Call for CVS targeted research funding 2026

Researchers at the University of Borås are now invited to apply for targeted research funding from the Centre for Welfare Studies (CVS) to carry out a research analysis. The funding amounts to SEK 750,000 (incl. overheads). The application deadline is 25 September.

The project must include collaboration across the University of Borås and/or collaboration/cooperation with external actors, such as other higher education institutions, welfare actors, public actors or private companies.

Project focus: The role of private, for-profit actors in the organising of welfare and societal infrastructure – technology, governance and dependency relationships

The Centre for Welfare Studies (CVS) aims to contribute to societal development by analysing and problematising the challenges of the welfare state. The research conducted within the centre addresses issues of governance, management and organising of welfare, and is cross-boundary, interdisciplinary and carried out in collaboration with external actors.

One of the three focus areas assigned to CVS is the development of cross-sectoral collaboration and organising for a sustainable welfare society. A particularly relevant theme within this focus area is the importance of private for-profit actors in the organising, delivery and development of welfare and other societal infrastructure.

Education, healthcare, elderly care and policing are today carried out in complex organisational landscapes in which private, for-profit actors have come to constitute nodes within the structures of publicly funded welfare systems. In recent years, private companies have taken on an increasingly central role in supplying the public sector not only with welfare services, but also by providing, for example, welfare technology, technical and digital infrastructure, and logistics solutions.

Private, for-profit companies have also gained increased importance in terms of crisis preparedness, energy supply, digital security and infrastructure related to defence and security. This further strengthens the relationship of dependency between public and private institutions. The relationship raises fundamental questions about the transformation of the welfare state concerning issues of collaboration, governance, power and responsibility, democratic influence, accountability, vulnerability and legitimacy.

Examples of research questions and areas of analysis

CVS is now inviting applications for research funding to analyse how private actors contribute to the organising of welfare and societal infrastructure, and how the relationship between the public and private sectors is organised, shaped, regulated and negotiated. Projects may, for example, address the following:

the role of private organisations in the development and implementation of welfare technology, digital systems and technical solutions within healthcare, social care and social services
the organising and responsibilities of private actors within education and healthcare, including issues of governance, quality and professional working conditions
collaboration between public actors and private companies in crisis preparedness, energy supply, security and defence-related activities
changing power and responsibility relationships, as well as models for control and monitoring, and evaluation in public–private collaboration
comparative analyses of different sectors, organisational solutions, or forms of collaboration.

The call is directed towards a specific area of research while allowing applicants considerable freedom to formulate and design their own research questions, project design, approach and methodology. However, it is essential that the project proposal clearly problematises the role of private actors in relation to the public responsibility for welfare and societal infrastructure, as well as how these relationships are organised, governed and legitimised.

Conditions

Operating within the CVS research environment

CVS aims for targeted calls to contribute to gradual development and profiling over time, rather than stand-alone individual studies. A particular objective of this targeted call is therefore to strengthen CVS’s long-term leading expertise in cross-sectoral collaboration between the public sector and private actors.

Applicants are therefore expected to contribute to cumulative knowledge development within the centre by

actively participating in the CVS research environment through seminars and workshops
relating their project, where relevant, to previous and ongoing CVS-funded projects and publications.

Scope and implementation

The funds are to be used to carry out a delimited analysis or research task. SEK 750,000, including overhead costs, is allocated for the study. The funds may be used for salary costs and project expenses (e.g. ethical review, field trips, conference fees, language editing) incurred in the course of the study. CVS does not fund premises costs, and the funding should normally not reduce the applicant’s time allocated for professional development. The application must be approved by the applicant’s immediate manager.

CVS encourages projects to commence as soon as possible following the funding decision. However, the funds must be used before 31 December 2027. Throughout the project period, the project should be presented and discussed at CVS research workshops. The project is expected to result in at least two peer-reviewed journal publications and include dissemination activities to a broader audience. In addition, the project must be presented either at an open seminar organised by CVS or to the CVS steering group.

Upon completion of the project, a designated reporting form must be used to provide information of the project’s implementation and results.

Who can apply?

The research funding is open to employees of the University of Borås who hold a doctoral degree.
Funding may only be awarded to employees of the University of Borås. Participants from other higher education institutions and external welfare actors must cover their own salary costs and project-related costs.
The project must involve collaboration beyond the applicant’s own research environment, for example between different faculties at the University of Borås, with other higher education institutions or with external welfare actors.
Employees who currently hold CVS research funding or who have not reported on previous projects are not eligible to apply.
Members of the CVS steering group are not eligible to apply.

Application structure

The application must include a project description (max. 8,500 characters incl. spaces) covering

the purpose of the project and research questions
its relevance to CVS’s research area and focus areas
a brief overview of previous research
a clear account of the method and plan for implementation
a summary budget
planned dissemination of results (e.g. publication, conference, public lectures)
societal relevance
collaboration partners.

The following documents must be attached to the application:

a project summary (max. 1,000 characters incl. spaces)
the project leader’s CV, excluding personal identity number (max. 2,000 characters incl. spaces)
a list of the project leader’s five most relevant publications within the area of the call.

All documents must be combined into a single PDF file and submitted to cvs@hb.se no later than 25 September.

Mark the application with the reference number FO2026/197.

Applications that do not comply with the instructions will not be considered.

Assessment

Applications will be assessed by the CVS steering group and evaluated on the basis of an overall consideration of the following criteria:

relevance in relation to CVS’s research area and focus areas, with particular consideration of the thematic focus of the call
scientific quality, including theoretical grounding and methodological rigour
clarity of the problem formulation and analytical sharpness
societal relevance, i.e. the project’s timeliness and potential to contribute new and innovative knowledge
feasibility, including a realistic timeline and budget
how external collaboration partners are engaged in the research, and how such collaboration contributes to the project’s analytical and scientific added value.

The assessment will also consider the project’s contribution to the CVS research environment, including how the project relates to and builds upon previous and ongoing CVS-funded research.

Further information about CVS’s assessment criteria is available here:

CVS’s assessment critera

Decisions regarding the allocation of funding will be made at the CVS steering group meeting on 9 October.