Associate senior lectureships

The Associate senior lectureships programme gives universities the opportunity to strategically recruit relevant key competences. By funding an associate senior lecturer and a doctoral student, the programme contributes to knowledge development, increased collaboration with the business sector and mobility within academia. As of 2025, the programme will partially replace the former programme Rekryteringar.

Background and objectives

Solving future societal challenges requires both cutting-edge research results and a higher education of high quality. To achieve this, Swedish universities need to be able to strategically recruit relevant key competences. The Knowledge Foundation offers funding through the programme Associate senior lectureships in order to facilitate universities in recruiting promising young researchers and at the same time promote mobility of early-career researchers.

The objective of the Associate senior lectureships programme is to strengthen and develop the capacity of the applicant research and education environment for research and education with relevance to the business sector, through the provision of key expertise. The objective is also for the associate senior lecturer to start building up his/her own research group and to be merited for a continued academic career. The programme also aims to promote networking and mobility.

Project design

The programme offers funding for the employment of an associate senior lecturer and a doctoral student. The associate senior lecturer must be given good conditions to develop their own research, initiate a research group, and eventually meet the requirements for eligibility for a permanent employment as senior lecturer during the project.

The project also includes the recruitment of a doctoral student associated to the associate senior lecturer’s field of research. The associate senior lecturer is expected to act as an assistant supervisor for the recruited doctoral student during the project period.

Terms and conditions

Applicants: Universities within the Knowledge Foundation’s target group with degree-awarding powers at third cycle level.

The universities are invited to submit a maximum of two applications per university per call.

Co-funding requirements: The associate senior lectureship must be co-funded by the university and/or business actors with an amount at least equal to the funding requested from the Knowledge Foundation. The Knowledge Foundation offers full funding for the employment of a full-time doctoral student.

Maximum funding amount: SEK 8 million.

Project duration: 5–6 years.

Contribution to strong research and educational environments

The Knowledge Foundation seeks to support the building of strong research and education environments that create value for academia, business sector, and society. The purpose of the Associate senior lectureships programme is to provide environments with the opportunity to develop their research and education in the long term through strategic recruitment.