Grant for Recruiting International Visiting Researchers

Grant for Recruiting International Visiting Researchers

Funds Swedish higher education institutions to host international researchers and strengthen global collaboration.

The Grant for Recruiting International Visiting Researchers to Sweden 2026 is a Vetenskapsrådet programme enabling Swedish research institutions to temporarily employ prominent international researchers currently working outside Europe. Each award is a fixed SEK 2,000,000 to fund a twelve-month employment at the host institution. The total 2026 budget is SEK 30,000,000, supporting approximately 15 awards. The call operates on a rolling window from 11 February 2026 to 10 November 2026, with decisions made approximately two months after each submission. Funded visits may begin between 1 May 2026 and 1 March 2027.

Eligible applicants are Swedish higher education institutions and approved Swedish research organisations — the institution applies, not the visiting researcher. The visiting researcher must have at least five years of post-doctoral career experience, must have been working in established research activities outside Europe for a minimum of two years, and must not already be established in Sweden. The researcher is employed by the host organisation for the duration of the visit.

Because the total budget is fixed and the window is rolling, institutions should apply as early as practical to avoid budget exhaustion before the November deadline. Applications contact: Maria.Jakobsson@vr.se. Institutions most likely to succeed are those demonstrating a clear scientific rationale for why a specific international researcher's expertise will durably strengthen a particular research field at the host organisation, rather than a generic mobility or internationalisation argument.