A few words about the new research bill

The bill aims to strengthen the quality and relevance of research. It includes a series of significant reforms and initiatives with a total increase of SEK 1.5 billion from 2025, which is expected to increase annually to SEK 6.5 billion in 2028.

Investments in research quality and careers

A key feature of the bill is increased competition for direct research grants, also called “basanslagen”. This is a deliberate move by the government to enhance the quality of research. To this end, new quality indicators are developed, including the proportion of highly cited articles (top ten per cent) and external research funding (with greater emphasis on EU funding). Based on these indicators, a portion of the existing resources will then be reallocated among the higher education institutions.

Another significant change is the government’s decision to abandon the idea of profile areas.

The government is also introducing targeted career support through the Swedish Research Council. This includes a new funding model for associate senior lecturers, offering five years of support with the possibility of continued funding at the senior lecturer level. Higher education institutions may nominate candidates and must co-finance the positions with at least half the cost. The initiative will be expanded gradually, with an estimated annual budget of SEK 245 million from 2028 onwards. The bill also introduces a new indicator that rewards higher education institutions that successfully nominate and co-finance these positions.

Promising prospects for Medfarm

The bill also includes several positive investments in Medfarm’s research areas. Enhancements are made in fields such as clinical treatment research, antibiotic resistance, mental health, women’s health, dementia care, prevention and public health. Funding for research infrastructure, including Biobank Sweden, also increases. New strategic research areas (SFOs) will be opened up for competitive calls while existing SFOs will undergo evaluation.

It is encouraging to note that the government is increasing SciLifeLab’s funding by SEK 90 million annually from 2025. This investment focuses on development in precision medicine and artificial intelligence linked to life science, i.e. areas of strength for both Uppsala University and Medfarm.

It is gratifying that the government provides additional research funding, although a lot of work will be required for Medfarm to secure a share of these resources. But given Medfarm’s impressive performance in recent years and, above all, the excellent outcome of our external research applications last year, I am confident that we are well-positioned to compete successfully for the new funding opportunities.

Mats Larhed, Vice-Rector