Here you can see the presentation Jan-Ingvar Jönsson held at the meeting: https://gubox.box.com/s/t9mjstfoktuqmhbwzmetug9j9f8y26oi
SEMINAR. This year the Swedish Research Council’s Scientific Council for Medicine and Health will receive new review panels, and you can now nominate yourself or others to participate in them. This was some of the news Jan-Ingvar Jönsson discussed at the well-attended general academic meeting. He also expressed concern about the current proposal for increasing the basic appropriation that is under consideration. This could result in the government decreasing funds awarded by the government research funding body after peer review.
In connection with the visit to Sahlgrenska Academy by the Swedish Research Council’s Scientific Council for Medicine and Health on Wednesday, January 15, employees attended a general academy meeting where Secretary General Jan-Ingvar Jönsson provided insight into the discussions under way about the subject area’s calls for proposals. The meeting generated a lot of interest and many people attended. When Dean Agneta Holmäng introduced the meeting, she expressed her pride in the fact that so many of the faculty’s researchers were present. At no other stop during the faculty tour had the secretary general been met so many people, she noted.
Jan-Ingvar Jönsson began by describing the Swedish Research Council’s role as the guardian of free and basic research. The council distributes funds in an open and transparent process, where researchers participate in efforts to screen the researchers who receive funding.
“Peer review is an open and effective process, and our website clearly describes how applications are to be designed and how the review process works. We use peer review to reward research of the highest scholarly quality,” said Jönsson.
The pie isn’t getting bigger
A council of nine elected members governs the Scientific Council for Medicine and Health. Ann Hellström has recently succeeded Elias Eriksson as a representative of the University of Gothenburg.
A pie chart illustrated the sources of research funding in Sweden, where 38.5 percent takes the form of basic allocations to higher education institutions.
“The government wants to increase the basic appropriations, and we all agree that these need to increase. But the pie as a whole is constant, and there are no plans for new infusions of money. If the proposal is implemented, there is a risk that the funds allocated by the governmental research funding bodies will decline,” said Jönsson. He clarified that the Swedish Research Council agrees that the direct government funding for research and doctoral programs needs to be increased, but that this should not be done at the expense of the funds the council distributes.
Committed infrastructure money
Sweden invests about 0.8 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) on research, something Jan-Ingvar Jönsson argued should increase. Investing one percent of GDP is not unreasonable, he said.
“Our country still has an advanced position in research in an international comparison, but this investment has remained at a constant level for many years, while many other countries, including Denmark, South Korea and Japan, have started investing more. This means that we are losing ground our research lead internationally.”
Of the SEK 1.9 billion that the Swedish Research Council has allocated for infrastructure, only SEK 350 million is available for applications. The rest of the money is tied up in major international infrastructure investments, especially the MAX IV Laboratory and European Spallation Source (ESS). Since the investment plans are denominated in other currencies and the value of the Swedish krona is declining, Jönsson predicted that before long there will be no funds at all for calls for infrastructure proposals.
“It is a challenge that the research funds allocated for medicine and health remain at a constant level while research becomes more expensive and costs more to carry out,” Jönsson commented as he went through last year’s awarded funds from the Swedish Research Council for medicine and health.
Important to read the instructions
This year the major call for proposals opens on February 5 and closes on March 10. Jan-Ingvar Jönsson emphasized the importance of reading the instructions on the Swedish Research Council’s website before submitting an application.
“It very clearly describes what the application should contain and how it should look. If you do not follow these instructions, you run the risk that the review panel will focus on something other than your research program.”
He pointed out that it is also possible to download the instructions that members of the review panels receive on the Swedish Research Council’s website. Although this manual is intended for the panel members, it also provides useful insight into how the assessment takes place for those applying for funding and being assessed.
New review panels
For 2020 the review panels that assess applications in medicine and health have changed. You can see a list of the new review panels here: https://www.vr.se/download/18.247403aa16e8e5ca6b3432/1574841210354/Beredningsgrupper%20MH%202020.pdf. Until February 15 you can nominate yourself or other researchers to take part in one of the review panels. The nominee needs to be a docent or professor and preferably have experience in reviewing. The Scientific Council for Medicine and Health decides selects members in the spring of 2020. Their term of office in the review panels is three years. Read more here: https://www.vr.se/aktuellt/nyheter/nyhetsarkiv/2019-11-28-nominera-ledamoter-till-beredningsgrupper-inom-mh-2020.html
Starting grants may be extended
This year’s call for proposals has much in common with last year in terms of the average size of grants, the predetermined annual amounts and the ceiling of SEK 2.5 million per year. This year the Swedish Research Council will distribute 30 starting grants (etableringsbidrag). Consideration is being given on whether a grant period of four years is sufficient to enable young researchers to truly establish themselves as independent heads of research.
Jan-Ingvar Jönsson also noted that Region Västra Götaland was initially very successful when the clinical treatment research grant form was launched, but that there have been less success in the last three years. Out of 44 applications, the Gothenburg region has received four grants, which is less than 10 percent.
“I do not know the reason for this but leave it for you to discuss internally.”
TEXT AND PHOTO: ELIN LINDSTRÖM CLAESSEN
- Here you can see the presentation Jan-Ingvar Jönsson held at the meeting: https://gubox.box.com/s/t9mjstfoktuqmhbwzmetug9j9f8y26oi
- Here you can see a list of the new review panels: https://www.vr.se/download/18.247403aa16e8e5ca6b3432/1574841210354/Beredningsgrupper%20MH%202020.pdf.
- Here you can read more about how you nominate members of review panels: https://www.vr.se/aktuellt/nyheter/nyhetsarkiv/2019-11-28-nominera-ledamoter-till-beredningsgrupper-inom-mh-2020.html
