To create new scope for researchers to disseminate their results, the Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences (Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, RJ) is announcing new funding of SEK 4 million in 2016. The grants will go to projects with the aim of strengthening and renewing research communication, collaboration and public engagement in humanities and social sciences. RJ has previously funded a diverse series of communication projects. These have ranged from major international initiatives that have brought practitioners and theorists together to small grants for popularisation measures. The aim of this initiative is to enable RJ to respond to researchers’ own initiative and interest in collaboration and research communication more effectively than to date. This involves, for example, lecture series, popularisation measures, films, podcasts, exhibitions or blogs. It may also entail focused advisory inputs or projects, jointly with practitioners and users of the research.

Application must be received by RJ not later than 4:00 pm on 15 November 2016.

Funding decisions are taken by the Executive Committee of the Board in December 2016. Reasons for decisions will not be given. The grants awarded will be disbursed following requisition.  

During 2017 and 2018, there will be a further two funding calls. They may be affected by experience from the initial call.

Instructions

• The grants may vary in size according to the nature of the projects concerned, up to SEK 500,000.
• The grants will be awarded on a one-off basis and cannot be extended beyond the period covered by the application.
• The initial application must list total costs of implementing the project. Funding for salary costs may be applied for within the above-mentioned budget limits.
• Indirect costs will not be approved.
• If the applicant has no PhD, researchers with PhDs or a scientific board must be associated with the project.
• Project participants must not have submitted final reports on previous research grants awarded by RJ.
• The grants can be combined with grants from any other external funders.
• Applications are submitted through RJ’s web-based application system.

The application must be written in Swedish or English and contain the following:

• Grant administrator.

• Title of the project in Swedish and English.
• Summary, up to a maximum of 1500 characters including spaces, in Swedish and English, to be published on RJ’s website (rj.se) if the application is approved. The summary must clarify the purpose of the project.
• Budget:
  • Name all staff members. List them as project participants with their monthly salaries, employer's social-insurance contribution top-up (LKP) and working time in the project.
  • Salaries, LKP, operating costs and working time for all staff must be specified and reasons given in the project description.
  • Specify salaries of SEK 0 for project participants who are not being paid in the project.
  • Report working time for any other staff, such as assistants and technical staff, as well; but do not name them. The costs must be stated under 'Drift' ('Operation').
  • No unspecified or unexplained costs will be approved.
• Project description, up to a maximum of 19,200 characters including spaces, clarifying:

• The theme of the project.
• Its purpose and why the project is important.
• The target group(s) and dissemination channel chosen.
• The project plan, its implementation and resource requirements.
• The research and researchers (and scientific board, if any) included, as well as other staff and their relevant expertise and qualifications.
• How the project will be evaluated by the applicant.

The results from approved projects must, where relevant, be published with open access.

Assessment criteria

The assessment will be based on the originality of the proposal, its importance and relevance in relation to target groups specified, and its feasibility.

Final report

A final report on every approved project must be submitted to RJ when the project is completed. In this report, the project leader must describe the implementation of the work and experience gained. The final report will be published on rj.se.