According to their statutes, the Oscar and Lili Lamms Memorial Foundation aims to financially support scientific research for Swedish nature conservation, especially regarding problems related to soil conservation, water conservation, landscape conservation and plant health. In 2023, the Foundation allocated approximately SEK 14 million to ten projects. The approval rate was 15 %.

The Foundation's four forms of grants are Research Grants, Doctoral Student Positions, Master’s Degree Projects and Scientific Meetings, see further below.

The Foundation has decided to have thematic calls for the time being.  The 2024 call for proposals will cover landscape conservation and plant health.  Thematic calls are applied only within the grant forms Research grants and Doctoral student positions. See the end of this doilocument for the Foundation's descriptions of the areas being funded. The descriptions also have their own section on the website, see "Area descriptions".

Research grants

Part of the foundation's distribution of funds goes to research grants. The application must be of such quality that it could also qualify itself in other scientific contexts, e.g. with a research council. If the application is for part of a larger project, the sub-project must be specified and the draft budget corresponds to the work of the subproject.

For the 2024 call for proposals, the following applies:

• The application must describe one- or two-year projects. Applications describing projects longer than two years are rejected on formal grounds.
  
• The application shall include a project of a maximum of SEK 1 million.
  
• Projects granted 2022 (or later) must be completed before the applicant can submit a new project application. An extension of the allocation time for a project is possible, but the applicant must be aware that it will be longer before he/she can apply again.
  
• Only one application can be submitted per grant form and call for proposals. Thus, an application within the grant form Research grant (FO) can be submitted in a single call for proposals as an application for Doctoral Student Employment (DO).  An applicant can therefore have an ongoing project in each category at the same time.
  
• For a valid application, applicants must hold a doctoral degree.
  
• The grant must be managed by a university/college in Sweden or by the Foundation approved organization.
  
• The project must be carried out at the applicant's Swedish university/college or by the Foundation approved organization.
  
• An approved organisation includes a university or other organisation that can apply for and receive funding from, for example, government research funding bodies.
  

For research grants that are completed, a final report must be submitted no later than 2024-06-15 in order for the applicant to have their application processed.

See also the Foundation's application portal for further details regarding the call.

Applications are submitted via the Foundation's electronic application portal no later than 2024-06-03.

Doctoral Student Positions

The Foundation announces grants  for doctoral student positions, each comprising an amount of SEK 550,000 per year.  Grants for the docktoranda positions are intended for doctoral students with projects within the framework of the foundation's purpose at one of the country's universities/colleges and can be held for an active period of four years.

For the 2024 call for proposals, the following applies:

• The main applicant for a doctoral student position is the main supervisor of the doctoral student hired.
  
• The main applicant must be permanently employed at a higher education institution in Sweden and must be an associate professor at the time of application. If the applicant has a foreign research background, the corresponding competence (competence to act as principal supervisor for doctoral students) should be substantiated through documents from the university/college at which the applicant works.
  
• Previously granted projects must have been completed before the applicant can submit a new application. Extension of the disposition period is possible, but the applicant must be aware that it will be longer before he/she can apply again.
  
• Only one application can be submitted per grant form and call for proposals. Thus, an application within the grant form Doctoral Student Position can be submitted in a single call for proposals as an application for Research Grant.  An applicant can thus have a project in each category ongoing at the same time.
  
• The grant must be managed by a university/college in Sweden.
  
• The project must be carried out at the applicant's Swedish university/college.
  

See also the Foundation's application portal for further details regarding the call.

Applications are submitted through the Foundation's electronic application portal no later than 2024-06-03.

• Please note the following for applications within the grant forms Research grants and Doctoral Student Position:
  
• The summary, relevance and applicant's CV are the parts of the application read by the members of the evaluation committee in the first round of selection. Applicants are therefore encouraged to be extra careful and clear in these parts of the application.
  
• The relevance description should clarify the relevance for a) the foundation and the relation to the concept of Swedish nature conservation and b) for the areas covered by the call for the year. Please note that a paragraph describing the potential practical use of the results in the project should be included in the relevance description. Furthermore, the relevance description should be clearly different from the text in the summary.
• In particular, the CV should be continuously updated by applicants. From 2022 and onwards, the year of PhD degree should be stated, as well as "Other merits” (can be e.g. outreach activities). Any parental leave must also be indicated.
• The Foundation accepts overhead costs of a maximum of 35%.
  
• Applicants should visit the application portal well in advance of the deadline to see how the application should be designed.
  
• The portal is open from beginning of March 2024.
  
• Technical support in connection with the submission of the application is available until 16:00 2023-06-01 but the portal is open until midnight.
  

Scholarship for Master's Degree Projects

The Foundation annually awards a number of scholarships for master's degree projects. The degree project must be within the framework of the foundation's purpose and scholarships are given to students who work with the compulsory degree assignment in undergraduate education (master's level). The amount is SEK 10,000 where SEK 5,000 is withheld until the degree project is submitted and approved. Applications within the framework of degree projects may concern landscape conservation, soil conservation, water conservation or plant health, i.e. they are notcovered  by the Foundation's decision regarding thematic calls (see above).

The Foundation has two application periods for Master's Degree Projects (please note that the deadlines mentioned below is valid ONLY for Master's Degree Projects).

The first application period covers mid-January to the end of March with a deadline of April 2. Applicants will be notified of the grant/rejection at the end of April.

The second application period covers the beginning of August to mid-October with a deadline of October 15.  Applicants within this period will be notified at the end of November.

The application is submitted by the supervisor for the degree project via the Foundation's electronic application portal.

In order for the application to be processed, the following must be included:

• A clear purpose and structure of the degree project
  
• A clear budget with a specification on how the scholarship amount will be used
  
• A timetable for the planned degree project
  

Furthermore, the degree project must not have been started in its main part when the application is submitted.

See also the Foundation's application portal for further details regarding the call.

Scientific meetings

Applications to organise seminars or meetings at Ekenäs Manor can be submitted on an ongoing basis during the year.

Applications for scientific meetings apply:

• The application must contain the purpose and structure of the meeting. The research link must be clearly described as well as the relevance to the areas financed by the Foundation.
  
• If possible, a list of participants and programmes shall be attached to the application.
  

Any questions are answered by the Foundation's Secretary:
Jan Fahleson

Tvärnö, Västerbyn 521 A

742 91 Östhammar

Tel: +46 705 28 80 63

E-mail: janfahleson@hotmail.com

The Foundation’s definitions of the research areas funded 

Landscape conservation

The proposed research should have relevance to Swedish nature conservation in the sense of conservation and restoration of biodiversity in a landscape context. It may refer to species, biotopes, ecosystems, landscape elements and natural geography regions, in all cases focusing on the interaction with the characteristics and functions of the landscape.  

Soil conservation

The concept of soil conservation, as defined by the foundation, includes the conservation and restoration of managed and unused land from local to national scale. This includes chemical, physical and biological aspects. If the application concerns managed land, such as agriculture or forestry, the applicant must clearly state the link to nature conservation so that it is clear that the proposed research aims to achieve an environmental gain compared to, or preservation of, prevailing conditions.

Water conservation

In this context, the concept of water conservation includes the conservation and restoration of water from local to national scale. The area includes freshwater as well as seawater and drinking water. This includes chemical, physical and biological aspects. It can be water ecosystems locally or on a landscape scale, or groundwater. The application may concern measures that prevent or mitigate the effects of the impact of human activities such as hydropower, aquaculture, agriculture or forestry. Negative exploitation of aquatic ecosystems, such as overfishing and environmental toxins, which can harm habitats in water or water resources for drinking water, is also included in this area.

Plant health
The foundation define the concept of 'plant health' to include, on the one hand, the protection of plants in a conservation context (e.g. through various measures to preserve biodiversity or through the planning of reserves), and, on the other hand, the protection of plants against the infestation of parasites, pests, pathogens and game from an agricultural or forestry perspective. If the application concerns agriculture or forestry, the applicant must clearly state the link to nature conservation so that it is clear that the proposed research aims to achieve an environmental benefit compared to the prevailing conditions.