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 and salaries for the main applicant and other staff involved in the project (including doctoral students).

Extra funds for research projects on environments for sports and outdoor life

In this year's call, CIF is allocating an additional SEK 1 million for research projects related to the planning, design, usage and management of all types of environments for sports and outdoor life. The aim of the projects should be to increase the knowledge about how the environment impacts the ability to attract both broad and new groups of sports, exercise and outdoor life practitioners. The project should be based on a public health perspective and the principle of universal design and should incorporate innovative approaches. The same eligibility and application requirements that apply to regular project grants also apply to these grants. The applications will undergo the same assessment process as other project grants.

To apply for the extra funds, submit your application as you would for regular project grants. The peer review groups will then assess which applications are eligible for the additional funding.

The additional funds for research projects on environments for sports and outdoor life are part of CIF's work to establish and maintain a knowledge platform for sports and outdoor facilities in Sweden - an expanded government assignment that CIF received in 2022.

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 and should conduct the research within the employment frames.
The main applicant should be employed by the administrating organisation 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.
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.