Call to support research on Democracy and higher education

The purpose of this call is to fund research that deepens our knowledge of the relation between democracy and higher education, and explores questions of significance to the research field.

Support can be sought for individual researchers or research groups. With support for research groups, we want to encourage interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary questions and work, and give researchers a chance to collaborate to develop research programs and applications that can be competitive in external funding calls.

In this call, support can be sought for research time by individual researchers or research groups (a group of up to four researchers. The research group applies with a joint research question and research plan. The main applicant must hold a permanent position at a department/unit within the Disciplinary Domain of Humanities and Social Sciences at Uppsala University.

Funding will be granted for research that clearly focuses on a question related to the relationship between democracy and higher education, and for researchers interested in participating in and developing the overarching theme of the research program. The scientific aims of the project should be clearly formulated. A plan to submit an application to an external funder or otherwise further develop the research at the end of the grant period is encouraged.

Funds are primarily allocated for salary costs for research time, and secondarily for clearly specified expenses. Costs for academic events related to the project can be applied for separately during the project period and should not be included in the current application. The program does not support research that is already funded (or has previously been funded) by external funding sources. Researchers are required to report if external funding is granted for the project during the assignment period.

The application should contain the following (in one file, maximum 6 pages):

• A project description, of no more than 3 pages, clearly specifying the problem, purpose and research question, main method, theoretical positioning at the forefront of research, and an account of both theoretical and practical relevance.
• A detailed workplan, including allocation of tasks among researchers, and a specified research related output (e.g. publication, research application, report, and/or clearly specified data material and how this will be used), max. 1 page.
• Ethical considerations, when applicable.
• Previous and current available funding as well as applications submitted to external funders.
• Short CV with information about the main applicant current employment at Uppsala University. (maximum 1 page)
• Names of participating researcher(s) and a detailed budget specifying salary costs, LBK and OH for all involved researchers.
  

You will also be asked to submit, in a separate file:

• Acceptance letter from the head of department at the main applicant’s department, using the template here docx, 160 kB.

Some general principles for funding:

• The main applicant must hold a current employment at a department/unit within the Disciplinary Domain of Humanities and Social Sciences at Uppsala University. Co-applicants are not required to have an ongoing employment, but the department/unit managing the funds (the main applicants department) must be prepared to accept full employment responsibility, provide a workplace, and ensure that the work can be carried out in relation to other duties for researchers who are not employed at Uppsala University. If co-applicants are employed at another department at Uppsala University, the main applicant´s department is responsible for reallocating funds and coordinating with the departments where the researchers are based. Funds may only be reallocated within Uppsala University. Awarded research time must be in addition to any research time included in the applicant’s current position. Approval from the Head of Department is required.
• Funding can be granted for research time between 20%-40%, including salary costs, LBK, and overhead (room and IT costs are not included). The funding period can be up to 18 months. Desired amount of research time should be specified, although a lower amount can be granted based on availability of funds (minimum 20%). The funds should be used within 24 months from the date of decision, unless otherwise agreed with the program management team. All researchers in the group (main applicant and co-applicants) must hold a doctoral degree at the start of the project. The involvement of early-career researchers is particularly encouraged.
• If additional funds for project-related expenses are required, these must be specified in the application. Funding will only be granted for clearly defined costs related to data collection, analysis, and/or publication. The need must be justified. Funding will not be granted for equipment or workshops, nor will will it be approved retroactively. Funding for hiring assistants for data collection will only be approved in exceptional cases.
• The main applicant is responsible for the final reports, both scientific and economic, to be submitted at the end of the project. Funds will be paid twice (one for each academic year) to the main applicant’s home department. A short mid-term report should be submitted after 12 months, which needs to be approved before the remaining funds are paid.
• Only one application per project may be submitted.
  

Researchers who receive funding from the program are obliged to:

1. Submit a final report of the project, including the report(s) and/or publication(s) specified in the application and inform the program management of any additional publications, grants or other output that may come from the project.
2. Actively participate in the research program´s activities throughout the entire time of funding.
3. Contribute to the program’s aims by presenting their project, organising seminars/workshops/lectures, inviting guests, or otherwise developing and disseminating knowledge based on their research, and fostering dialogue with other researchers and/or audiences.
   

Funds must be reported with a brief scientific and financial statement. In addition, a short popular science summary clearly presenting the project’s main results must be submitted for publication on the program’s website. Any remaining funds at the end of the grant period must be reported to the program management, which will decide how these should be handled.

The final report and the popular science text must be submitted to dohu@uu.se no later than two months after the end of the project period.

Additional funds for scientific events related to the project may be applied for separately, following consultation with the program management (see separate information.

The programme board will make the final decisions on funding based on the committee proposal. For more information on the assessment and decision procedure, please see: uu.se/dohu/forskning/forskningstod (Swedish)

The following criteria will be used for the assessment of proposals:

• Quality of the proposed research and its relation to the international research frontier.
• The relevance of the research to the programme and its clear connection to the relationship between democracy and higher education.
• The research's potential to contribute to the research front and generate new knowledge, and to contribute to the overall aims of the research programme.
• A clear, well-motivated and realistic research plan with a specified output.
• In case of equal quality, applications involving researchers from two or more faculties within the Disciplinary Domain of Humanities and Social Sciences will be prioritized.
• Engagement of early-career researchers is encouraged and may be prioritized in the allocation of funds within projects.
  

• November 1, 2025: Application open.
• December 4, 2025: Information meeting about the call, 08:30–09:15 on Zoom. Register by 2 December here.
• February 4, 2026: Deadline for submitting your application. Submit your application.
• End of March 2026: Programme board makes grant decisions.
• Funds can be used until: 30 June 2028
• September 1, 2028: Deadline for filan report, including scientific and economic report