How is the Knowledge Foundation’s funding distributed? On this page, you can explore data on the projects we support. Interactive charts show where the projects are carried out, who co-funds them and how funding is distributed across different research fields.
Funding awarded
3,659 projects
Since 1994, 3,659 projects have received funding from the Knowledge Foundation.
The Knowledge Foundation provides project funding through nine regular programmes, as well as the KK-miljö programme. In addition to these, we also fund a range of special initiatives.
It started with SEK 3.6 billion
The Knowledge Foundation was established in 1994 with assets from the former wage-earner funds. Through sound asset management, our capital has grown to SEK 10 billion. At the same time, we have awarded almost SEK 13 billion in funding for research, education and skills development over the years.
Applications
132 applications
In 2025, the Knowledge Foundation received 132 applications through its regular calls for proposals.
Applications to the Knowledge Foundation are reviewed and assessed by external assessment panels. Based on their recommendations, our Board or CEO decides which applications are awarded funding.
Below, you can see the outcomes of applications submitted through our regular calls for proposals in 2025. The figures do not include projects within the KK-miljö programme, which follow a different selection process.
33% of applications are approved
Preparing an application to the Knowledge Foundation requires considerable time, planning and collaboration. As a result, we receive relatively few applications compared with many other research funders.
This means that we are able to approve a higher proportion of the strongest applications. In 2025, almost one in three applications received funding
Universities
323 ongoing projects
In 2025, a total of 323 projects were underway with funding from the Knowledge Foundation.
The Knowledge Foundation’s target group comprises 22 university colleges and newer universities across Sweden. In addition, the Knowledge Foundation funds a project at Luleå University of Technology as part of a special initiative.
Leading funder of Sweden’s university colleges and newer universities
The Knowledge Foundation plays an important role in funding Sweden’s university colleges and newer universities. Between 2020 and 2025, we were the largest external research funder to the 22 universities in our target group, providing more than SEK 2.1 billion in funding.
The chart shows the total research income received by the target universities from a selection of external funders between 2020 and 2025. Source: UKÄ, Högskolan i siffror.
Companies
185 companies
In projects that were awarded funding by the Knowledge Foundation in 2025, 185 Swedish business partners are participating as co-funders.
All projects funded by the Knowledge Foundation are designed and carried out in close collaboration between academia and the business sector, an approach we call co-production. Here, you can explore data on the companies involved in projects funded by the Knowledge Foundation.
72% SMEs
Businesses of all sizes are welcome to participate in projects funded by the Knowledge Foundation. Between 2020 and 2025, more than 700 companies participated as co-funders in projects awarded funding by the Foundation. Most of them, around 72 per cent, are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Research fields
The Knowledge Foundation funds projects across all fields of research, including the arts. Between 2022 and 2025, the largest share of funding was awarded to projects in engineering and technology, natural sciences and medicine. These fields also account for a large share of the applications submitted to the Foundation. The classification is based on the research fields specified by the project leaders themselves.
