The mission of the Knowledge Foundation is to strengthen Sweden’s competitiveness. We do this by funding projects at Sweden’s colleges and newer universities to promote the development of strong and internationally competitive research and education environments. The projects are conducted in collaboration with industry.
Our mission
In 1994, The Knowledge Foundation, was one of several research foundations established using the capital from Sweden’s dismantled wage-earner funds.
The mission of the Knowledge Foundation is to support the exchange of knowledge and skills between academia and industry, as well as to fund profile research at Sweden’s university colleges and new universities. We support the development of strong research and education environments that create value for academia, the business sector and society. We only provide funding when activities are conducted in partnership with the business sector, as Swedish competitiveness depends on collaboration between academia and companies.
At its inception in 1994, the foundation was also tasked with promoting information technology and supporting the restructuring of the research institute system. These mandates were time-limited and concluded in 2016, meaning that research institutes can no longer apply for research funding from the Knowledge Foundation.
Research and competence development
The Knowledge Foundation currently offers eight programmes within which funding can be granted. Some are primarily focused on developing research, while others revolve around developing education at second or third cycle level. Specific calls for proposals may also be issued where necessary.
Our calls for proposals are open for project proposals in all subjects and areas of activity. It is the aim of the Foundation that universities eligible for funding will use our programmes strategically to develop their operations in the long term and build strong research and educational environments that add value for academia, the business sector and society.
Co-production
Collaboration with the business sector – which the Knowledge Foundation calls co-production – forms the basis of our operations and is inherent to the projects and research and educational environments that we fund. Basically, co-production means that the projects we fund must be designed and implemented in close collaboration between academia and the business sector, usually with co-funding from the business community equivalent to the funding received from the Foundation.
It is academia and the business sector that jointly define areas and research questions that are both of academic interest and highly business relevant. The projects we fund therefore span a wide range of scientific areas and business sectors.
Analysis and evaluation
The Knowledge Foundation conducts analysis and evaluation to develop programmes and activities such that they produce the best possible impacts for the universities, the business sector, and the surrounding society. More specifically, this involves identifying what the activities can bring in terms of a company’s access to knowledge and skills, experienced collaboration between the business sector and academia, and scientific development. Our follow-up and evaluations also serve as a basis for disseminating knowledge.