Mistra SAMS International Young Researcher Grants

Mistra SAMS invites Ph.D. students and young researchers in early stages of their career (max 5 years after Ph.D. completion) to apply for grants for short-term research visits at KTH (Royal institute of technology), Stockholm or at VTI (Swedish national road and transport research institute) in Stockholm, Linköping or Lund.

The purpose of the grant is, broadly defined, to work with Mistra SAMS researchers on approaches or projects that seek to provide knowledge on the potential for digitally supported mobility and accessibility services to contribute to a transformation towards sustainable transport systems where climate targets as well as goals related to social equity can be achieved.

Another purpose of the grant program is to seek international exchanges that will facilitate opportunities for Swedish researchers in the program to participate as guest researchers in leading international environments with strong relevance for the program.

More information about Mistra SAMS program

Tasks and expected outcomes

Successful applicants will be expected to work collaboratively with other researchers in the program, and participate actively in relevant program-wide activities such as workshops and seminars. Research activities may consist of (but are not limited to) the following kinds of work:

• Comparative case studies 
• Studies of “best practices” 
• Theoretical, state-of-the-art approaches for e.g. benchmarking new approaches or concepts that are relevant for the research undertaken in Mistra SAMS.

The work can be both exploratory or result-oriented, but the research visit is expected to result in a tangible outcome in the form of e.g. a joint article in an international scientific journal or a written publication in another appropriate context (preferably international). Where relevant, joint participation in international conferences (e.g. in the form of shared sessions) is also encouraged, as are joint applications for additional research grants. The guest researcher is required to submit a brief summary report (2-5 pages) of her/his work within four weeks after completion of the visit.

What the Mistra SAMS grant covers

The duration of the guest research visit will normally be 1-3 months, although other time frames are possible. The Mistra SAMS grant can be used to cover costs that are directly related to the research visit, i.e. travel costs, accommodation costs and other direct costs, e.g costs of material. Salary costs, meals and/or per diem will not be covered by the grant. Each applicant can only be awarded one SAMS grant in the same year.

Qualifications

Successful candidates must have documented scientific competence (or on-going Ph.D. work) in an area of core relevance to a specific scientific team or work package within the Mistra SAMS program. Only Ph.D. candidates or researchers with a Ph.D. degree granted within the past five years will be considered.

An important purpose of the young researcher visits is also to initiate, deepen or otherwise contribute to building up long-term cooperation and contacts between Swedish scholars and international research environments. Priority will therefore be given to candidates who are affiliated with environments that have strong scientific relevance to the work of the program. Both the candidate’s home department/research unit and the Swedish host (one of the Mistra SAMS work package leaders at KTH or VTI) should motivate and confirm their support of the research visit.

Procedures and how to apply

The invitation to apply for grants is continuously open, but candidates will be expected to carry out their research visit within six months of having received the grant. Applications (normally 2-5 pages) should include:

• A description of the proposed work (see examples above), its connection to specific research areas ( eg. work packages ) of the Mistra SAMS program, and its expected contribution;
• Description of the candidate’s institutional environment and its relevance for the work of the program;
• Planned collaborations with specific Mistra SAMS researchers, as well as possible planned or existing institutional collaborations;
• Expected tangible outcomes;
• A letter of endorsement from the candidate’s home institution

Applications, which will be approved by Mistra SAMS Core Management Team, should be submitted to info@sams.kth.se

For more information, kindly contact Olena Tatarchenko (olenata@kth.se)