Fellowship in healthcare research
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The signing deadline for applicants in Fenix is Thursday 5th October 2023 at 3pm.
Page updated 5th July 2023.
The Swedish Cancer Society, organisation number 802005-3370, 101 55 Stockholm, is the body responsible for the collection and processing of personal data in connection with grant applications.
The Swedish Cancer Society has a digitised grant application system called Fenix. Fenix uses BankID and Swedish social security numbers for both identification and the signing of the application.
Guidelines
The number of projects and research posts applied for and awarded within the healthcare research field has historically been significantly less than those within preclinical, translational and clinical studies.
The Swedish Cancer Society recognizes that the healthcare research area is particularly underrepresented with regards to research positions that have been applied for and granted.
In recent years, however, there are signs that new strong research environments are being created and developed in healthcare research.
With this call for grant applications, the Swedish Cancer Society wishes to encourage researchers in the field of healthcare research in order to boost this area of Swedish cancer research.
Objectives
To promote cancer research in the field of healthcare research by giving researchers at Swedish institutions the opportunity to engage in research in this field for a period of three years.
The grant can also be used to conduct research studies at an department abroad during either the entire funding period or part of it.
The applicant's research project must be in the field of healthcare research, i.e. patient-related research and interventions that aim to provide cancer patients and their families with a good quality of life and health during and after diagnosis and treatment.
This includes projects in areas such as nursing, behavioral therapy interventions, physical activity, projects in diet and nutrition, aid and assistance, rehabilitation, palliation and support for relatives.
The call for applications also includes research concerning experiences, attitudes and insights in conjunction to cancer.
The Swedish Cancer Society will give particular consideration to applicants whose projects have the potential to strengthen research environments and collaboration in the field of healthcare research, either locally or nationally.
Fellowships can be applied for to cover the applicant's own salary corresponding to full-time research, or part-time corresponding to 50–70% of full-time where the remaining time is devoted to, for example, clinical work, teaching, etc.
The application can be made by researchers already active in the field, but also by those who, with special methodology or knowledge in another area, have the ability to conduct projects that are important for healthcare research within the field of cancer.
The Swedish Cancer Society pays research grants only to Swedish universities. In order to apply for and receive funding for Fellowship, employment at a Swedish university or healthcare institution is required. If you are employed at a healthcare institution you need to be affiliated to a Swedish university.
Practical information
Formal eligibility requirements
Applicants for Fellowship in Healthcare Research must have a doctoral degree. Researchers that hold a position as a senior lecturer or professor are not eligible to apply for the Fellowship in Healthcare Research in the field of cancer research.
Exceptions can be made for applicants that hold a position as associate senior lecturer, research associate, as well as adjunct professors.
Grant period
Fellowships are awarded for a maximum of three years.
The grant period can begin between 1st July of the same year in which the decision is made and up to and including 1st January of the year following the decision.
Regardless of the choice of start date, the contract starts from 1st July.
Payments are made quarterly, and the first payment is made in September and is retroactive from 1st July the same year as the decision is made.
The Swedish department
In addition to the usual assessment of the department, the department’s focus with regard to healthcare research is also taken into account.
The foreign department
The assessment will take into consideration the foreign department's current and potential significance for healthcare research.
The application must be accompanied by a certificate or invitation from the foreign institution, which must be attached to the application as a pdf. They must be signed by the Head of department in question and attached to the confirmation.
The size of the grant
The grant is calculated in accordance with current salary standards.
The grant is calculated based on the current salary standard, holiday pay (1.3%) and salary fees (51.7%) plus the managing institution's deductions for indirect costs (15.25%).
The grant holder's actual salary is determined by the employer. It is a requirement of the Swedish Cancer Society that the entire grant is used to finance the position.
The grant from the Swedish Cancer Society may not be used as project funds or for another person's salary.
Basis for assessment
The application is assessed according to the following criteria:
- scientific quality
- applicant's competence
- cancer relevance – according to the Swedish Cancer Society's statutes, the society must "support, organize and coordinate cancer research".
The following applies only for Fellowship:
- relevance for the current call in healthcare research
- the Swedish Cancer Society will also give special consideration to applications where the applicant intends to spend part of the Fellowship at an department abroad.
The assessment panel may call some of the applicants for an interview. The interviews take place in January and are conducted digitally.
Patient perspective
Many of the projects supported by the Swedish Cancer Society either take advantage of patients' experiences, or lead to knowledge that can affect patients.
If your project belongs to this category, you need to indicate whether the patient perspective has been taken into account and, if so, in which way.
There is a specifically designated box for such description in the application process, under the heading “patient perspective”.
Examples can be that patients have been involved in the planning of a clinical study, that there has been a discussion with patients in the development of the research program, that the research project is based on patient contacts, or that the project has otherwise considered the family/patient perspective in its design.
There are co-opted patients in some of the Swedish Cancer Society's assessment panels.
If you consider that the patient perspective is not relevant to your project or the development of your research program, you should justify this in the designated box as well.
To apply
How to apply in Fenix
If you already have an account you can login:
If you don’t have an account, you need to create one:
More information on how to apply in Fenix
The following headings are based on the application process in Fenix.
Applicant
In this tab you need to fill in general information about yourself as an applicant.
This is, for example, your name, date of birth and current employment.
University and department
In this tab you need to fill in information about your university, department and Head of department.
The Swedish Cancer Society pays research grants only to Swedish universities.
The Swedish Cancer Society approves deductions for overhead costs with a maximum of 15.25 % of the grant.
By signing the application the Head of department guarantees co-financing of the project if the above deductions prove to be insufficient.
Merits
In this tab you need to fill in your CV and attach a list of publications and other merits. All attachments must be attached as pdf.
- Invitation from the host department. (Applies only for the postdoctoral grant)
- Complete list of publications.
- Give the total number of publications under each category (type of publication) below.
a) Total number of peer reviewed original publications.
b) Total number of peer reviewed published reviews.
c) Total number of other publications including patents. - Sort your publications under each category in reversed chronological order with the most recent publication on top of the list.
Include only articles published or accepted for publication at the time of submitting your grant application.
The order of author names should be identical to the order of the published article.
The publications should be of the type; peer reviewed original publications, conference abstracts, reviews, books and book chapters, other publications including popular science articles or books. - Maximum 3 x manuscripts, not yet published, with original data.
Eligibility
In this tab in Fenix you have the opportunity to state your exceptions to the eligibility rule, e.g. sick leave, parental leave or internship or equivalent compulsory work experience required to obtain professional certification.
Under the heading Practical information further up this page, there is more information about Eligibility.
Project
In this tab you fill in everything related to your project, for example your research program and patient perspective.
The research program may be written in Swedish or English and may comprise a maximum of ten pages including references (12pt, single line spacing, 2.5 cm margin).
The following is the recommended outline:
- Specific objectives
A brief account of the aim of the proposed research work. - Background
Summary of your own and others' results in the research area. - Work plan and preliminary results
Detailed description of hypotheses, planned work and any preliminary results. The work plan should also include a methodological description where it is made clear that current technology/methodology also tools for statistical considerations, power calculations etc, is in place and mastered, or is otherwise available for the project in question. - Significance
Brief account of the expected importance for cancer research. - Literature references
Author, title of work, publication name and year of publication. Include only the absolutely essential references. - Independent research line
Applicant that is active, or will be active, in a research group or network shall clarify how the project here applied for connects, or differs, from other ongoing research projects in this group. If the applicant continues in a project that was initiated during a doctoral or postdoctoral period, the relation to the project here applied for and the research of former supervisors needs to be clarified.
Under the heading Practical information further up this page, there is more information about:
- Patient perspective
- Possible invitation from foreign host institution (The foreign institution)
Popular scientific description
This text will be published on cancerfonden.se if your grant is approved and can be read by donors, people who have been affected by cancer, next of kin and other visitors to the website.
Therefore, write as easily understandable and concise as possible.
The text must be in Swedish and a maximum of 650 characters per question/section.
Your text will not be edited. It will be published as you write it.
- A title that is easy to understand.
- The background of the project.
- What is the project about? Describe, for example, what cancer diseases are being studied, what treatment it is about, whether it is in diagnostics, epidemiology, prevention or care of cancer patients, or whether it is about how cancer arises.
- What do you hope to achieve with your research?
- A very brief summary for those who quickly want to know what the project is about.
Statistics
In order for the Swedish Cancer Society to be able to keep statistics on what is being researched, here you need to indicate what proportion of the project relates to which research area.
Grants
Here you enter all of your ongoing research grants, as well as those you have applied for, from both the Swedish Cancer Society and other research funding bodies.
Applicants holding grants from, or having appointments at, the tobacco industry can not apply or be awarded financing from the Swedish Cancer Society.
Preview (and signing)
In this tab, a preview of your application is shown. You can, for example, see if there is any missing information.
If the application is filled in correctly, you can start the signing process by first sending it to your Head of department. When the Head of the department has signed the application you need to sign it before submitting the application.
At the bottom of the page, you click "Request signing/Be om signering". This sends the application to your Head of department, who receives it and signs it digitally with BankID.
Note that if you make changes to the application after sending it to the Head of department for signing, you must send a new request for signing by your Head of department, as the application has changed. This applies regardless of what changes have been made.
When the Head of department has signed the application digitally with BankID, you as the applicant will receive an email. You can then log in and sign the application digitally with BankID. Note that you as the applicant must do this no later than the 5th of October 2023 at 3pm.
Make sure that you allow enough time for your application to be signed by your Head of department and then for you as the applicant to sign and submit the application before the call closes.
Use of personal data
Read more about the Swedish Cancer Society's handling of personal data in the Swedish Cancer Society's privacy policy (in Swedish).
Changes in your grant and reporting
Changed circumstances during the grant period
- Changed employment and financing circumstances must be reported immediately to the Swedish Cancer Society for reconsideration of the grant.
- A researcher who has been awarded funds can retain these funds if the person in question continues their activities but is promoted in the meantime.
- Researchers who have been awarded a grant for the Senior Investigator Award and, during the grant period apply for and are appointed to a position as senior lecturer or professor cannot retain funding from the Swedish Cancer Society.
- Researchers who have been awarded grants for Postdoctoral Positions cannot use the funds for any other type of work. If the Postdoctoral Position is terminated, the grant will also be terminated.
Exceptions to the above rule are researchers who during the grant period:
- are appointed associate senior lecturer or research associate, in which case funding from the Swedish Cancer Society can be retained. (not applicable for Postdoctoral grants)
Transfer to another university/department
When transferring grants to another university or to another department at the current university, the application for change must be made in Fenix with digital signature/approval from both the current and receiving head of department.
Reports (financial and scientific)
A report must be submitted in Fenix no later than three months (see contract) after the end of the grant period. Unused funds must be repaid.
Decisions regarding grants
Decisions regarding grants will be made in March 2024. Written feedback reports will be available in Fenix under the corresponding applications at the end of March.
Unfinished applications will be deleted after the end of the call for applications.
Do you have questions?
You are very welcome to contact us if you have any questions. You can reach us via email at forskning@cancerfonden.se
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