Stiftelsen Solstickan - Solstickan Foundation research scholarship

Solstickan Foundation research scholarship

You receive 30,000 SEK per month (about 2,600 EUR) as a personal, tax-free grant. It lets you take time off work and focus fully on your doctoral research. Each round funds 2 to 4 months, depending on the scientific quality of your project. You can reapply and be funded for up to 3 years in total. The money replaces a salary, so you may not take pay from any other source during the funded period. The Solstickan Foundation awards these grants once a year to doctoral students in Sweden.

Who can apply

• Level: You are a registered doctoral student at a Swedish university or college, working towards a licentiate or doctoral degree.
• Department: You are based in a social sciences or medical department.
• Research topic: Your work is about children and young people (their physical, mental and social health) or older people (changes from normal or premature ageing).
• No funded post: You do not have a paid doctoral position or similar job. The grant lets you research part-time or full-time without one.
• Registration: You are registered as a doctoral student when you apply. Ethics approval, funding and registration must all be in place before the grant is paid.
• Study phase: Students at the start or in the final phase of their doctorate are preferred, but strong projects in other phases can also be funded.

How to apply

You apply by email to the foundation between 1 November and 31 December, and also send two copies of your documents by post. The deadline for the 2026 round is 31 December 2025. Your application includes the signed form, a research plan (English is fine, with a short Swedish summary), a CV, a publication list, and a statement from your supervisor. The board usually decides at the end of April and writes to every applicant.

How realistic are your chances?

This grant is narrowly targeted: you must be a registered Swedish doctoral student without a funded post, in a social sciences or medical department, working specifically on children or older people. That keeps the applicant pool small. If you clearly fit those conditions and submit a strong, well-planned project, your prospects are good, since the number of funded months rises with the scientific quality of your application.