Emergency Call for Hantavirus or Ebola Virus

Emergency Call for Hantavirus or Ebola Virus is sponsored by Swedish Research Council. This rapid-response research funding addresses urgent scientific questions linked to current or potential outbreaks of hantavirus or Ebola virus.

Emergency call for hantavirus or Ebola virus - Swedish Research Council 19 August - 09 September 2026 Emergency call for hantavirus or Ebola virus The purpose of the grant is to fund research that can rapidly answer questions of importance in relation to an identified outbreak of a virus with pandemic potential. Projects must be capable of generating rapid results that can be put into practice.

The focus is on research that can limit the spread and consequences of the ongoing outbreak, as well as research that strengthens preparedness and prevents future pandemics. The grant is aimed at researchers who currently hold, or have previously held, funding from the Swedish Research Council. The initiative is a part of the national research programme in viruses and pandemics.

Subject area: Humanities and Social Sciences, Clinical Therapy Research, Medicine and Health, Natural and Engineering Sciences, Educational Sciences Support form: Project support Grant form: Project grant with focus Focus: Emergency grant for pandemic preparedness Applicant: Individual researcher who currently holds, or has previously held, a grant from the Swedish Research Council.

The end year of the grant period must be 2022 or later. Participating researchers: Up to 6 other researchers may be invited to join the application Grant amount: Minimum 500 000 SEK, maximum 2 000 000 SEK Start of grant period: November 2026 Application period: 19 August 2026 (14. 00/2 p.

m.) – 09 September 2026 (14. 00/2 pm) Publication of grant award: No later than the end of October 2026 Please use English for all parts of the application (text fields, appendices, CV items, and so on), with the exception of the popular science description, which must be written in Swedish.

If we need to translate content in Swedish into English, you will not be able to comment on these. Read here for information on project collaboration with researchers in Russia and Belarus . We have clarified our instructions regarding applying for multiple grants at the same time on the page " Several grants simultaneously ", as well as in the call text and application form.

Please note, among other things, that it is not permitted to submit applications for the same project with different applicants to the Swedish Research Council. Furthermore, you may not submit an application for a project for which you know funding has already been awarded by us to another researcher. Please read our information on public access to information and secrecy in grant applications before you start with your application.

Conducting ethical research Producing a data management plan Sex and gender dimensions Terms and conditions for our grants Telephone hours are weekdays excluding public holidays 9. 00–16. 00 up to the call deadline.

Specific instructions for the call In addition to reading the call text, you also need to consult our Guide for applicants .

Information and support to make the planning ahead of making the application easier If the application includes a clinical study Practical tips and advice relating to register-based studies Requirements for applicants Number of applications and previous grants Participating researchers What must the application contain?

Publications and other research outputs Budget and research resources Administrating organisation How your application is assessed Assessment criteria and guiding questions Information and support to make the planning ahead of making the application easier If the application includes a clinical study Clinical Studies Sweden – regional support for your work The six regional nodes that together form Clinical Studies Sweden offer various types of support for work on a clinical study.

Examples include help with study protocols, permit applications, data management and statistics, infrastructures for implementation, and training in clinical research methodology. The nodes also have a good knowledge of and can provide contacts with relevant regional resources, such as research units, quality register centres, biobanks, and cancer centres.

More information about Clinical Studies Sweden and what you need to consider when conducting a clinical study can be found at kliniskastudier. se. External link.

Registering and reporting clinical studies There are guidelines for study registration and result reporting for the clinical studies funded by the Swedish Research Council, which means that information about the study shall be registered in a public study register, and that a summary of the results shall be published in the register. More information about registration is available here .

Practical tips and advice relating to register-based studies On dataguiden. se External link. (in Swedish), you can find consolidated knowledge support about using register and health data in research.

This includes information about different types of data sources and data holders, procedures for data extraction and permit applications, relevant laws and regulations, as well as the support available from various actors. RUT (Register Utiliser Tool, in Swedish) External link. is a resource for researchers, providing information (metadata) about Swedish register and health data sources.

The Metadata Catalog (Metadatakatalogen) offers an overview of the contents of registers and sub-registers at a general level. Simple filtering and sub-register comparisons are possible. The Metadata Tool (Metadataverktyget) describes register metadata in a standardized and detailed manner.

It allows advanced searches and comparisons of various variables from multiple perspectives. Requirements for applicants The following requirements must be fulfilled for you to be eligible to apply for the grant. We carry out checks and reject applications that do not fulfil the requirements.

Through this emergency grant, the Swedish Research Council intends to support projects that can quickly contribute to dealing with ongoing virus outbreaks that risk developing into a pandemic. The focus is on accelerating research with the aim of enabling rapid implementation in healthcare, public health work or necessary societal measures. The grant will finance activities that are directly aimed at enabling rapid societal impact.

This may concern, for example, the implementation of solutions with the potential to increase knowledge in pathogenesis, prevention, diagnostics, treatment, or contact tracing. Data-driven research and issues related to epidemiology and public health linked to the outbreak may also be relevant.

Emphasis is placed on interventions that can have an effect within a short period of time and help to limit the spread of infection and reduce the burden of disease and societal impact. The supported research must generate reliable and implementable results within the time that the grant is available. In the European partnership BE READY, External link.

areas have been identified in hantavirus where knowledge gaps exist: Animal reservoirs and environmental surveillance Human-to-human transmission and modelling Natural history and pathogenesis Development of tools and care Development of interventions while evaluating existing treatments Social response, communication, infodemic Regarding Ebola, the WHO has decided to declare an international threat to human health.

The WHO has developed a list of research priorities for the Ebola virus. External link. The identified areas above are suggestions for possible specialisations but do not exclude other important specialisations.

To stimulate collaboration and increased sharing of research results within the initiative, the Swedish Research Council may carry out a number of activities within the initiative, such as webinars, workshops or conferences. Researchers who are granted funding under the call are expected to participate in such activities.

The applicant for this grant must be an individual researcher together with their organisation (a Swedish higher education institution (HEI) or another Swedish organisation that fulfils our criteria for administrating organisations for Swedish Research Council grants ). We must have approved your organisation as an administrating organisation for you to apply.

The administrating organisation must sign your application in Prisma no later than 7 calendar days after the deadline for this call. You shall be the project leader and have scientific responsibility for the research activities described. The time you set aside for the project (your activity level, that is the percentage of a full-time equivalent) must be suited to the task and its implementation throughout the grant period.

At the time of application, you must be or have been the holder of, that is the project leader of, a previous grant from the Swedish Research Council. The end year of the grant period must be 2022 or later (see below which types of grants are relevant).

You do not have to be employed by the administrating organisation at the time of application, but you must be employed at the start of and throughout the grant period and any further availability period. The employment must equal at least 20 per cent of a full-time equivalent. Number of applications and previous grants The requirements described in this section only apply to applicants (project leaders).

General information about overlaps between applications and grants Your application must not cover costs for purposes that are already funded by the Swedish Research Council or by any other funding body. Also, it must not concern the same purpose/project that you know another researcher is applying for from the Swedish Research Council.

Overlaps with other grants or applications may impact on the grant amount you are awarded, or be a reason for us to reject your application. What grants may I apply for simultaneously from the Swedish Research Council? You can only submit one application for this grant under this call.

There are no restrictions on which other grants can be applied for or held at the same time, as long as it does not relate to the same project. Previous grant from the Swedish Research Council To be eligible to apply under this call, you must be or have been the project leader for a previous grant from the Swedish Research Council. The last year of the grant period must be 2022 or later.

Below is a list of the types of previous grants that are required as a basis for applying: Project grants (including project grants for international collaborations), one of our career grants (international postdoc, starting grant, consolidation grant, grant for a half-time position in a clinical environment, grant for research time), or grant for research environment.

The grant can be awarded within any of the Swedish Research Council's areas, but must be relevant to the area of infection according to the information under "Focus" above. Note: If you have been the project leader for previous grants from the Swedish Research Council that have ended, final financial reports for all of these must have been submitted within the permitted time frame in order for you to apply for a new grant.

Please contact your administrating organisation if you are unsure whether all your final reports have been submitted. If you are the project leader for an ongoing grant that ends at the end of the year, you may apply for a new grant without having submitted the final report, as long as the deadline to submit the report has not passed. What applies for applications to or grants from other funding bodies?

If your application to the Swedish Research Council relates to the same project that another funding body has already awarded funding for, or that you are applying for from another funding body, please describe this. Participating researchers You may include up to 6 participating researchers in your application.

Participating researchers are other researchers with a doctoral degree or equivalent qualification (not doctoral students) whose scientific competence will be crucial for the implementation of the planned research. They do not have to be employed by a Swedish HEI. Participating researchers shall provide the necessary information themselves in Prisma, and upload these to the application.

Any doctoral students and other collaboration partners and their roles shall be described in the project plan (please see instructions under “Project plan” below).

You can apply for a grant for all types of project-related costs, such as salaries (including your own salary), however no more than corresponding to the person’s activity level in the project running costs (such as consumables, travel including stays at research facilities, publication costs, and minor equipment) The grant amount includes cover of indirect costs as a percentage of the direct costs, according to the model used by your administrating organisation.

Grants must not be used for scholarships. If a doctoral student participates, project funds may not be paid out as salary during teaching, other departmental duties, or courses that are not directly relevant or necessary for the implementation of the project. The minimum amount you may apply for is 500 000 SEK, including indirect costs.

The maximum amount you may apply for is 2 000 000 SEK. You may apply for a grant for 1 year, starting in November 2026. The first payment will be made in November 2026 at the earliest.

What must the application contain? Please refer to the application form in Prisma in parallel with reading the instructions below, which describe the call-specific content of the application. More information on what to do in practical terms is available in our Guide for applicants .

International experts are involved in the scientific assessment of the applications. To ensure fair and equitable assessment and efficient processing, please therefore complete your application in English, apart from the popular science description, which you must write in Swedish. The information we request under each tab in the application form is described below.

In the abstract, please describe in brief the following: project organisation and activity plan what is important about the planned project, including how the results will be implemented and its societal impact relevance to the Hanta and Ebola outbreaks and how the project can mitigate the spread and effects of the outbreaks The abstract shall provide a summary of the purpose and implementation of the project.

Please use wording to ensure persons with another subject specialisation can understand the information. The description may cover a maximum of 1 500 characters including blank spaces. This is approximately one third of an A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing.

Popular science description Describe the planned research in such a way that a person who is not a researcher can understand it. Do this by answering the following questions: What is the project about? Why is it important to explore this?

In what way can the results of the project be significant? How will the results be implemented? The popular science description is important when we inform about the research funded by the Swedish Research Council.

The text must be in Swedish and may cover a maximum of 2 000 characters including blank spaces. This is approximately half an A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing.

Other applications or grants Describe the relationship between the different projects if you are applying for, have applied for or intend to apply for other grants from the Swedish Research Council in the year in question you are receiving an ongoing grant from the Swedish Research Council with a grant period that wholly or partly overlaps the grant you are now applying for there are applications or grants relating to the same project with other funding bodies (from you or another researcher).

In all cases, you should also justify why you are submitting one or several further applications. If there are no other applications or grants, please state so. Also verify that you are not applying for the same project that you know another researcher is also applying for, or has already been awarded funding for, from the Swedish Research Council.

Each description may cover a maximum of 2 000 characters including blank spaces. This is approximately half an A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing. State which of the sub-specialisations Ebola or hantavirus your project concerns.

Legal and formal requirements State whether the project covers the handling of personal data, or experiments on animals and/or studies involving humans. If the project covers any of the above, you must also describe/state the approvals and permits your research project requires, and how you plan to obtain these.

Describe any other permits that affect your application, such as whether parts of the project will be done in a country other than Sweden. If no approvals or permits are needed, please state so. The description may cover a maximum of 2 000 characters including blank spaces.

This is approximately half an A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing. Further information is available on the page “Conducting ethical research” . Reflect on the ethical issues that may arise for your project, and describe these.

You must also describe how you plan to address ethical dilemmas that may arise. Please justify why the project should be carried out against the background of the ethical issues you have identified. Examples of issues to reflect on: How do your research questions and expected results measure up in relation to the ethical issues you have identified?

What (direct) risks (physical, mental, or integrity) will research participants or animals be exposed to? What long-term risks may arise from the research? Is there any risk that the research may be used in a way that is detrimental to animals, nature/the environment, or society (whole or parts of the same) in other respects?

Is the research expected to contribute to other values over and above the knowledge gain? If so, to whom? How do you weigh up the risks (in particular short-term risks) against the value (which is often more long-term) of the research?

If no ethical issues are raised, please justify this. The description may cover a maximum of 2 000 characters including blank spaces. This is approximately one half of an A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing.

Sex and gender dimensions If you answer “Yes”: Please justify your answer, and describe also how you take account of sex and gender dimensions in the research plan. If you have stated that sex and gender dimensions are applicable, but still choose not to include them in your research plan, you will need to justify this here.

If you answer “No”, and thereby do not consider that sex and gender dimensions are applicable for your planned research, you do not need to justify your decision. The justification may cover a maximum of 2 000 characters including blank spaces. This is approximately one half of an A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing.

The project plan must consist of a brief description of the research task with a focus on how the project can be started in a short time and address the challenges posed by the Hanta or Ebola viruses. It must cover a maximum of 3 page-numbered A4 pages in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing and 2. 5 cm margins, including references and any images.

References may be provided either throughout or at the end of the plan. All sources must be provided with complete information; links alone are not sufficient. The project plan must include the following headings and information, listed in the following order: Briefly describe the purpose and specific goals of the research project.

Describe why the issue is important with regard to hanta or Ebola virus. Project description and scientific novelty Briefly describe how the project relates to previous research in the field, if it addresses any specific and significant knowledge gaps. Describe how the research will be conducted: theory and method, timetable and implementation, and project organization.

Justify how your role as a project manager is adapted to the task, including relation to your other research commitments. Preliminary and previous results Briefly describe your own previous research and how it can facilitate the implementation of the new research task. If there are no preliminary results, please enter it.

Explain how the project can result in reliable and implementable results that can help mitigate the spread and impact of the ongoing outbreaks in Hanta or Ebola viruses. Please also indicate whether the project can result in additional long-term benefits such as increased preparedness for or prevention of future pandemics.

Describe in what way your project is relevant to the current outbreak and how it can be used in the near future to have a societal impact. Describe how the results will be communicated/disseminated in order to quickly have an effect in society.

Description of previously awarded grant from the Swedish Research Council State the project title, grant form, registration number and amount, grant period, and availability period for your previously awarded project. You can find information about the criteria for your previous grant in the “Approval of Conditions” you received from the Swedish Research Council.

The description may cover a maximum of 2 000 characters, including blank spaces. This is approximately half an A4 page in Arial, font size 11. Describe how the merits you state in your CV and list of publications and other research outputs confirm your competence as project leader and scientifically responsible for implementing the proposed activities.

The description may cover a maximum of 2 000 characters including blank spaces. This is approximately half an A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing. Publications and other research outputs Attach all (the applicant’s and any participating researchers’) publication lists, merged into one file.

The list for each researcher shall include the 10 publications or other research outputs that are the most relevant for the implementation of the activities described, and shall cover a maximum of 1 A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing and 2. 5 cm margins. The name of the researcher in question shall be highlighted in bold and also be included in the page header of each list.

The outputs may be of the following types and must be published or accepted for publication at the time of applying. The author name order shall be identical to that of the published work. The application cannot be supplemented with publications after the deadline for the call.

Peer-reviewed research outputs Non peer-reviewed research outputs Budget and research resources State the activity level (per cent of a full-time equivalent) of all personnel active within the project, that is to say yourself, any other researchers, doctoral students and other personnel.

Please also state the salary you are applying for, for yourself and/or other personnel active within the project, both as a percentage of a full-time salary and as actual annual amounts (including social security contributions). Please state the amounts in Swedish krona, rounded to the nearest 1 000 SEK. Describe any other costs of the project (premises costs, running costs and depreciation costs).

Please state the amounts in Swedish krona, rounded to the nearest 1 000 SEK. You may include depreciation costs for equipment to be used in the project, provided that the equipment has an economic life of at least three years the equipment has an acquisition value above a certain amount the need cannot be satisfied through use of national or international infrastructure supported by the Swedish Research Council and thereby open to all.

You may only include the proportion of depreciation costs that corresponds to the use of the equipment in the proposed project, and you may not include depreciation costs for equipment that is wholly funded by other grants. Please contact your administrating organisation for information about what is included in local research infrastructure, acquisition values or how to calculate depreciation costs.

Total cost of the project Prisma will automatically add up your budget items in a table. The total amount you are applying for shall also include indirect costs. You will have to add these to the table yourself.

Here you can also add any additional costs that the project entails (for which you are not seeking funding under this call). Indirect costs follow the model that your administrating organisation uses. Please contact your administrating organisation if you have any questions about what constitutes indirect and direct costs.

Justification of the budget applied for Justify briefly each cost applied for in your budget. The description may cover a maximum of 2 000 characters including blank spaces. This is approximately a half A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing.

Please state your or any other researcher’s funding for the project over and above what is applied for in this application. Please state the amounts in Swedish krona, rounded to the nearest 1 000 SEK. Administrating organisation Please state the administrating organisation and project site.

Here you may invite other participating researchers and administrators to your application. Under this tab, please upload your relevant CV information from your personal account in Prisma. The information/merits shall confirm your competence as project leader and scientifically responsible for implementing the proposed research activities.

If you have any participating researchers they must upload their own CV information to the application. The following information (where available) must always be included in each CV: First, second and third cycle higher education and specialist degrees.

Current employment (including employment form) Longer relevant employments Post-doctoral visits (also state as employments if applicable) Researcher exchanges of relevance to the research described Any longer interruptions in the research that have impacted on your opportunity to gain merit as a researcher.

Docentship/associate professorship Persons you have supervised (postdoctoral and doctoral students; state the number of persons in each category and list the names of the maximum 10 most relevant) Relevant grants you have received in competition (list maximum 10) Your most relevant prizes and awards (list maximum 10) Any other merits of relevance to the application, such as invitations to lecture, leader assignments, representative assignments, membership of scientific organisations and similar.

Intellectual property rights For example, patents and open access computer programs developed by you; state up to 10 of your most relevant. How your application is assessed Scientific quality is the fundamental criterion when the Swedish Research Council allocates grants to research. Your application is evaluated in competition with the other applications on the basis of the following evaluation criteria.

Your application for research project grant within medicine and health is evaluated by international researchers with expertise in the field of the call. Three international reviewers assess and grade your application individually. The reviewers' assessments of the applications forms the basis for decision.

Decision on which emergency grants are funded are made by the Swedish Research Council's Secretary General for Medicine and Health, on delegation from the Scientific Council for Medicine and Health. Here you will find a more comprehensive description of the Swedish Research Council's assessment of applications. After the grant decision, the applications receive a final statement with the grades.

The call is open to all research within the relevant areas (bottom-up). High scientific quality is a fundamental prerequisite for all projects; however, a holistic assessment may be applied to ensure an appropriate distribution of complementary projects that together provide the broadest possible societal benefit.

Assessment criteria and guiding questions The assessment of the scientific quality of your application is made using the Swedish Research Council's criteria Scientific impact and Relevance. The criteria are assessed on a three-point grading scale. For each criterion, there are guiding questions to support the reviewer’s assessment of your application.

These can also serve as guidance for you when writing your application. Will the results of the project fill a significant and urgent knowledge gap? Does the project have the potential to deliver reliable and implementable results that are beneficial to patients and/or society within the availability period of the grant (until 2028-10-31)?

Are the project organization, the selected methods, and the availability of equipment and infrastructure adequate for the proposed project? Does the proposal have a clear plan for dissemination of the results in order to quickly impact society and/or health care? Is the project aimed at mitigating the spread and/or the effects of the ongoing outbreak in hanta and ebola?

Could the project if successful lead to additional long-term benefits such as increased preparedness or prevention of future pandemics?