Swedes' funding focus call

Sweden's academic community wants increased competition for research grants between universities, with some concentrating on research, while others focus more on teaching.

A paper drawn up by the Swedish University and College Federation (FUHS), the Swedish Research Council (SRC), the national agency for innovation systems, the Royal Academy of Sciences and other institutes and academies says that a focusing of research funds is required because of concerns that the country is losing ground to international competitors regarding innovation.

The report also calls for an increase in civilian research budgets, with public funding rising to more than €3 billion (£2.1 billion) a year by the end of the decade (about 1 per cent of Sweden's gross domestic product).