, company or organisation during the previous fiscal year), stated using digits. Example: 3 500 000.
  • Balance sheet total (the sum of either the assets page or liabilities and equity from the company’s or organisation’s balance sheet), stated using digits. Example: 5 500 000.
  • Number of employees.
  • Contact person.
  • E-mail of contact person.
  • Name of the workplace, address, postal code, city and country where most of the work will be carried out.

Costs for the coordinating project party and the participating project party

  • Personnel costs. Eligible personnel costs for companies and other organisations engaged in economic activity may be estimated at a maximum of 800 SEK per hour on average. Universities, colleges or research institutes are not subject to this limitation. Note that the total salary amount for a researcher, PhD student or other staff must not exceed 100 percent of full-time employment. It also means that someone who already receives full salary financing, cannot receive additional funds for salary. Researchers who are full-time retired cannot, in addition to their pension, receive additional funding for their own salary without first reducing their pension by a corresponding percentage.
  • Equipment, land and buildings. The total maximum amount you can be granted for equipment and equipment depreciation costs is 750,000 SEK.
  • Consultancy and licensing costs, etc. For the costs of consultancy services and licenses to be eligible for funding, they must be purchased or licensed from external actors at market prices, and their services and scope must be stated in the project description. Costs for consultants and licences must be reported excluding VAT.
  • Other direct costs. Other direct costs can include the cost of consumables, travel, conferences and publication fees for open-access journals and databases.
  • Indirect costs (overhead). Universities, colleges or research institutes may charge a mark-up for indirect costs according to the applicable full-cost pricing method. Other project parties may charge a mark-up for indirect costs of up to 30 percent of their eligible personnel costs.

Funding for the coordinating project party and the participating project party

There are four types of funding an applicant can specify in the application:

  1. Applied funding from Formas: Indicates the amount applied from Formas under the call. The amount cannot exceed total costs. If the amount sought is less than the total costs, the remaining amounts will be automatically calculated and reported under Self- finance.
  2. Other funding (public): If Formas or another public funder contributes funding for related research projects. If other funding is received, please state funder.
  3. Other funding (private): If another private company or organisation contributes funding to the project. If other funding is received, please state funder.
  4. Self-finance: If the project party contributes with its own funding, this is calculated automatically and displayed in the field for Self-finance. Self -finance is considered as costs minus requested grant from Formas, minus other funding (public) and other funding (private).

Budget specification

Justification of budgeted personnel costs for participating project parties

Here, you specify the average hourly rate for budgeted personnel costs. Personnel costs refer to salaries including social security contributions and other mandatory charges associated with salaries. Salaries can be applied for to researchers, doctoral students and other staff for whom there is an employment relationship i.e., non-purchased services (max. 500 characters including spaces).

How the main applicant fills in the budget and other information and verifies the completed budget

Coordinating project party

  1. Fill in information about the coordinating project party
  • Enter the company/organisation and the associated information for the organisation.
  • Indicate the workplace, the place where the main part of the project will be carried out, and the associated information for the workplace.
  1. Fill in the costs for the coordinating project party
  • Click on
  • The columns for years come from the project time specified in Basic Information. Go back to Basic Information in your application if you want to edit this.
  • Fill in costs for each type of cost and year.
  • Total costs are automatically calculated in the summary fields.
  1. Fill in financing for coordinating project party
  • Click on
  • Fill in the applied funding from Formas, per year.
  • If applicable, fill in other funding received from another public funder.
  • If applicable, fill in support received from another private financier.
  • Self-financing is calculated automatically based on what is stated in the cost and financing sections.
  • Total financing is calculated automatically in the aggregated fields.
  • Enter the name of the funder if other funding (public or private) is received.
  • Funding (aid) density is calculated automatically in percent.
  • Degree of co-financing is calculated automatically in percent.
  • In the motivation field, state how the average hourly cost for budgeted personnel costs has been calculated.

Project party

  1. Click on Add project party for the project party or the project parties that will participate in the project, in addition to the coordinating project party (administrating organisation).
  2. Fill in the sections for information, budget and financing for each project party in the same way as described for the coordinating project party. See section Coordinating project party Information for the project parties is to be filled in regardless of whether the project party is applying for a grant, i.e. financing, from Formas or not. If project parties do not apply for funding from Formas but only participate In-kind, budgeted project costs must be stated for these project parties but enter SEK "0" in the field "Applied funding from Formas" under financing for these project parties.

Note that a subcontractor to the applicant does not constitute a project partner in the application.

Following the budget charts for coordinating project party and other project parties, total specified cost of the project and total specified financing respectively are calculated automatically.

Control how you have completed the budget charts in good time before you register your application. Applications with incorrectly completed budgets may be rejected. Control all budget charts per project party including the coordinating project party and charts for Total specified costs and Total specified financing respectively as follows:

  • You have entered all project partners who participate in the project.
  • You have specified applied funding from Formas for all the project parties that intend to receive funding from Formas.
  • You have stated other funding for those project parties who, if applicable, have it.
  • You have the self-financing required by state aid regulations for companies and other organisations, where relevant.

Justification of the budget of the whole project

Here, you specify further information by explaining the budget in your own words. Explain the overhead costs in the application according to the practice of the higher education institution or public organisation that is the project party.

You can also indicate whether you will have consulting costs, which consultant will be engaged and the scope of the consultant’s participation. Also indicate which project party or parties is responsible for the consulting costs. Formas does not allow overhead for equipment depreciation costs or costs of premises. Be clear in describing all costs in relation to the current activities within the project (max. 9 000 characters including spaces).

State aid regulations for companies and other organisations engaged in economic activity

Private companies and other organisations engaged in economic activity that want to apply for grants from Formas must follow specific regulations on state aid. The regulations are based on the principle of EU law, which states that aid to private enterprises normally distorts competition but that certain exemptions are allowed such as aid to research, development and innovation.

The aid intensity that Formas can offer depends on the size of the organisation and the type of activities in the project. The organisation’s size is assessed using the EU definition of small and medium-sized enterprises. Activities will primarily be assessed on the basis of Article 25 0 of the General Block Exemption Regulation EU 651/2014.

In order for the funds applied for to be eligible, the costs must be directly or indirectly attributable to the implementation of the project. This means that project costs must be kept separate from the organisation's ordinary operating costs (of a continuous or periodic nature) through separate accounting, so that the project's transactions are distinguishable from the organisation's other transactions.

In addition, de minimis aid can also be a possible basis for granting aid. The maximum de minimis aid Formas can grant is 200,000 euros over a period of three consecutive fiscal years. Any de minimis aid received by a company or organisation must be totalled and reported. If the recipient (in this call, a project party) is part of a group of companies, all aid within the group should be totalled. For projects in which this might be the case, Formas will ask the applicant to fill in a special form , 39.9 kB. after the project is awarded funding.

Note that sole proprietorship businesses cannot be granted funding under this call or participate as a party to projects that are applying in Formas’ calls. Companies that do not have a Swedish corporate identity number cannot be granted funding as a research centre party in this call but can participate in-kind. The Formas website contains more information about state aid regulations.

Conditions that direct the level of support a project party (including coordinating project party) such as a company or other organisation engaged in economic activity can receive:

  1. Identify type of activity – private companies, associations or other organisation engaged in economic activity included by regulations on state aid. The decisive factor if the beneficiary is considered to be engaged in economic activity is whether the organisation offers products or services in a market.
  2. Identify the size of the organisation. User guide to the SME definition External link.
  3. Identify which section of the aid scheme your project concerns. In this call Formas applies Industrial research, aid for research and development in the fishery and aquaculture sector and de minimis aid. Aid scheme (Swedish) , 216.6 kB.
  4. See in the aid scheme what level of state aid (funds sought from Formas plus other public support) your organization can receive for costs incurred for your organisation in the project. See also which and how large part of the cost that is to be covered by own funds.

Ethical considerations

You must specify whether there are specific ethical concerns in your project. If so, you must describe the relevant ethical considerations and how they will be managed. Examples include research that uses personal data, or experiments on humans or animals.

If you are researching people, human tissue or sensitive personal data, you must obtain ethical approval from the Swedish Ethical Review Authority. In the case of animal testing, you must also have ethical approval. You can apply for this via the Swedish Board of Agriculture's e-service.

You must state in your application whether you have ethical approval or not. If you do not have it, and your application is granted funding, you must have ethical approval before the described experiments begin.

Even if your research is not expected to involve ethical approval, you should write this in your application, and justify how and why (max. 4 000 characters including spaces).

Classifications

Formas uses project classifications only in internal analyses and supporting documentation on an overall level. The classifications are made when the applicant states the subject area, SCB codes and at least one Sustainable Development Goal the project can contribute to.

  • Subject area. Select at least one and a maximum of three subject areas and add a sub-heading.
  • Research subject (SCB code). Select at least one and a maximum of three SCB codes with two sub-levels that together form the entire code.
  • Sustainable Development Goals. Select a minimum of one and a maximum of three Sustainable development goals (SDGs) the project can help to achieve, in order of relevance. Read more about the Sustainable Development Goals on the UN Development Programme website External link.
  • Keywords. Select at least one and a maximum of three keywords describing the project.

Administrating organisation – the organisation receiving the grant

Coordinating project party is termed administrating organisation in Prisma because it is the organisation that receives, manages and distributes the funds from Formas to granted projects.

  • Select the administrating organisation from the dropdown list. If you can’t find your organisation, see” Organisation account for organisations that can become administrating organisation for an individual project” in the section “How to apply”.
  • Select the project site from the dropdown list. If you can’t find your project site, see “Project site -create a structure to describe the organisation” in the section “How to apply”.

Participants

  • The main applicant should invite any participating researchers/participants who can add their CV details and relevant publications from their profile in Prisma to the application. Main applicant and participating researchers / participants fill in the fields to the extent they are applicable.
  • Each participant must have created a personal user account in Prisma.
  • The main applicant adds those who are to participate in the project, regardless of whether they are participating researchers or participants, through the function Invite participating researchers in Prisma. Search for participating researchers’ or participants’ first and last name and e-mail address in Prisma (note that exact spelling of name and e-mail address is required).
  • Please note that invited participating researchers must accept the invitation to be a participating researcher and transfer their CVs and publications in the application so that the main applicant can register the application when it is completed. See further details in the CV section.
  • The main applicant can also add a participating administrator, who is not part of the project but helps to fill in the application in Prisma. This is done through the function Invite a participating administrator. Search for the administrator’s first and last name as well as e-mail address in Prisma (note that exact spelling of name and e-mail address is required).

Note! The main applicant cannot register the application if there are unanswered invitations to participating participants or participating administrators. If so, these must first be removed.

CV

The CV information should include:

Education. Undergraduate and graduate level as well as postgraduate (doctoral) if applicable.

Professional history. Current position and relevant previous longer-term positions. Any postdoctoral residencies, research exchange visits relevant to the described research project, and any significant period of interruption in the research (such as parental leave, illness, military service or political duties).

Merits and awards:

  • Associate professorships.
  • Supervision. Participating researchers should state doctoral students, postdoctoral students, and exam project students; add as an individual or/and a group. When adding a group, state the total number in each respective category. When adding an individual provide the names of the most relevant supervisions (max. 10).
  • Grants awarded in competition. Specify the most relevant grants (max. 10).
  • Merits and awards. Specify the most relevant ones (max. 10).
  • Other merits, including summary of publications. Participating researchers and main applicant, if the main applicant is a researcher, states publication history, for the last five years, and in total if the applicant’s active research period is longer than five years, should be summarised (max. 800 characters including spaces).
    This summary should include:
    • The number of publications of various types (such as articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, books and other monographs, conference papers and popular science contributions).
    • Any citation measures must be stated without self-citations and from which database these are retrieved.
    • The summary should not contain information about the H-index, Journal Impact Factor or any other type of measure used to rank publishers or journals.
    • Under “Other merits,” other qualifications that are relevant to the application can be listed, such as any popular science publications or proven experience of collaboration and research communication (max. 10).
  • Intellectual property: For example, patents and open-source software that you have developed (max. 10).

List of publications

Participating researchers and main applicant, if the main applicant is a researcher should list up to ten of their most relevant publications. Note that the publications should be linked from the applicant’s personal profiles in Prisma. You must report the publication summary in Prisma under “Other merits”.

Appendix

Appendix for illustrations. If you need figures, tables or images to describe the project, you can upload them as attachments here. A maximum of one PDF attachment of 4 MB can be uploaded. Please note that a CV should not be attached as an appendix. Declarations of intent or other documentations that proves collaborations should not be attached either. Collaborations shall only be described in the project description.

Coordinating project party

Fill in information about the coordinating project party

    1. Enter the company/organisation and the associated information for the organisation
    2. Indicate the workplace, the place where the main part of the project will be carried out, and the associated information for the workplace
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    Fill in the costs for the coordinating project party

    1. Click on Edit
    2. The columns for years come from the project time specified in Basic Information. Go back to Basic Information in your application if you want to edit this.
    3. Fill in costs for each type of cost and year.
    4. Click on Save and Close.
    5. Total costs are automatically calculated in the summary fields.
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    Fill in financing for coordinating project party

      1. Click on Edit
      2. Fill in the applied funding from Formas, per year
      3. If applicable, fill in other funding received from another public funder
      4. If applicable, fill in support received from another private financier
      5. Self-financing is calculated automatically based on what is stated in the cost and financing sections.
      6. Click on Save and Close.
      7. Total financing is calculated automatically in the aggregated fields.
      8. Enter the name of the funder if other funding (public or private) is received.
      9. Funding (aid) density is calculated automatically in percent.
      10. Degree of co-financing is calculated automatically in percent.
      11. In the motivation field, state how the average hourly cost for budgeted personnel costs has been calculated.
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      Project party

      Click on Add project party for the project party or the project parties that will participate in the project, in addition to the coordinating project party (administrating organisation).

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      Fill in the sections for information, budget and financing for each project party in the same way as described for the coordinating project party. See section Coordinating project party above. Information for the project parties is to be filled in regardless of whether the project party is applying for a grant, ie. financing, from Formas or not. If project parties do not apply for funding from Formas but only participate In-kind, budgeted project costs must be stated for these project parties but enter SEK "0" in the field "Applied funding from Formas" under financing for these project parties.

      Note that a subcontractor to the applicant does not constitute a project partner in the application.

      The project total specified costs and financing

      Following the budget charts for coordinating project party and other project parties, total specified cost of the project and total specified financing respectively are calculated automatically.

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      Control how you have completed the budget charts in good time before you register your application. Applications with incorrectly completed budgets may be rejected. Control all budget charts per project party including the coordinating project party and charts for Total specified costs and Total specified financing respectively as follows:

      • You have entered all project partners who participate in the project.
      • You have specified applied funding from Formas for all the project parties that intend to receive funding from Formas.
      • You have stated other funding for those project parties who, if applicable, have it.
      • You have the self-financing required by state aid regulations for companies and other organisations, where relevant.

      After registering your application

      You can make changes to your registered application (unregister it and re-register) until the call closes at 14:00 on Thursday 19 May. After that, the status of your application will change from “registered” to “finally registered”. Unless any errors have been identified in Prisma, no changes may be made to the final registered application. Furthermore, you cannot make any additions via, for example, email or by phone, and the application will be assessed in its existing condition.

      Your finally registered application is automatically sent to the administrating organisation when the call is closed. The administrating organisation has seven calendar days to sign the application digitally in Prisma.

      Formas verifies that the application meets the procedural requirements set out in the call. If it does not meet these requirements, it is rejected.

      The following requirements will be verified in this call:

      • The administrating organisation has signed the application. This must be done within seven calendar days after the call closes.
      • The application has been approved by the administrating organisation.
      • The focus of the application falls within the call’s areas.
      • The application is complete and contains all mandatory information.
      • The requirements for project managers, project participants and organisations under “Applicant and organisation requirements” are met.
      • The coordinating project party (principal applicant) who is responsible for other projects or activities funded by Formas has submitted any requested reports by the stated deadline.
      • Credit checks on all project parties that are companies and other organisations engaged in economic activity that may be relevant to the awarding of a grant.
      • Verification of the de minimis aid certificate for project parties where this may be relevant. Note that this certificate will be requested by Formas at a later stage of the preparation process and should not be submitted in connection with the final registration of the application.

      A control is performed on applicants who have received funding in one of Formas’ other calls but who have not submitted their scientific or financial final reports in time. These applicants are requested to submit their reports before new funding can be granted.

      The applications will be assessed by an international review panel that is qualified to cover the theme of this call. Applications are assessed based on their contents. It is therefore important to write the application as clearly as possible and include all important and relevant information. Each application is read and assessed by several members of the panel.

      The review panel consists of both active researchers and users. The review panel has the competence to assess the excellence and implementation of the research, the societal relevance and communication with stakeholders or users. The review panel is appointed by Formas. Read more about Formas’ assessment process.

      Applications are assessed based on the following criteria:

      Relevance

      • The project can significantly contribute to the purpose and aims of the call.
      • The design of the project and the expected results have taken into consideration the relevant needs and conditions of different groups in society.
      • The application clearly states how the impact of the expected results would benefit society.

      Potential

      • The project is of high scientific quality and is innovative.
      • The problem formulation and purpose of the project are clear, logical and in line with the purpose and focus of the call.
      • The expected results of the project and/or proposed solution are at the forefront of the field, i.e., in relation to the state of the art.
      • The project has significant potential for scalability and/or dissemination.

      Implementation

      • Planned activities and methods are realistic and appropriate for achieving expected results during the project.
      • The time frame and budget are realistic and appropriate in relation to the purpose and objectives of the project.
      • The plan for how the results of the project is to be utilised is well described and appropriate.
      • Ethical considerations are well described and the plan for how to handle these is appropriate.
      • Gender aspects are well integrated into the implementation of the project.

      Project organisation

      • The project’s organisation and overall competence of the project group are appropriate for the implementation of the project, including the utilisation of the project’s results.
      • The project is carried out in collaboration with relevant stakeholders or end users. The involvement of project participants is well described and appropriate for the objectives of the project.
      • The project group (key actors) as well as the distribution of influence is well balanced between women and men. Relevant for project groups of more than 3 people.

      Formas’ Scientific Council is expected to reach a decision on 23 November 2022 concerning which projects will be granted funding. Decisions will be announced the following day, at the latest, on Formas’ website. Information that decisions have been made will be sent out via email from Prisma. The applicant’s decision is available in Prisma. Grant award decisions cannot be appealed.

      In order for Formas to activate payments for granted projects, the following is required:

      • Project manager and administrating organisation/coordinating project party must sign the terms and conditions in Prisma.
      • The administrating organisation must draw up an agreement on the project’s implementation and financing with each project party, see the form Participant approval (Swedish), , 94.4 kB. and submit copies to registrator@formas.se

      The final financial and scientific reports for all projects granted funding must be submitted to Formas within three months of the end of the availability period. For projects longer than 18 months, financial statements must be submitted each year. All reports are made in Prisma.

      Financial reporting in Prisma

      The financial reporting for projects in this call follows the same structure as the application. Costs and financing are reported according to the same structure as the application.

      Formas may impose requirements on how projects must be reported in terms of content and results to enable distribution and application. In such cases, the award decision will contain more information about this. Formas may also require you to participate in conferences and similar events in order to create synergies and platforms for learning and knowledge sharing.

      Results from research funded by Formas must be published with open access.

      Open access to research results and data

      You need to have a data management plan for the data produced in the project. If you receive funding, you need to develop a plan for data management. The plan should not be sent to us, but you should be able to present the plan upon request.

      Formas’ recommendations for data management

      By signing our grant terms and conditions, it is certified that a data management plan will be in place before research is started and that it is maintained.

      Formas shares information about awarded grants to SweCRIS External link., a national database of grant funded research that was instituted by request of the government.

      Definition

      Term

      Definition

      Coordinating project party

      An organisation that coordinates the project and is administrating organisation i.e. receives the grant funds from Formas and distributes the funds to other organisations that are beneficiaries in the project, reports the project according to instructions and notifies any changes to Formas.

      Note that only Swedish administrating organisations may be coordinating project party.

      Project party

      An organisation that implements the project - regardless of whether it receives a grant or not, ie. contributes in-kind. A subcontractor is not a project party.

      Please note that private companies or other organisations engaged in economic activity outside of Sweden cannot receive funding in this call. However, they can participate as project parties if they contribute in-kind.

      Main applicant

      A person appointed by the coordinating project party as project manager.

      Project participant

      A person who participates in the project, can be a participating researcher or a participating non-researcher.

      Administrating organisation

      The administrating organisation is the organisation that receives the grant funds from Formas and distributes the funds to other organisations that are beneficiaries in the project, reports the project according to instructions and notifies any changes to Formas.

      Administrating organisation for all types of calls

      Organisation that can apply for all types of calls at Formas. These are universities, colleges, research institutes and authorities with research assignments.

      Administrating organisation for an individual project

      Organisation that can apply for funding in individual calls from Formas and receive funding for an individual project. These are companies, associations, industry associations, boards, funds and municipalities.

      Project site

      A domicile can, for example, be an institute, a department or a project specialisation.

      Revision history

      Any changes to the call text will be listed here.

      Contact information

      For more specific questions regarding the call

      For administrative support and questions regarding Prisma

      Updated:23 November 2022