Minor Field Studies

Key criteria for determining whether you are eligible to apply for MFS:

• You may only receive the grant for a field study conducted in a country where Sweden has active development cooperation strategies, i.e. a country approved by Sida.
• Your study must aim to contribute knowledge related to one or more of the objectives set by the Swedish government for the relevant country or region.
• At the time of application, you must be an active student at Uppsala University.
• The field study must be used as part of a bachelor’s, master’s, or advanced-level thesis, or a degree project at Uppsala University.
• You must have been assigned an academic supervisor at Uppsala University.
• You must have a contact person in the host country who is connected to the study and supports you during the fieldwork.
• The thesis or degree project in which the study is presented must be written in English, or in the language of the host country if approved by your academic supervisor.
• You may not have been awarded another Sida-funded grant for the same field study period.
• You may not have previously been awarded an MFS grant at the same level of study.
• You may not have commenced doctoral (PhD) studies.
• If you have applied for funding from an organisation other than Sida for the same field study period, this must be stated in your application.
• You are a Swedish citizen or have been registered as a resident in Sweden for at least one year.

The field study must be carried out in one country only (not multiple countries). The country must be one where Sweden has active development cooperation strategies, and the study must be linked to at least one of these strategies.

Before deciding where to go, it is important to familiarise yourself with which study topics are relevant in different countries based on Sweden’s development cooperation strategies.

You can read more about how to link your study to these strategies under the section What does it mean to “link” your study to active strategies?

Further reading

• Information about which strategies apply to a specific country can be found on the Openaid website under Countries and regions.
• More information about the government’s current bilateral, regional, and thematic strategies is available on Sida’s website.
• Additional information about Swedish development assistance and government strategies can be found on the Swedish Government Offices’ website.

If the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) advises against travel

The Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) is responsible for providing information about risks associated with travel to particularly dangerous areas and countries. An MFS grant cannot be awarded for a country or region that the MFA advises against travelling to. You are responsible for comparing the list of MFS-eligible countries with the MFA’s travel advisories.

When planning your trip, keep in mind that the security situation in a country can change rapidly. Carefully assess the security conditions in the area you plan to visit. If the MFA’s travel advice changes between the time you apply and your planned departure, you may need to cancel your field study.

Countries where the MFA advises against travel

You may not conduct an MFS field study if:

• The MFA advises against non-essential travel to the entire country.
• The MFA advises against all travel to the entire country.
• The MFA urges all Swedish citizens to leave the country or the part of the country where you are staying.

Please note:
If the travel advisory applies only to parts of a country, you may carry out an MFS field study in other parts of that country, provided that you do not at any point need to travel through an area that the MFA advises against.

If, during your stay, the MFA issues an advisory against non-essential travel to the country or region you are in, you must contact us immediately. Together with the relevant Swedish authorities abroad, an assessment will be made as to whether it is appropriate for you to remain in the country or whether you need to return to Sweden.

If, during your stay, the MFA issues an advisory against all travel, you must return to Sweden within 30 days.

If the MFA urges people to leave the country or the area you are in, you must contact us immediately and leave the country or area.

If a travel advisory is issued while you are already in the host country, you do not need to meet the requirement of spending at least 8 weeks in the field.

In addition to the MFA not advising against travel to the country, Uppsala University must also permit travel to the host country for educational purposes, and you must be granted a visa to carry out the study.

The MFS grant amounts to SEK 25,000. The funds may be used to cover costs related to the field study, such as travel, accommodation, vaccinations, and visa fees.

The grant is not intended to cover all expenses, but is a contribution towards the additional costs associated with the field study. You may therefore need to supplement it by applying for student financial aid from CSN.

You must spend a minimum of 6 weeks (42 days) and a maximum of 20 weeks (140 days) in the host country. The period is calculated from the day you arrive in the host country until the day you leave it.

Supervisor at Uppsala University

As with other theses and degree projects, you need a supervisor who is mainly responsible for the project and provides academic guidance.
The supervisor must be contacted and agree to take on this role before you submit your application.

Contact person in the host country

The contact person in the host country can, for example, represent a government agency, university, organisation, or company. They may also be affiliated with a development project run by Sida, the UN, an NGO, or a similar entity. The most important thing is that the contact person works within your research area and can help you connect with people or organisations needed for interviews or data collection.

The contact person should also be able to answer practical questions, such as advice on accommodation, transportation, and safety.

Important:

• The contact person does not receive compensation from Sida or the university. It is therefore important to agree on any project-related expenses, such as transport or material collection. If you pay for these costs yourself, they must be included in your budget.
• In your application, you must document that you have a contact person in the host country, for example by providing a copy of an email exchange. If you submit an email conversation, include both your request and the contact person’s confirmation.

Tips for finding a contact person in the field:

• Search for organisations you are interested in and see where they operate. Perhaps one of them is located in an MFS country, or has a partner organisation in a partner country. Alternatively, choose a host country you are interested in and explore which organisations are active there.
• Uppsala University has many international networks and partners. Ask your department about networks or collaborations relevant to your interests.
• Is there an MFS alumnus who has conducted a field study in your chosen host country? Contact your department’s exchange coordinator for contact details.