Guidelines

The signing deadline for applicants in Fenix is Thursday 1st October 2020 at 3pm.

The Swedish Cancer Society, organization 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 digitized grant application system called Fenix. Fenix uses BankID and Swedish social security numbers for both identification and signing. The application is signed digitally by both the Head of Department and the applicant directly in Fenix. Applicants sign the application last, i.e. after the Head of Department has signed.

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.

Objectives

The purpose is to provide postdoctoral cancer researchers who do not have a permanent position within a university establishment the opportunity to devote themselves to cancer research full-time for a six-year period.

The position can be combined with a maximum of 20 percent ancillary work, for example clinical employment.

For legal reasons, the Swedish Cancer Society pays research grants only to Swedish universities and colleges.

Formal eligibility requirements

Holders of senior lecturer or professor posts are not eligible to apply for the Junior Investigator Award. 

Exceptions can be made for applicants who hold an appointment as associate senior lecturer, research associate, as well as adjunct professors.

Applicants must have been awarded their doctorate after 1 July 2013 (i.e. no more than seven years ago). 

Exceptions to the eligibility rule regarding the date of the award of a doctorate:

The following exceptions must have taken place after the award of the doctoral degree. Complete your request in the application system.

Exceptions can be granted after absence due to:

1. Sick leave;
   exceptions may be granted if the applicant has been on at least 50% sick leave for at least 30 consecutive calendar days. A certificate from the employer's HR / payroll department or the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan) must be attached.
2. Parental leave;
   a. Applicants who have had children and been on parental leave may be granted an exception with the standard 275 calendar days per child. Certificates may be requested.
   b. Alternatives to the standard deduction above can be granted to applicants who have had 100% continuous parental leave exceeding 275 calendar days. This must be attested by a certificate from the employer's HR / payroll department or the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, covering the entire parental leave in question from day one.
3. Internship or equivalent compulsory work experience required to obtain professional certification; a certificate stating the date, scope and type of internship must be attached to the application.

Certificates from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency must not contain personal data for children.

Grant period

The grant is for six years, and the grant period usually begins on 1 July of the same year as the award. For exceptional reasons the start of the grant period may be postponed for a maximum of 6 months, but no later than 1st January of the year following the award.

The size of the grant

This is calculated in accordance with the current salary standard from the Swedish Cancer Society's research committee. The salary standard for the Senior Investigator Award is currently SEK 88,000 per month. The salary standard is adjusted annually.

The grant is calculated on the current salary standard, holiday pay (1.3%) and salary fees (51.7%) plus the managing Department'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 be 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 assessment 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 assessment board may call some applicants to interview before making their decision. Interviews usually take place at the Swedish Cancer Society's premises during the month of January.

Research program

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 and planned work. The work plan should also include a methodological description where it is made clear that current technology/methodology is in place and mastered, or is otherwise available for the project in question. Preliminary results are of vital importance in applications for grants for new projects.
• 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.

Practical guidelines

Signing the application

When you have completed your application, you must send it to your Head of Department by going into the "Preview/Förhandsgranska" tab. At the bottom of the page you click on "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. This should be done no later than 1st October 2020 at 3pm.

Application signing period

The deadline for signing the application is Thursday 1st October at 3pm.

Decisions

Decisions will be made at a meeting of the Research Committee in March 2021.

Application

Applications are made in the Swedish Cancer Society's grant application system Fenix. Applications can be saved and altered until you have pressed the button "Request signing/Be om signering". Applications cannot be signed and submitted unless all the tabs in the application form are marked in green.

Applications cannot be altered or supplemented after the end of the application period.

When applying in more than one category in the same application round, the priorities for these applications must be submitted by emailing forskning@cancerfonden.se.

Attachments

• Complete list of publications.
• Research program, max 10 pages.
• Max. 3 x manuscripts with original data.
• If applicable, basis for requesting an exception.

Miscellaneous

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 Junior Investigator Award and during the grant period apply for and are appointed to a position at a higher education institution (senior lecturer, professor) cannot retain funding from the Swedish Cancer Society.

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.

Change of address

The applicant/grantee is responsible for ensuring that up-to-date personal and Departmental contact information is entered into the Fenix application portal.

Change of administrative authority / Department

When transferring grants to another administrative authority or to another Department within the current university or college, the application for transfer must be made in Fenix with digital signing / approval from both the current and receiving Heads of Department.

Reports (financial and scientific)

Not later than three months (see contract) after the end of the period of performance, a report must be submitted via Fenix. Unused funds must be repaid. The Scientific Report must be attached as a PDF file.

Feedback regarding decisions

Written feedback of the assessment for short-listed candidates will be available in the corresponding applications.

Queries?

Contact the Cancerfonden, telephone number 010-199 10 10, or email forskning@cancerfonden.se.

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).