Strategic Mobility

Strategic Mobility

Supports cross-sector researcher mobility in Sweden through exchanges among academia, industry, and public institutions.

SSF's Strategic Mobility 2026 is a grant program administered by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF), the independent Swedish research foundation that distributes approximately SEK 600 million per year across Swedish universities and research environments. Strategic Mobility specifically funds salary costs for researchers moving between industry, government, or healthcare settings and academia or research institutes in Sweden, with the aim of accelerating knowledge transfer and cross-fertilization between sectors. Exchange periods must be between four and twelve months, and the receiving institution hosts the researcher for the duration.

The total announced pool is SEK 10 million. Per-project award caps are not published; individual project budgets depend on the researcher's salary level for the exchange period. The funding covers salary costs for the visiting researcher only. Research must fall within SSF's strategic priority areas: natural science, technology, or medicine. Applicants coming from industry do not need a formal academic research degree — qualifications are evaluated contextually based on the applicant's professional background and the value of the proposed mobility. Project start must fall between 1 January and 1 July 2027.

The submission deadline is 15 September 2026 at 14:00 CET. Applications are submitted via ssf.3ddata.se and must be written in English. Assessment criteria include personal qualifications (evaluated contextually), the quality of the proposed knowledge exchange, and the strategic relevance of the research plan. Program Manager Joakim Amorim (joakim.amorim@strategiska.se, +46 8-505 816 65) handles program questions. SSF is an independent foundation — not a Swedish government agency — and operates with a degree of flexibility that distinguishes it from state funding bodies.