Call for CVS research funding 2025 – targeted research grant

The project can be applied for by researchers at the University of Borås and must involve inter-university collaboration and/or collaboration with external actors.

The theme of the call

Organisational models and tools to promote longer working lives

The call is aimed at projects that aim to study organisational models and tools to promote a longer working life with sustainable working conditions. The call is analogous to Forte's (Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare) ten-year national research programme for working life research (2021-2030), which aims to increase knowledge about working life and address societal challenges through research and innovation. One of the priorities of Forte's national research programme is to promote an extended working life with good conditions. In CVS's targeted call, this is addressed as a question of how welfare organisations develop models and use tools to harness the skills of the older workforce and motivate work at older ages.

Background

Maintaining living standards in the welfare state requires increased labour force participation among both younger and older people. For the latter group, efforts are often hampered by health problems, but also by widespread ageism, i.e. structural discrimination in the world of work that leads to older people being overlooked in recruitment and skills development. CVS therefore welcomes applications for research projects that investigate and analyse established organisational models and tools for utilising and retaining older workers in welfare organisations, known as age management.

Purpose

This targeted research support gives applicants a great deal of freedom in designing their own approach and research questions. At the same time, the project should be in line with the call's aim to analyse the work of welfare organisations to retain the older workforce. The project will thus explore the obstacles and opportunities for utilising the skills of older workers and motivating this group to remain in the workforce.

Importance and focus of the project

CVS welcomes projects that can contribute theoretical models of governance and organisation for a longer working life, or that develop transferable practical solutions for the same. The project could usefully focus on analysing organisational tools used by trade unions and/or employers to retain older workers, especially in shortage occupations such as doctors, nurses and assistant nurses.
 
CVS welcomes projects that highlight and analyse factors that motivate (e.g. meaning, recognition, pay, duty, routines) or hinder (e.g. health, risk group membership and education) labour force participation, taking into account occupational group and work experience, gender, class and/or migration.

Terms and conditions and who can apply?

The research support, which can be applied for by those who hold a doctorate and who are employed at the University of Borås, is intended to support a well-defined analysis or research task. The research grant includes 750,000 SEK, including overhead (OH) costs. The sum can be used for salary costs (including OH-costs) and costs related to the execution of the project (e.g. ethical review, field studies, conference fees, language editing, etc.).

CVS's grants do not pay for premises costs and the grant must not normally lead to a reduction in the applicant's time for professional development.

Additional conditions:

• The project should accommodate collaboration outside the original research environment, i.e. between different Faculties/centres/platforms at the University of Borås, or collaboration with another higher education institution or external welfare organisation.
• The research project will begin, and the funds will be used, as soon as possible after a decision has been received and will end no later than 31 December 2026.
• During the time that the project is ongoing, analyses will be presented and discussed at CVS research workshops that are intended to build up a strong research environment and thus support the projects that are ongoing within the center.
• Each project that receives a grant must result in at least two peer-reviewed journal publications, in addition to popular science dissemination.
• The results of the project will be presented to the CVS steering group and/or within the framework of the open seminar series The socially sustainable welfare society.
• Projects receiving funds are to, after implementation, use a special form, provided by CVS, for a brief accounting of project implementation and results.
• Staff members with ongoing research support from CVS or who have not reported on previous projects cannot apply for, or be included in the application for, new funds.
• Members of CVS’s steering group cannot apply for research funding.

Assessment

Applications will be assessed by the CVS Steering Group. To be granted funding, the project must be relevant in relation to CVS' area of activity and the specific theme of the call aimed at the development of organisational models and the use of tools to promote a longer working life with sustainable working conditions.

In addition, the application is assessed based on the scientific quality and societal relevance of the project, the clarity of the problem formulation and how external partners will be used and benefit the research.

Read more about CVS assessment criteria

Decisions on who has been awarded a grant will be made at the CVS steering group meeting in 3 October 2025.

Form of the application

The application is to describe the project’s purpose and research questions, implementation, and general budget, how results will be presented (e.g. journal publication, conference, public speeches), short area overview, societal relevance, partners.

Please note that the application must clearly describe how the project is relevant in relation to CVS's field of activity and the specific theme of the call.

The application includes a maximum number of characters: 8,500 incl. spaces.

The application is to be accompanied by the following:

• a summary of the project (max. number of characters: 1000 incl. spaces)
• CV of the project leader where the Swedish personal identification number should not be included (max. number of characters: 2000 incl. spaces)
• a list of the project leader’s five main publications relevant to the project.

Summary, application, and project leader's CV (including publications) are to be merged into a PDF file and submitted to cvs@hb.se, no later than 19 September. Mark your application with the reference number FO2025/141.

Applications that do not follow the specified instructions will not be assessed.