The first step in applying for this scholarship is to obtain a letter of invitation from a Swedish university department willing to accept you. Additionally, your application must be supported by a contact person at your home university. Applications must be submitted online with enclosures as digital documents.

Scholarship categories

You must register as one of the following categories in your application:

• Postdoctoral researchers, with priority given to holders of a PhD degree from 2005 or later.
• PhD students applying for a part of their PhD studies to be carried out in Sweden. Priority is given to individuals enrolled as a PhD student at their home university.

You must also choose the scholarship period you are applying for from one of the following:

• September 1 2010 – February 28 2011 (6 months)
• September 1 2010 – August 31 2012 (12 months)

* PhD students applying for a part of their PhD studies according to the sandwich model (several visits but a total of maximum 12 months to be used before the end of 2012). This type is only intended for PhD students, who apply for a sandwich setup. This setup must be confirmed in the letter of invitation, where preliminary dates for the visits must also be stated.

• University students of Swedish language and literature with at least 3 years of completed study.

Eligible scholarship period is one scholarship semester (in rare cases up to two semesters) for Swedish language students in Swedish language and literature. No other applicants are eligible for this scholarship period. To be used during the period August 15, 2010  – June 15, 2011 . The preliminary dates for the visit must be stated in the letter of invitation and correspond to the semester dates of the inviting host university/institution.

Supporting documents

Please note that the supporting documents may not exceed the prescribed number of pages stated below. As a Swedish authority, The Swedish Institute (SI) operates under The Swedish Principle of Public Access to Information. This implies that any data registered in our systems will be treated as a public document. In accordance with this, information about your application and qualifications will be accessible to the public on request.

Letter of invitation - mandatory
A letter of invitation signed by a professor or head of department at the Swedish university where you have been accepted, stating that you have been officially invited as a student/researcher as well as describing ongoing or planned cooperation between the host institution and your home institution.
Maximum 2 pages.

Two letters of recommendation - mandatory
Two letters of recommendation from professors/academic supervisors, describing your and their interest in cooperation and the long-term impact of a study/research visit to Sweden, as well as confirming the applicant’s status (holder of a PhD degree, registered PhD student, or Swedish language/literature student). The letter should also evaluate the applicant’s English language proficiency (not valid for students/researchers studying Swedish language). 

We prefer that the letters of recommendation are submitted with this online application. If that is not possible, they can be sent in a sealed envelope instead. The envelope must have reached the Swedish Institute (Box 7434, 103 91 Stockholm) by March 7, 2010, at the latest.  If you send your documents in this way, all documents and the envelope should be marked with the reference number of your confirmed application.
Maximum 2 pages.

Copies of university degrees - mandatory
Copies of the highest obtained degree, translated into English and certified by the university.

Research proposal - mandatory (not applicable for undergraduate studies in the Swedish language, who instead should submit a document about purpose of study)
A research proposal describing the scientific quality of the project as well as its originality, methodological approach, and relevance.
Maximum 5 pages.

CV of the applicant - mandatory
CV outlining your previous studies, degrees, and English language proficiency.
Maximum 2 pages.

CV of the intended supervisor/contact person in Sweden - mandatory
Maximum 2 pages.

List of publications - optional
Maximum 2 pages.

Personal statement of motivation - mandatory
A statement describing the expected long term impact of your studies in Sweden and your goals, y our choice of Sweden as your study/research destination, and your reasons for seeking financial support.
Maximum 1 page.

Application form

Please find the application form here. 

How are the applications processed?

Once the application is completed and submitted online, it will be registered in the Swedish Institute online application system. Please be patient as this procedure may take some time. Only submit the application once and wait until a confirmation with your reference number appears on the screen. An e-mail will also be sent to you with a copy to the contact person at the Swedish university.

Applications are evaluated by an academic board. The primary evaluation of the application takes into account the applicant's academic background and personal motivation, the research quality and expertise in the project field of the host department, and the strength of the research proposal: its scientific quality, originality, methodological approach, and relevance. In the final selection of candidates, academic field, study level, nationality, and gender will also be considered.

Decisions will be finalized during May/June 2010 and a confirmation will be sent to the appointed scholarship holder and to the supervisor/contact person at the receiving Swedish university. Please note that all decisions are sent by e-mail only. No paper documents will be sent.