Kungl. Skogs- och Lantbruksakademien - Konung Carl XVI Gustafs 50-årsfond för vetenskap, teknik och miljö

What you get

You get a one-off award of 100,000 SEK (about 8,800 EUR) plus a diploma. The King hands it over at the Royal Palace in Stockholm each May. The award comes from a foundation chaired by King Carl XVI Gustaf, with members from Sweden's academies of science, engineering, forestry and farming, and from the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise. It is meant to encourage future-facing work, not to reward something already finished. It backs research, technical development or entrepreneurship that helps use natural resources sustainably and protect biodiversity, for example work on cleaner farming, detecting water pollution, or the effect of climate change on ecosystems.

Who can apply

• Where you work: You work in Sweden.
• Your level: You normally hold a doctorate. In rare cases a PhD student can be chosen too.
• Career stage: Younger researchers are preferred. Established professors are not funded if the award would only cover their normal academic work.
• Your field: Your work has clear environmental relevance, linked to sustainable use of natural resources and biodiversity. This environmental angle is always required.
• Type of work: The award favours innovative, forward-looking ideas, work that sets an example, and support for launching something new, such as a fresh idea or an international collaboration. It is not given for completed achievements.

How to apply

You cannot put yourself forward. Someone else must nominate you: a person from research, technical development or entrepreneurship, or a member of the forestry and farming academy. They write a short case for you in Swedish (max one A4 page) and email it to the academy. Nominations must arrive by 9 January 2025, and decisions come in spring 2025.

How realistic are your chances?

This award is narrowly cut: you must work in Sweden, in an environmentally relevant field, and someone else must nominate you. That keeps the pool small, and the organisers say good proposals have a real chance. If you fit the profile and have a colleague willing to write a clear, non-specialist case for you, your prospects are solid.