Project grants

What is funded?

The Swedish Research Council for Sport Science (CIF) is announcing project grants for research with relevance to sport. Sports research can be conducted in any scientific field. An application must clearly demonstrate relevance to sport to be eligible for funding. CIF uses a broad definition of sport. Read more about the CIF definition of relevance to sport.

The grant can cover operating costs, overhead costs and salaries for the main applicant and other staff involved in the project (including doctoral students).

Starting in 2026, CIF will gradually transition to providing two-year project grants. Project grants will continue to be announced annually. During the transition period in 2026, half of CIF's grant budget will be allocated for two-year grants, and the other half for one-year grants. Project grant applicants should write their applications for a two-year grant, but should also include a brief explanation of how the funds could be utilised if the project was awarded a one-year grant. Decisions regarding the funding duration will be based on the quality of the application - those with the highest scores from reviewers will be granted two-year project grants.

Extra funds for research on sports for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders

For this year’s call, CIF is allocating an additional SEK 2 million for research on sports for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (NPF). The extra funds are part of CIF's regular call for proposals and cover both project grants and postdoctoral salary grants. The eligibility criteria, application process, and quality requirements are the same as those for other CIF grants. Also, the evaluation of the applications will be done in the regular evaluation procedure, together with applications from other areas.

To apply for the additional funds, submit your application as an application for a project or a postdoc grant. In the application, you specify “Sports for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders”. This is a multi-year initiative from the government to strengthen research in this area.

Who can apply?

Main applicant with a previous CIF grant for which the availability period has expired should submit the final report before application deadline.
The main applicant should hold a Swedish doctoral degree or an equivalent foreign degree.
The main applicant should be employed by a Swedish Higher Educational Institute at the start of the grant period. Exceptions are made for clinical researchers, for whom the administrating organisation and another employer can agree on affiliation.
The main applicant should conduct the research as part of their employment.
Retired researchers can be the main applicant, provided an employment of at least 20% as a senior professor or equivalent at the time of application.
The main applicant should be the project manager and should be scientifically responsible for and active in the project.
The main applicant should ensure that the research complies with the Swedish Research Council's requirements on conducting ethical research and obtain ethical review permission if required.
Three co-applicants can be included in the application. It should be clearly descrbied how the work is shared between the main applicant and co-applicants.
Researchers may submit one application for a project grant, one application for postdoc salary funding and one application for a grant for associations, collaboration and networking as the main applicant.

How do I apply?

To apply, you will need to use CIF's online grant management system. Make sure to apply well in advance. Your application must be written in English and signed with BankID before the application system closes. If you are unable to obtain a BankID, please contact CIF's office well ahead of the application deadline.

Read about the application requirements in the guide for applicants for project and postdoc grants.

How are applications assessed?

The CIF Scientific Review Panel assesses the applications in two stages. Firstly, the relevance to sport is evaluated, and then the quality of the application is assessed. If an application is deemed irrelevant to sport, it will not proceed to the quality assessment stage.

Applications that are relevant to sport are assessed on four criteria: (a) innovation and originality, (b) scientific quality of the project, (c) applicant's competence for the project, and (d) feasibility. The assessment of criteria (a) to (c) is done using a seven-point scale, where seven represents the highest grade. Criterion (d) is assessed using a three-point scale, with three being the highest grade.

The final decisions on grant approval are made by the board of CIF.