The Foundation announces grants for research and development aimed at enhancing the quality of life and autonomy for individuals living with disabilities.

The Foundation’s mission is to foster the development and dissemination of technical aids, with a particular emphasis on enhancing mobility, alongside supporting scientific research to create new aids and restore mobility and communication capabilities for individuals with disabilities.

The objective of Promobilia Fellowships is to provide talented individuals, passionate about disability research, the opportunity to initiate a research career within this domain.

By fostering the establishment of more researchers in this vital field, it is our aspiration to bolster and advance disability research, thereby contributing to greater prospects for individuals with disabilities to lead active and independent lives.

Promobilia Fellows become integrated into a network of researchers, invited approximately once a year to the Promobilia Fellows Symposium to exchange insights and foster collaborative endeavors.

Promobilia Fellows are anticipated to present their research at one of these symposia.

The funding duration spans 2 years, with the option for extension by an additional 1 year. The annual grant, tailored to the individual, amounts to 1 000 000 SEK for postdoctoral fellowships.

The position must be affiliated with a Swedish academic institution, where the appointee will be employed throughout the grant period.

Applicants must have attained their doctoral degree within three years preceding the application date (parental leave is excluded from the 3-year timeframe).

To apply for a Promobilia Fellowship, the following requirements must be met:

You must be close to completing your doctoral degree,

or

You must have been awarded your doctoral degree within three years prior to the application deadline (periods of parental leave are not included in the three-year period).

The grant amount is applicable for full-time employment; however, part-time research (minimum 50%) is also permissible, with the duration of the grant adjusted accordingly.

The grant encompasses salary, associated employer contributions, as well as university overhead costs (up to a maximum of 20% of the total amount).

Any potential extension following the initial grant period is determined by the Foundation’s Technical and Scientific Committee subsequent to the submission and evaluation of the application and progress report.

All research involving humans or experimental animals must be approved by a research ethics committee before it can begin. This ensures that the project adheres to strict ethical guidelines and laws, and protects the rights and well-being of participants.

Projects resulting in medical devices are subject to specific regulations to ensure quality and safety, in accordance with the EU Regulation 2017/745 (MDR). For more information and the definition of a medical device, please visit the Swedish Medical Products Agency’s (Läkemedelsverket, LMV) website: Is it a medical device?

The Promobilia Foundation encourages early consideration of LMV’s requirements during the development process and adherence to all specified requirements before any clinical trial of a medical device is initiated. Please note that different rules apply depending on whether the product to be tested is CE marked or not.

1. Personal information, including contact details for your certifying manager (Head of Department or equivalent).

2. Popular science summary in Swedish.

3. CV of the applicant and any co-applicant(s).

4. Research plan according to the provided template (download the template [here] or from the application system by starting a new application).

The research plan may be a maximum of 5 A4 pages and must include the following sections:

1. Project Title

2. Needs and Significance

Describe the societal and research needs underlying the project. How will your project, in both the short and long term, contribute to an active and independent life for people living with disabilities?

3. Aims and Objectives

Provide an overview of the purpose and concrete objectives of your research project.

4. Project Description and Previous Research

Describe how you plan to conduct your research, how participants will be recruited and selected, what theories and methods you will use, and what expertise and resources you have available. Summarize relevant previous research, including your own preliminary results that support the feasibility of the project.

5. Timeline and Milestones

Provide an overall plan for the project’s implementation over two (or three) years. Specify key milestones and expected interim results for each year. (Tables may be used.)

6. Risk Assessment and Ethical Considerations

Identify potential risks in the project and in the implementation of the results. Briefly discuss ethical considerations and whether an ethics application is needed or has already been submitted. If a medical device is involved, indicate whether the product is CE-marked for its intended use and whether a notification has been approved by the Medical Products Agency.

7. Collaborations and Research Environment

Describe collaborations with other researchers, groups, institutions, or clinical environments, nationally or internationally, that will be relevant to your project. Describe the research environment (including supervision) and how it supports the project and your development.

8. Impact and Utilization

Clearly describe how your research results will improve the lives of people with disabilities. How will the results contribute to new treatments, assistive devices, improved accessibility, or increased independence? How will they impact individuals’ daily lives, and what societal effects could emerge in the long term? Include specific improvements, dissemination strategies, expected reach (e.g., number of individuals affected), and how you plan to measure the impact (e.g., follow-ups, surveys, statistics).

9. References

Include up to 10 scientific articles of particular relevance, preferably with links (PubMed/DOI).