The Borealis UMF Fellowships

A two-year award of SEK 100,000 per annum will be granted to the Fellows to support their research project at UMF. In addition, the Fellows will be supported by an early-career intern with overlapping interests. The Fellows may develop their own project or join an on-going project already running or planned at UMF. Up to two Fellowships will be appointed each year.

Borealis UMF Fellow eligibility

Early-career to full Professor applicants are eligible to apply. Applicants should have a current position as a marine scientist with an excellent research and publication record commensurate with career stage. You may, for example, have been awarded an independent fellowship or grant and are keen to expand the scope of that award with the Borealis UMF Fellowship. Applicants currently based at, or affiliated with, Umeå University are not eligible to apply. Projects should start between June 2025 to May 2026.

Eligible funding costs

The Borealis UMF Fellowships provide 100,000 SEK per annum to support the proposed research project. Proposed costs might include:

• Use of UMF facilities (e.g. mesocosms, scientific diving, research vessels, winter hovercraft)
• Fieldwork travel & subsistence costs
• Laboratory consumables and sample analyses
• Conference participation

Full details about the available facilities and infrastructure at UMF can be found on our website here. We encourage you to discuss your proposal with us prior to submission for assistance in UMF costing estimates. The funding cannot be used towards salary costs.

Other costs covered in addition to the Fellowship award

• Accommodation for the duration of the Fellow’s stay at UMF
• Office space at UMF
• Small boat use
• Aquarium experimental halls and wet labs
• Use of the UMF vehicles
• Full technical support for all facilities and infrastructure
• Research support from Borealis UMF Interns – competitively awarded in discussion with the Fellow, to assist with the proposed project for up to 3 months per annum

Borealis Fellowship application process

The following documents should be submitted as a single PDF by 2300CET on 1st of April 2025 to umf@umu.se:

1.    Application statement (max 3 pages), to include:

• Research Question and Objectives
• How the proposed research goes beyond the state-of-the-art
• How the proposed research progresses your current research
• How the award can advance your career
• Research dissemination plan – academic publications

2.    CV (max 2 pages).

3.    Publication list of research papers. Please only include papers already published or accepted.

Fellowship selection process

The Borealis UMF Fellow Selection Committee, including international representation, will review and rank applications after the submission deadline. Key assessment criteria will be:

• Research excellence of the applicant
• Potential for scientific advancement of frontier research
• Potential for high impact dissemination

Mentorship and outputs

The Fellows and Interns will be appointed as Affiliated members of UMF and will benefit from access to all relevant UMF and Umeå University facilities, including the library. The Fellows and Intern will be appointed an on-site mentor to support project progression. and will be required to use their UMF affiliation address in any project outputs including publications, conference talks and outreach materials.