How to successfully apply for a Formas grant

Read Jonatan’s best tips

Far from everyone receives positive news about their applications, but you have been granted funding multiple times. Why?

“Until about seven years ago, I had never actually been successful with Formas. Then I asked a colleague for help who, contrary to me, had succeeded several times. Seeing how he worked with his societal relevance was a huge ‘aha’ moment for me. I needed to see it to crack the code and understand how poor my own approach was. Since then, I have had a 100% success rate.”

What do you feel is the code for success?

“We all know colleagues who have been awarded funding. Begin by looking at their applications. The next step is to realise that this societal relevance thing is not something you write at the last minute. It is something you have to work on long before you start writing the application. Identify who you are targeting, visit them, and talk about your application and what you have in mind. If they are going to be included in the application, they should be genuinely interested, so there should be no problem with you coming by and to speak with them. Once there, you will probably also receive names of other people you had not yet identified and they might be even better options. Bring a notepad, write down their names and their roles.”

How do you describe your collaboration and societal relevance in the application itself?

“Imagine that you are going to explain it all verbally to a colleague and, for example, a CEO at Volvo. Both have to be able to understand what you mean. Also be very clear about how you have built support among your stakeholders. Determine who the stakeholders are and how you intend to communicate with them. List them by name, not just titles. It is also good to explain why you are highlighting these individuals in particular. Perhaps, someone you met with even offered an insightful quote about what your research could mean? This can give extra legitimacy to your arguments.

Then, of course, the stakeholder question can vary in how easy it is to answer depending on the subject area. Let’s say you are conducting research on earthworms... How do you get someone in the community interested in a topic like that? Well, that means you just have to work a little harder ;).

Now, if we wanted to have a bit of a laugh about my unsuccessful applications that I previously drafted, I wrote something like: ‘Once I get these results, I am going to look for relevant stakeholders’ ... and then I wrote nothing more. Who were these stakeholders? Why would they be interested in my research? That approach is untenable. To be credible, you need to be specific. If you are uncertain about who to talk to, I would encourage you to apply next year instead. It does not matter how good the application is, you still have to have an intended audience. You cannot avoid this.”

You mention the importance of communication, which Formas emphasises is linked to societal benefit. What do you feel is important to highlight here?

“As I said, I focus most on the individuals and explain how they are connected to the application. Then it is a matter of describing when and how you intend to involve them and communicate with them. Here, I believe it is important to add their suggestions and to include these in the budget. If you plan a workshop for stakeholders without including it in the budget, then it is not credible.

I have also benefited from being able to show that I am used to appearing in the media and have conducted various types of “outreach”. So, dare to put yourself out there in different contexts. Gain experience that can support your future application. For example, you can start by participating in Forskning à la carte and speaking to secondary and upper-secondary school classes or talk about your research to the public at Curiosum. When I was a doctoral student, I went around to schools and talked about science to primary school pupils. Now I use this experience as one of several examples of how I can reach different groups and make my research available to a wider audience.”

Do you have any concluding tips?

“Make sure you have a small notebook where you can immediately note when you are on a radio programme or when you are in the news. This will be a valuable resource to refer back to when writing your application and you need to provide examples of your experience from communication and collaboration. When you are sitting there months or years later, a bit tired and stressed, and have to fill in: ‘What have I actually done?’, it is not always that easy. You may have forgotten.

I also want to argue that it is possible to succeed with a rejected application, provided that you really try to address the identified weaknesses. The time my colleague inspired me to change my approach, I received feedback that Formas appreciated that I had improved the section on societal relevance and communication from the previous year.

And, last but not least. If you have to artificially force the societal connection and have difficulty finding someone who is interested in what you do, then maybe you should consider writing an application for the Swedish Research Council instead.”