Research Project Grant
The application period is now closed. The next call will be in March/April 2026.
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 – generative AI
When you apply for research grants at the Swedish Cancer Society you can use generative AI-tools or other tools when you write your application. You don’t have to state that you have done so.
Regardless of if you write the application yourself or with the help of an AI-tool the same rules apply:
- It is your responsibility that everything in the application is correct.
- It is your responsibility that everything has been filled in in accordance to our application process.
- You have to follow good research practices. It is forbidden to plagiarize, forge or fabricate the content of your application.
When you sign and send in your application you certify that you have followed the above.
Guidelines
Objectives
The Swedish Cancer Society finances research that can lead to improved understanding of cancer diseases, prevention, earlier diagnosis and effective treatment, including palliative and rehabilitative care.
The perspective is broad and applications are welcomed from researchers in different fields such as medicine, healthcare, pharmacy, natural sciences, technology, social sciences, public health sciences, behavioral and communication sciences.
All parts of the application must be written in English, unless it is clearly stated that a part should be written in Swedish.
Practical information
Formal eligibility requirements
In order to apply for and receive funding for a Research Project, employment at a Swedish university or healthcare institution with a salary equivalent to at least 20 % of full employment is required. If you only have a position at a healthcare institution, it is required to have an affiliation with a Swedish university, which must be approved by the head of department signing the application.
This employment must already have been started at the deadline of submitting the application.
This is possible for those working with other employers (foreign or Swedish) under conditions that allow the project to carry on through continued research activities connected to a Swedish university.
This must be specifically justified and assessed with each new application, or if there are changes in employment conditions during the current grant period.
Applicants who have retired after working at a Swedish university are not subject to the 20 % employment requirement, but affiliation to a Swedish university must be confirmed by the Head of Department signing the application.
Project grants are primarily intended for researchers holding a PhD with the scientific merits equivalent to docent and/or independence as a principal investigator.
Applicants must have obtained their PhD before 31 December 2021.
In case of absence from research, you will be given the opportunity to provide more information about your absence for a longer period of time, e.g. parental leave, sick leave, etc.
One principal investigator – one research project grant. You are not eligible to apply if you have an ongoing research project grant during the grant period for which you are applying for.
You can apply for a project grant the year your current grant period ends.
Grant period
The grant period is 1 January-31 December. The grant is usually granted for three years.
The period of performance is the grant period plus a further 12 months.
The application for extended disposition time is submitted in the application system Fenix.
Basis for assessment
The application will be assessed according to the evaluation criteria below:
- Scientific quality
- Competence of the applicant
- Cancer relevance, according to the Swedish Cancer Society's statues, the association shall"support, organize and coordinate cancer research".
- Scientific progress (for continuation grants)
The size of the grant
The Swedish Cancer Society only awards research grants to Swedish universities and university colleges. Research Project Grants are given for funding of personnel and operating costs. The research project application may include funding for personnel costs for the project: doctoral students, postdocs, visiting researchers, BMA or research nurses. For staff who are not yet employed, the average salary of the personnel category should be stated.The grant may be used to supplement a scholarship etc. depending on local regulations at each institution. Please note that the grant may not be used for the grantee's own salary or for the remuneration of a permanently appointed lecturer or professor.
All amounts in the application must be stated in SEK, i.e. not in thousands.The Swedish Cancer Society allows deductions for overhead costs up to a maximum of 15.25 % of the grant.
Ordinary grants can be awarded from SEK 1 million to a maximum of SEK 3 million per year. You can apply for less than SEK 1 million per year if your project is less expensive.
The Swedish Cancer Society does not grant higher amounts than those applied for, so be careful in what you include in your budget.
Amounts are given according to fixed funding levels:
1 000 000 SEK
1 500 000 SEK
2 000 000 SEK
2 500 000 SEK
3 000 000 SEK
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 system, under the heading “patient perspective”.
You need to write a short summary of your project that will be provided for our patients participating in the assessment of the project. (This does not apply to calls for applications for positions).
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 in the application.
This section should be written in Swedish.
To apply
How to apply in the application system Fenix
If you already have an account you can login:
If you don’t have an account, you need to create one:
Create an account in the application system Fenix
More information on how to apply in the application system Fenix
The following headings are based on the application process in the application system 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.
Organisation
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.
This applies only to Postdoctor in Sweden:
Under Invitation from the host department you need to attach an invitation from the Swedish university.
This applies only to Postdoctor abroad:
Under the tab Organisation you should enter the Swedish department.
Under Head of department, you need to fill in your head of department at the Swedish department.
Under Main supervisor you need to fill in information about your main supervisor at the foreign department.
Under Invitation from the host department, you need to attach an invitation from the foreign department and one from the Swedish university.
CV
In this tab you need to fill in your CV and attach a list of publications and other merits. You can add CV details under "My Profile" in your account and easily transfer them to your application. The advantage of saving the details in your profile is that they are retained and can be reused for future applications to the Swedish Cancer Society. Please note that you need to enter this information under your profile before opening an application form in order for the information to be used in your application.
You also have the option to enter CV details directly in the application. However, please note that these details will not be saved under "My Profile" and therefore cannot be reused for future applications.
Appendices with references
- Publication list of your own 10 most relevant published peer review articles and a complete list of publications for this application with full reference (attached as a PDF). The list should be arranged: author (do not use et al.), title of the work, name of the publication, volume, page, year.
Example: Smith J., Doe A, Jane A: Analysis of cancer. J Can Res., 15:100-110, 2024
The publication list must be divided into three categories and attached as a PDF:
- Peer-reviewed original publications
- Peer-reviewed review articles
- Other publications
In the publication list, the applicant’s name must be indicated in bold.
Manuscript
Manuscripts with original data that have not yet been published (maximum of three) attached as a PDF. Please note: do not attach articles that have already been published.
Other scientific merits
Other merits relevant to the application, such as invited lectures, leadership roles, positions of trust, membership in scientific organizations, and similar activities.
Supervision of PhD students and postdocs
Please state the name of the PhD student and/or postdoc.
Absence from research
Please indicate the period of any parental leave or sick leave.
Project information
In this tab you need to fill in everything related to your project, for example your research program and patient perspective.
In the application, you can choose which Priority Committee (Pk) your application will be evaluated in.
You have the option of selecting a first and second choice, the Swedish Cancer Society will try to accommodate your request but cannot guarantee that your application will be evaluated in the desired priority committee.
Applications for project grants are considered by ten Priority Committees, each with approximately 8 members.
The Pks have different expertise profiles, but with significant overlap, to ensure that applications are allocated fairly evenly and also to avoid conflicts of interest.
Applicants have the possibility to propose one Pk for their application, but it is not uncommon that an application may fit in several different Pk.
The allocation of applications is prepared by the Swedish Cancer Society's Scientific Secretariat (taking into account, among other things, the wishes of the applicants) and is ultimately decided in consultation between the chairpersons of the respective Pk.
Clinical projects are usually handled in Pk D, E, F or G, but can also be handled in Pk A1, A2 and C. Basic research projects are often handled in Pk B1 or B2, but can also be handled in Pk A1, A2 and C.
Translational projects may be handled by several committees, depending on whether they are mainly based on preclinical models (Pk A1, A2, B1, B2, C) or are studies using patient material (Pk A1, A2, C, D, E).
Epidemiological projects are mainly handled by Pk F, health sciences by Pk G and prevention by Pk F or Pk G.
Pk A1
Cell biology, genetics, translational research.
Pk A2
Pathology, molecular diagnostics, translational research.
Pk A3
Cancer biology, epigenetics and translational research
Pk B1
Gene regulation, biochemistry, metabolism, structural biology.
Pk B2
Model organisms, developmental biology, systems biology.
Pk C
Immunology, microbiology, cell transplantation.
Pk D
Clinical and translational cancer research, pharmacology.
Pk E
Clinical and translational cancer research, radiotherapy, radiobiology, diagnostic imaging.
Pk F
Epidemiology, biostatistics, public health.
Pk G
Palliative care, prevention, behavioural sciences.
Classification
Select the classification that the project primarily falls under.
Clinical project
Abstract
Here you provide the project’s abstract (maximum 1,500 characters).
Cancer relevance
Your project must be relevant to cancer in order to be eligible for funding from the Swedish Cancer Society.
Read more about how to describe cancer relevance in your application
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”.
You need to write a short summary of your project that will be provided for our patients participating in the assessment of the project. (This does not apply to calls for applications for positions).
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.
The patient perspective section should be written in Swedish.
Research program
The research program must be written in English and may comprise a maximum of ten pages including references (12 pt, 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.
Collaborators and research group composition
When applying for a Research Project, a description of collaborators and key personnel involved in the project is mandatory.
The purpose of the description is to provide an overview of everyone involved in the project and their competence and specific areas of responsibility.
For large multicenter studies, it is not necessary to provide all participants' names, but only the number of centers and key participants.
As an applicant you need to certify that the collaborators have consented to participate in the project. We may conduct random sampling. The collaborators listed may be contacted by the Swedish Cancer Society.
Progress
In this tab, you indicate whether your application is a continuation grant or not.
A continuation grant refers to a grant where the applicant has an ongoing grant, meaning that the grant period or the disposition period ends in the same year as the application is submitted, regardless of whether the project changes direction. If you have previously held a project grant but received a rejection the last time you applied for a project grant, your application is not considered a continuation grant.
If you are unsure whether your project qualifies as a continuation grant, please contact forskning@cancerfonden.se.
The rewievers in the committees must be able to assess the progress of the project during the most recent grant period. Therefore, as an applicant, you must attach a progress report of no more than 20,000 characters. The progress report is of great importance in the assessment of continuation grants and must include:
- A brief description of key results from the most recent grant period.
- A list of the scientific publications (published or in manuscript form) funded by the most recently awarded grant, as specified below. Scientific publications related to projects not funded by the Swedish Cancer Society must not be included in the report. Abstracts should not be included.
References must be presented under three categories:
- Published peer-reviewed original articles as first or last author
- Published peer-reviewed original articles as co-author
- Other publications (e.g., manuscripts, etc.)
The reference format must be:
Authors (all authors, not “et al.”), title of the work, name of the journal, volume, page numbers and year.
The author order must correspond to that used in PubMed. In the publication list, the applicant’s name may preferably be indicated in bold.
Patents obtained during the grant period must be stated.
The absence of a progress report result in a grant for a maximum of one year.
Popular scientific description
If your application is approved, this text will be published on our website and made available to people who support the Swedish Cancer Society.
So please write in a way that is as clear and concise as possible, and avoid including any personal data.
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 compile statistics on the research being conducted, you need to indicate here which of the Swedish Cancer Society’s four goals for Sweden 2030 your project falls under. State whether the research covers the handling of experiments on animals and/or studies involving humans.
Grants
Applied amount
The Swedish Cancer Society does not award amounts higher than those applied for, so please be careful about what you include in your budget. The amounts that can be applied for range from SEK 1,000,000 to SEK 3,000,000 per year for up to three years. You may apply for less than SEK 1,000,000 per year if your project is less costly. Please specify the estimated costs for ongoing project-related expenses, equipment, travel/conference costs, production costs, and indirect costs. If relevant, provide comments regarding the requested budget.
Other funding
Here you enter all of your ongoing, as well as those you have applied for (not yet decided), from both the Swedish Cancer Society and other research funding bodies. State amount per year.
Applicants holding grants from, or having assignment at, the tobacco industry can not apply or be awarded funding from the Swedish Cancer Society.
The Swedish Cancer Society attaches considerable importance to ensuring that project applications contain accurate budget information.
A complete picture of all the applicants' grants relating to the project applied for, and any other funding is important both for assessing the project's chances of successful implementation and in calculating the need for funding.
Please note that applications with incomplete financial statements may be rejected because the information is insufficient to enable a decision to be made.
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 and, where applicable Clinical Head of Department. When the Head of the department has signed the application you need to sign it before submitting the application.
Signing your application
If the application is filled in correctly, you can start the signing process by first sending it to your Head of department and, where applicable Clinical 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, and, where applicable Clinical Head of Department, who receives it and signs it digitally with BankID.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: The latest date and time for submitting your application can be found at the top of this page.
Note that if you make changes to the application after sending it to the Head of department and, where applicable Clinical 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 and, where applicable Clinical 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.
Make sure that you allow enough time for your application to be signed by your Head of department and, where applicable Clinical 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.
- If the grantee applies for and receives an advertised position as a senior lecturer or professor within the first three-year period, the grantee can not keep the grant. If the grantee is promoted to professor or senior lecturer before the end of the first three-year period, the grantee can keep the funding already awarded but can not receive an additional three-year period.
- If the grantee applies for and receives an advertised position as a senior lecturer or professor within the second three-year period, the grantee can not keep the grant. If the grantee is promoted to senior lecturer or professor before the end of the second three-year period, the grantee can keep the funding that has been awarded.
- 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.
Transferring grants to another university or to another department is not permitted for postdoctoral positions.
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
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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