Selection criteria – Phd student

The scholarship year begins in December when scholarships are advertised by post to postgraduate supervisors at Sweden’s universities and institutes of technology. Applications for scholarships must have reached the Foundation not later than the last day for applications in early February. Scholarship applications are received and allocated to the Board of Directors’ three expert members and their respective areas of expertise based on each research project’s focus.

These projects are to be part of a research program and the doctoral student must currently lack funding for his/her living expenses.

The applicant is expected to meet the requirements for scholarship funding, as amended by the Higher Education Ordinance (SFS 2017-947). That this is the case is the responsibility of the applicant and the university.

Read more in the Higher Education Ordinance about the change in the law entered into force July 1st 2018 and is applicable for those accepted as Phd after that date. The relevant section is Chapter 5 and especially section 4 that regulates doctoral students on scholarship.  The Higher Education Ordinance

Applications are assessed and rated by the Expert Committee in accordance with the following criteria:

QUALITY OF THE APPLICATION

The application is to contain a clear and concise description of the objective of the project, and its methodology and approach. The project’s target groups and their perceived need for new knowledge in the area of research must be described, and all the necessary information to assess the utility of the project should be included.

ACADEMIC QUALITY

The project must be clearly defined, its methodology relevant to the task, and its timetable reasonable. Novelty and originality are also of interest and apply in relation to both the research community and practice. As part of this criterion, the project’s feasibility is also assessed, meaning whether or not it is likely that the project can in fact be completed according to plan.

RELEVANCE

Relevance is assessed in relation to the purpose of the Foundation. It must be possible to utilize the anticipated results and they must be potentially useful for operators in the construction and real estate sector, and ultimately for society as a whole.

RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT

It should be clear that the applicant has access to competent supervision and an excellent research environment. By this, the Foundation means a creative and versatile environment where researchers with different focuses can share ideas, and where the right conditions exist for the student to create networks, both locally and internationally.

CONTINUATION SCHOLARSHIP

The assessment of applications also looks at whether the application concerns a current holder of a scholarship from the Foundation for a research project. Doctoral students who are actively engaged in their postgraduate studies, are compliant with their reporting requirements to the Foundation, and who lack any other form of funding, may be granted a scholarship for a number of years up until completion of their degree. However, there is a maximum time limit equivalent to four years of full-time study.

The Board of Directors meets in the spring and, based on the assessments already made, usually decides to grant a total of approximately ten to fifteen scholarships.

The Foundation requires full disclosure concerning the work that scholarship holders are doing, and monitors their projects by requiring a progress report twice per year as per an agreed schedule. The three expert members of the Board of Directors maintain contact with the scholarship holders during their projects.

The Board’s second meeting is held in the autumn, at which the work of the scholarship holders and their reports are reviewed.