Strategy to find the right funder
Finding funders that align with your profile and research is crucial. Navigating the myriad of funding opportunities and calls for proposals can be particularly challenging at the start of your research career. Here, you can learn how to identify the right funders to meet your needs.
Different types of research funding
There are various types of funders and funding options available. It’s essential to identify those that best match you and your research. Are you conducting basic research, research motivated by specific needs, or innovation-driven research? Is your work more suited for large collaborative projects or individual projects? Consider your career stage as well—are you a postdoc, an aspiring research leader, or a more senior researcher? All these factors play a crucial role in determining which funders and calls that are most appropriate for you.
Basic research or innovation-driven research?
The lists below provide examples of various funders that support basic research, need driven research, and innovation-driven research. Which category does your project fall into? Keep in mind that it is sometimes possible to tailor a project proposal to align with more than one of these types of funders.
Examples of funding agencies for different types of research
Basic research
- Swedish Research Council
- Riksbankens jubileumsfond
- EU Pillar 1 (e.g ERC)
- Wallenberg Foundations
Need driven research
- Forte
- Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, SSF
- Formas
- Swedish Energy Agency
- Swedish Crime Victim Authority
Innovation driven research
- Vinnova
- EU Pillar 3
- Eurostars
Individual or collaborative grants?
There are both individual grants, which you apply for as an individual researcher, and (often larger) grants that multiple researchers apply for together for a collaborative project (see list below for examples of funders).
Individual grants are the most common type of research funding. When applying for an individual grant, you can still involve other researchers as participants or co-applicants, but you are the main character of the project, responsible for making all decisions and running the project. Potential co-applicants must fulfill specific, important roles, such as being an expert in a method you plan to use or having access to crucial materials. When applying for an individual grant, the reviewers primarily focus on you as the main applicant.
In contrast, a collaborative project involves a group of researchers (and sometimes industry or societal partners) working together on a larger project, program, or center. When evaluating an application for a collaborative project, the reviewers assess the entire group and its synergies. When applying for a collaborative grant, it is crucial to establish your consortium well in advance of the application deadline and to carefully describe your collaboration and the expected synergies.
Exemples of funders and calls for individual and collaborative projects
Individual projects
- VR project grant
- Forte project grant
- Formas – Explore
- EU Pillar 1
Collaborative projects
- Vinnova Excellence center
- EU Pillar 2
- KAW Project of high scientific potential
- VR Competence center
What career stage are you at?
When you begin searching for suitable funders, you’ll quickly notice that some calls are open to all researchers with a PhD, while others target specific career levels (e.g., post docs, professors). It’s important to be aware that the competition for grants open to all with a PhD may be so strong in certain fields that it may not be worthwhile for junior researchers to apply (e.g., VR project grants in medicine and health). However, in other fields, junior researchers may have a good chance (e.g., VR project grants in the humanities and social sciences).
When it comes to calls explicitly aimed at specific career levels, there are for example calls aimed at post docs, researchers who are just beginning to establish themselves as independent researchers, and well-qualified senior researchers. Focus on the calls relevant to your current career stage, but also consider which calls may be relevant for your next career step. The lists below provide examples of funders and calls relevant to different career stages.
Exemples of grants for different career stages
Post doc
- MSCA-PF (EU)
- VR international post doc
- Wenner-Gren Stiftelserna
- Formas Career support
- KAW postdok on Broad/MIT, Standford
- Forte Starting grant
- STINT
Junior researchers (ca 2–7 years after PhD)
- ERC Starting grant
- RJ Pro Futura
- Wallenberg Academy Fellows
- VR Starting grant
- Göran Gustafsson's Foundation
- SSMF Starting grant
- Formas Career support
Senior researchers (ca 7–12 years
after PhD)
- VR Consolidator grant
- ERC Consolidator grant
Well-established researchers
- Wallenberg Scholars
- ERC Advanced grant
- VR Distinguished professor
How do you find your funders?
In Uppsala University’s Research Handbook, you’ll find the comprehensive database Research Professional for searching calls. It also includes lists of common (and uncommon) funders, as well as a call calendar curated by the University’s Research Support, featuring a selection of current calls. If you’re interested in calls related to medicine and pharmacy, there is also a newsletter you can subscribe to.
Explore all resources available in the Research Handbook to find research funding.
Beyond these resources, doing your own web searches can help you find foundations and other funders that support your research area. Many larger funders offer newsletters you can subscribe to. Additionally, talking to your colleagues and learning where they typically seek funding can provide valuable leads. Keep in mind that you can explore both Swedish and international funders.
Start early and on a small scale
Start early in your research career
Everyone has to start somewhere. Start applying for funds early in your research career, ideally during your doctoral studies. During this period, grants for conference trips or exchanges are often the most relevant. These applications are much smaller than those for post doctoral funding and project grants, which you will pursue after completing your dissertation. This makes them a great way to familiarize yourself with the application process and practice your application skills.
Smaller grants as new graduated researcher
As a newly graduated researcher, you often start by applying for smaller grants from smaller funders. These are usually easier to obtain than the larger ones (e.g., VR, Forte, RJ). However, if you manage to secure a few of these smaller grants, you will soon have accumulated your first million! Your first small research grant can perhaps help you conduct that important preliminary study that will substantiate your research question or demonstrate the feasibility of your larger project. Such data can significantly increase your chances of securing a larger grant later on.
Combine funds from multiple funders
Remember, you can apply for funds for the same idea from multiple funders, thereby piecing together the funds needed for an entire project. Just ensure that you finance different parts of the project with funds from different sources.
Planning grants
It is also useful to know that there are grants available to help you prepare for an application (often called planning grants or seed funding). For example, you can apply for funds to organize a meeting or workshop aimed at establishing new networks, developing new research questions, or more concretely, preparing an application. There are internal planning grants available at the University for developing an EU application, as well as many external funders that regularly announce planning grants. Below you can find some examples.
Exemples of calls with a focus on planning future applications
- Riksbankens jubileumsfond – Research initiation
- Swedish Research Council – Grant for planning a clinical studie
- MSB – Planning grant for EU application
- Uppsala University – Grant for verification for collaboration
- Swedish Cancer Society – Planning group
- Vinnova – Planning grant
- Forte - Planning grant
Get to know different funders
Don’t just focus on one or two funders; spread your chances by applying to many, especially at the beginning of your career.
You need to find funders that align with you and your research. The first step is to check whether you are eligible to apply for a specific grant. If you do not meet all the eligibility criteria, it is not worth applying, as your application will be filtered out.
There is also no point in trying to force your project into a call where it does not fit. For example, if a funder funds research on cancer, batteries, or democracy, your project must directly address this topic. If the application does not align with the funder’s profile, it will be rejected, regardless of its quality. Therefore, you need to ask yourself: Are you and your research a good enough fit for this call to make it worthwhile to apply?
Study the funder and the call to determine whether it suits you.
- What is the funder looking for in this particular call? Do you align with the profile and research topic they describe?
- What type of projects does the funder usually fund? Information about granted projects can often be found on the funder’s website or in various databases. For governmental funders subject to the principle of public access, you have the right to request previously granted applications. Reading such applications in your field can provide valuable insights into what works with this particular funder.
- What type of research does the funder support? Basic research, research relevant for society, or innovation-driven research? Does your research align with this funder?
- What is the funder’s policy or mission statement? This can often provide clues about what the funder is looking for.
- Does the funder have a primary target group that they support (junior or senior researchers, clinicians, etc.)? Does this target group include you? Look up individuals who have previously received funds from this funder. Do they have similar profiles to yours?
- Talk to colleagues who have previously received funding from this funder. Do they think you would be a good fit?
- If possible, carefully review the evaluation criteria for the call. These criteria will give you important clues as to whether the call is right for you. For larger governmental funders, the criteria are often easy to find and very detailed. For smaller foundations, the criteria may be more difficult to obtain and less clear.
All this information together will give you a good picture of whether a funder suits you and your research.
If your application is rejected
All researchers face rejection! Don’t give up but keep applying! However, before you apply again, always try to analyze why your application was rejected. Carefully review any feedback from evaluators. Was this funder the right fit for you and your research, or do you need to find other funders that are a better match?
When revising your application to submit to a new funder or call, ensure that you make any necessary changes to adhere to the new funder’s specific instructions. Also, remember that you often need to frame the project differently to align with a particular funder’s purpose and focus area. It is very rare that you can send the exact same application to multiple funders.
