Excellent research and innovation are encouraged in largest-ever research and innovation bill

“Today, we announced one of the largest-ever investments in research and innovation – a total of SEK 6.5 billion for research focused on excellence and innovation to enhance Swedish competitiveness and our international partnerships. It will also become easier to distribute research-based knowledge throughout society, which benefits Sweden as a whole,” says Minister for Education Johan Pehrson.

“We are facing a challenging geopolitical environment and an ongoing global race for technological capabilities. Sweden must remain a world leader in innovation. For the first time, a Swedish Government is initiating a process to highlight strategically important technology – with funds earmarked for this purpose. We are enhancing the conditions for companies to develop solutions for future contributions to Sweden’s security, competitiveness and climate transition,” says Minister for Energy, Business and Industry Ebba Busch. 

“The Government prioritised competitiveness during the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU, for which investments in research and innovation within high-tech sectors such as AI are key. Europe needs to intensify its innovation capacity and Sweden is leading the way. This bill includes concrete investments to make Sweden and Europe more competitive in the short term and more prosperous for many years to come. To be the best, we must also work with the best. That’s why international cooperation and partnerships are key themes throughout the research bill,” says Minister for EU Affairs Jessica Rosencrantz.

Excellence to be encouraged in research funding 

The Government is making two major funding allocations a in excellent research where researchers are free to choose the research area and methodology. Excellence centres enable researchers to conduct research at the absolute forefront of various scientific areas. This is an enhancement of an on-going programme at the Swedish Research Council. The Government is also investing in groundbreaking research to provide incentives for new breakthroughs. This format allows for research at the highest international level. These programmes will be run by the Swedish Research Council and will total SEK 750 million when fully operational in 2028.

In Sweden, most government-funded research is conducted at universities and other higher education institutions. Public funding includes direct research appropriations allocated to higher education institutions. The Government has announced that these appropriations will be increased by SEK 1.6 billion in 2028.

The increased funding will be more competitive to encourage excellent research. The current model consisting of quality indicators and peer review will therefore be further developed.

“All research at Swedish higher education institutions should strive to maintain the highest quality. The most successful institutions therefore need to be rewarded. The focus on competitive funding is a clear message from the Government – excellent research is desirable and should be encouraged,” says Minister Pehrson.

The ability to recruit the best researchers is key to achieving excellent research. The Government therefore intends to enhance incentives for strategic recruitment with a focus on associate senior lecturer level. This includes the introduction of a new career support grant to attract talented early career researchers.

Improved research infrastructure at the forefront 

Advanced research infrastructures and digital research infrastructures are crucial for internationally competitive research to be conducted in Sweden. Research infrastructure includes biobanks, research databases and artificial intelligence (AI), and initiatives such as MAX IV, ESS and SciLifeLab.

SciLifeLab is one of the keys to Sweden’s efforts to achieve its goal of being a leading life sciences nation. It is therefore vital to further develop SciLifeLab. For this reason, the Government is boosting SciLifeLab with SEK 90 million annually in 2025–2028. The Government is providing a total of SEK 650 million for research and innovation in life sciences and health.

Investment in research infrastructure creates conditions to conduct excellent research. The Government is therefore investing in research infrastructure totalling SEK 345 million until 2028, through the Swedish Research Council.

Investment in groundbreaking technologies for Sweden as an innovation nation

Sweden has long been one of the world’s leading countries in innovation, with a knowledge- and technology-intensive business sector. Global competition to lead technological development is intensifying. 

The Government is therefore making a substantial investment in Clusters of Excellence for groundbreaking technologies to enable Sweden to remain a leading knowledge and technology nation. Clusters of Excellence will bring together researchers from all over Sweden to work on the technologies of the future. This initiative promotes long-term cooperation in various technological fields, domestically as well as internationally. 

The Clusters of Excellence initiative consists of an open component in which researchers identify technologies of the future themselves, and another component that focuses on strategically important technologies. Clusters of Excellence will be funded both by the Swedish Research Council and Vinnova. To ensure that efforts are coordinated as effectively as possible, the Government intends to task the authorities with establishing a joint programme office. In total, the Government will invest around SEK 1.2 billion each year on Clusters of Excellence for groundbreaking technologies when the initiative is fully operational in 2028. 

The rapid development of AI is also driving change. In recent years, it has become increasingly obvious that AI and machine learning will affect our lives and our societies. The Swedish AI Commission recently presented its report, and the Government is now following up on sections of the report with its investment in a Cluster of Excellence for AI, a strategic investment in health, life sciences and AI, and graduate schools in AI. The Swedish Research Council has also been tasked with facilitating the use – and benefit from – AI in research, identifying obstacles and opportunities, and supporting transparent and responsible AI development in research. 

In addition, Sweden has just been selected to host one of seven European AI factories. This initiative seeks to strengthen EU competitiveness in this field.

More practical research to improve quality in the public sector

In order to improve quality in public sector fields such as crime prevention, social services, education and health care, a stronger evidence base is required. This is where practice-oriented research plays a vital role. Within education, practice-oriented research, for example in practical methodology and cognitive science, has the potential to be developed and make a greater impact both in the classroom and on school results. 

Enhanced international cooperation

For Swedish research to retain high quality internationally and have international impact, it is important that researchers collaborate across borders. Therefore, internationalisation is a keyword in the government bill and one that permeates the majority of the initiatives.

European cooperation in research and innovation is crucial. Therefore, Sweden is aiming to increase its participation in the EU research and innovation framework programmes. 

In many cases, international research collaborations are a determining factor in high research quality, but they can also involve risks, not least in light of the new geopolitical landscape. Therefore, international research and innovation collaborations need to be carried out as openly as possible and as safely as necessary.