Regulations for co-funding of externally funded research projects

Responsible unit: Office for Research, Engagement and Innovation Services

Contact: Danijela Krajisnik

Description:

The purpose of this governing document is to clarify the conditions for co-funding of externally funded research projects. Some research funders provide full cost funding, while in other cases co-funding is needed to cover for example parts of indirect costs.

This is a translation of a governing document. In case of a discrepancy between the Swedish and the English versions, the Swedish version will prevail.

1. Introduction

The following regulations apply to co-funding of externally funded research projects at Stockholm University.

The term co-funding refers to a contribution made by the University to an externally funded project using its own resources (usually from direct government funding). The most common reasons for co-funding are the following:

1. The funder awards a grant for the research and expects the University to show long-term commitment and responsibility by co-funding parts of the direct costs
2. The funder aspires to provide full funding of the research project. However, the indirect costs of the University exceed what is acceptable to the funder.

It is important for Stockholm University to have incentives for its researchers to apply for external research funding, and that requirements for co-funding should not present an obstacle to this.

These rules are directed at the University’s core activities doing research and at administrative staff at departments and centres organizationally placed under a faculty.

2. Background

External grants applied for in open competition make up half of the research resources of the University, making them a very important addition to government funding. External research grants which have been awarded in competition in addition to bibliometrics and strategic recruitments also constitute quality indicators for direct government funding to the University.

In its strategies for 2023-2026, Stockholm University highlights the importance of external funding:

External research funding is of great importance to Stockholm University. The University is successful in attaining both national and international grants. Through competitive national and international projects that involve the vast majority of the University’s faculty, the University will raise the ambition level in its efforts to obtain external funding, both from European funders and from the Swedish research councils and private research foundations.

Swedish governmental funding bodies fund both direct and in most cases also indirect costs, i.e. full cost funding. Other important research funders, e.g. the Wallenberg Foundations, ERC and other parts of the EU Commission’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, as well as Riksbankens jubileumsfond (The Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation) only fund a part of indirect costs. These funding bodies constitute half of the University’s fifteen biggest funders, and together they account for more than a third of the funding received over the last years.

3. Regulations for co-funding

3.1 Strategic external funding

The grants awarded by some funders are of particularly high quality and strategic importance. Among such funders are ERC and other parts of the EU Commission’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, the Wallenberg Foundations, the programmes of Riksbankens jubileumsfond (The Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation), Pro Futura, National Institutes of Health (NIH) and similar funding bodies. The requirement of co-funding must not present an obstacle to individual researchers to apply for grants from such funders.

As a basic principle, decisions and responsibilities concerning co-funding lie at the department level1, i.e. with the head of department/director subordinate to a dean. When the head of department/director makes these considerations, co-funding shall be put in relation to the cumulative and future research activities of the department/centre.

If the head of department/director subordinate to a dean makes the assessment that there is not economic space for co-funding and thus considers not approving the application, they shall
inform the dean of the faculty in question well in advance. The motivation should contain a concrete description of the need for co-funding and the strategic value of the project. Projects which are granted co-funding from the faculty/scientific area or from the central level must be of strategic importance for the University, not only for the department/centre concerned organizationally placed under a faculty or an individual researcher.

4 Follow-up of the regulations

The Office for Research, Engagement and Innovation Services is responsible for the follow-up of the regulations. The follow-up is carried out when needed.

1 Department or centre organizationally placed under a faculty.

The policy document in pdf format

Regulations for co-funding of externally funded research projects Pdf, 145 kB.