From concept to collaboration

Applications for VFS funding are always made in consultation with the University's innovation partnership office. Therefore, if you are interested in applying, start by contacting a collaboration manager and do so in good time!

The collaboration managers at the innovation partnership office are there all year round to provide advice and support on for example:

• suitable external partners to collaborate with and how to reach them
• feedback on your application to ensure that it meets basic requirements and criteria (see below)
• other funding opportunities that may suits your needs even better

Application form:
The VFS application form is provided by the Innovation Partnership Office.

Each year, there are two application periods for VFS funding. Each round has two deadlines. The first deadline refers to when you need to submit a draft of your application. The second, and final, deadline refers to when you must submit a complete application.

Make sure to book a meeting with a collaboration manager well in advance of the first deadline. See contact details below.

Spring 2024:

• 1 February, the application period opens. The start of the application period is designed for you to bounce your ideas off the collaboration managers at UU Collaboration and to take part in information and inspiration seminars and workshops. All events are advertised in the calendar on Uppsala University's staff gateway and on LinkedIn.
• 14 March, deadline for the first draft of the application.
• 16 April, at 17:00, deadline for the complete application.
• 20 august, decisions will be communicated.
• 1 September, the project can begin.

1. The principal researcher from Uppsala University must have been in contact with the UU Innovation Partnership Office at least two weeks before the first cut-off date for applications.
   
2. No previous formalised collaboration on the proposed research question may have existed between the researcher/doctoral student and the person responsible for or I involved in the project from a company/organisation – with the exception of any previous pre-study funding from the UU Innovation Partnership Office.
   
   
3. The researcher/doctoral student involved must not have any conflict of interest with the participating company/organisation or its representatives in the project.
   
   
4. The maximum amount that can be requested is SEK 300,000, including OH and PO.
   
   
5. Participating company(ies)/organisation(s) must be able to contribute in kind cofounding to a value equivalent to that requested from VFS (practice is at least 40% of the total cost of the project). Contributions may, for example, consist of time spent on the project, data or equipment provided or specific know-how essential to the project.
   
   
6. Contributions by researchers from other higher education institutions must be included in the project plan, but cannot be funded by VFS funds or included as co-funding.
   
   
7. Sole proprietorships are not accepted as participating companies/organisations.
   
   
8. A doctoral student may participate, but may not be the lead applicant in the project. In exceptional cases, non-doctoral students may participate in the project, but there must be special justification for this.
   
   
9. VFS funding may only cover costs incurred by Uppsala University researchers/doctoral students in the project. The money can be used for salaries and other costs, such as consumables, travel, premises costs and services. Equipment costs will only benapproved if they can be written off over the project period.
   
   
10. The project must start within 3 months from notification of the decision, and end within 9 months from the start of the project. One additional month may be added to handle final reporting and requisition of funds.
    
    
11. Applicants at Uppsala University may only have one VFS project running at the same time .This excludes special conditions that allow projects run at the same time as for example VFS projects that are linked to strategic partnerships.
    
    
12. VFS funding will not be granted for contract research or contract education

Applications for VFS-funding are assessed individually by three independent members of an evaluation committee for VFS. The evaluation committee consists of nine members appointed by the university's three fields of science. The evaluation committee provides a consolidated assessment and a recommendation to the Vice-Chancellor, who makes decisions on which projects are granted funding. Decisions are announced by UU Innovation Partnership Office.

Each application will be assessed in three (3) areas using the following criteria:

1. Feasibility and project organization

• The planned activities are supported by the budget, are reasonable and adequate and will be able to be carried out within the framework of the project period
• Roles, tasks and efforts are appropriately distributed between the parties and reflect mutual responsibility in achieving the project's objectives

2. Potential and benefits for all participating parties

• The value for the external organization is large
• The value to the university/researcher is high (note that added value that benefits an individual researcher's ideas is also considered to benefit the university)

3. Potential for continued collaboration after the end of the project

• The potential for continued collaboration after the end of the project is good, realistic and well described
• There is high potential for the collaborative to attract other funding from, for example, government funders or from external organisations after the end of the project

• a cooperation agreement must be established between the parties before the project starts
• payment of the funds will be made by transferring the funds to the principal investigator’s department after completion of the project. A financial report in the form of an extract from Raindance and a final report (in accordance with the template), completed and signed by all project partners, must be submitted to the UU Innovation Partnership Office as supporting documents.