Future Challenges for the Swedish Language in Finland

The Society of Swedish Literature in Finland (SLS) and the Swedish Cultural Foundation jointly announce funding for research projects in the fields of humanities, social sciences, and pedagogy in October 2024.

Other sciences may be included if the project is interdisciplinary.

Funding can be applied for by consortia consisting of at least two organisations and/or at least two research areas. Funding is granted for a project up to a maximum of one (1) million euros. Research projects can be mono- or interdisciplinary, and funding can be sought for projects lasting 2–4 years.

The research should engage in dialogue with society, which includes having a clear focus on research communication and collaboration with organisations and actors from various societal sectors in the research plan.

Research projects should relate to the theme Future Challenges for the Swedish Language in Finland. This theme also allows for research that considers the historical background of the Swedish language in Finland while also looking into the future. The research plan does not have to focus solely on the Swedish language in Finland; it can involve comparative research where the Swedish language in Finland is a significant part of the investigation. How the research pertains to the Swedish language in Finland should be evident in the problem statement or research questions.

Applications can be submitted by project groups. The project must have a designated project leader who holds at least a doctoral degree and is employed by or affiliated with a university, college, or research institute in Finland.

Granted funds are given to the organisation(s) that submitted the application. The researchers in the project can be employed by other universities, universities of applied sciences, or research institutes in Finland.

Application Process

Applications are submitted through the SLS scholarship application system Rimbert using an application form. The application process consists of two stages. A shorter application and project plan are submitted in stage 1, followed by a selection process. Selected projects are then invited to submit a more detailed application in stage 2.

The stage 1 application must include a freely formulated project description in Swedish (maximum 9,000 characters, including spaces). The application should also include a description of the project’s relevance to the Swedish language in Finland (maximum 1,000 characters, including spaces) and a budget estimate. Additionally, the plan should include an explanation of how the project will engage in dialogue with society.

In stage 2, the research plan can be written in Swedish or English and must include at least the following: purpose, goals and research status, problem statement and research questions, research methods, research materials, work plan and timetable, research group, collaborators, expected results, and risk assessment. The application should also include a communication plan, a plan for collaboration with societal actors, and a publication plan. The publication plan should indicate what the project intends to publish in Swedish.

Evaluation and selection in stage 1 will be carried out in early December 2024 by an internal committee appointed by SLS and Svenska Kulturfonden. Projects advancing to stage 2 will submit a longer research plan by the end of January 2025.

In stage 2, applications are evaluated by external independent experts, after which the internal committee makes a funding proposal to both the SLS Scientific Council and the Cultural Foundation’s board, which will make the funding decision in April 2025.

The project that receives funding must prepare a data management plan

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