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New programme to facilitate recruitment of key international expertise

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With academic freedom facing growing pressure, the Knowledge Foundation has decided to respond. The new programme, Capacity Building, will equip Swedish universities with new tools to swiftly recruit international guest researchers.

Researchers in the United States and other parts of the world are facing an increasingly harsh reality: research funding is being cut, political interference is rising, and academic freedom is being pushed back. An increasing number of researchers are being forced to alter their research focus or leave their institutions altogether.

In response to this shift, the Knowledge Foundation is launching Capacity building, a programme designed to support Swedish universities in making temporary but strategic recruitments or adjuncts of key international expertise.

" We know that there are highly qualified researchers currently seeking to move away from environments where the climate for independent research has deteriorated. We want them to see Sweden as an alternative. With this initiative, our universities will have greater opportunities to open the door.
Petter Zirath
Programme manager at the Knowledge Foundation

Capacity building is a new programme aimed at promoting researcher mobility and international collaboration. It provides funding for the employment or appointment of international guest researchers and adjunct professors or senior lecturers, both within academia and industry.

The call for proposals is launched in June, with application deadlines on 22 September and 8 December. To enable fast processing, the application period will be divided into two rounds, with the first funding decisions to be made in December.

Updated programme portfolio with additional funding

Capacity building is one of two new programmes replacing the Foundation’s previous programme Rekryteringar. The second, Associate senior lectureships, will be launched shortly and is designed to help universities to attract and retain outstanding early-career researchers. Both programmes aim to strengthen the ability of universities to attract strategic expertise for capacity building.

In light of the current geopolitical climate, the Knowledge Foundation has decided to increase the combined budget for these programmes by an additional SEK 30 million in 2025. This means that more projects will be eligible for funding.

" The global situation for academic freedom demands swift and decisive action. I am proud that the board has now allocated extra resources for this initiative.
Eva Schelin
CEO of the Knowledge Foundation
Forms of employment

International guest researcher
Funding for the employment or appointment of an international guest researcher who is established outside Sweden.

  • Project duration: 3–24 months
  • Funding amount: Up to SEK 1,400,000 per project
  • Co-funding: Minimum 10 percent of the requested amount

Adjunct professor/lecturer (to academia or industry)
Funding for the employment or appointment of an adjunct professor or senior lecturer to a university or business actor.

  • Project duration: 12–36 months
  • Funding amount: Up to SEK 800,000 per year
  • Co-funding: Minimum 10 percent of the requested amount

Call for applications – Swedish version available

The official call text is now accessible in Swedish. An English translation will be published soon.

Learn more about the new programme (in Swedish)