Applying for research funding at the Department of Dental Medicine

Different labels:

KI-wide applies across all of KI. Source: the staff portal.

Dentmed-specific refers to local routines and contacts at the department.

Applies to both means KI’s framework, applied locally at Dentmed.

Combined support: Research support   ·   Research funding

2. Before you apply

Applies to both KI and Dentmed

What needs to be in place (KI)

• Review the project idea with the head of division before you start working on the budget, documentation or application.
• Data management plan (DMP) if required by the funder. Common for EU and US funding.
• Ethics approval for animal, human, or biobank research. Apply well in advance.
• Intellectual property and GDPR, especially when a corporate funder is involved.
• Gender and sustainability perspectives, which major funders often take into account.
• KI registration details and the funder’s own forms.

Read more: Step 1   ·   Data management plans   ·   Forms and registrations

Review with the head of division first (Dentmed)

Before you start preparing the budget, documentation or application, review the project idea with your head of division. The purpose is to ensure early on that the project fits within the division’s activities, priorities, staffing and any commitments. Once the head of division has confirmed that you can proceed, contact the finance unit at ekonomi@dentmed.ki.se as soon as you know which call you are targeting. Get in touch at least 2–3 weeks before the deadline, and earlier for EU and US applications. More in section 3.

3. Dentmed budget: get help from the finance unit after management clearance

Dentmed-specific

Once the project idea has been anchored with the head of division, the budget must show the project’s full cost according to KI’s model. Dentmed’s finance unit calculates it for you in the department’s budgeting template (available at the bottom of the page).

How the full-cost model works (KI)

• Salaries are subject to payroll overhead (LKP). On top of direct costs, indirect costs (INDI) are added. The model provides full cost coverage.
• Check whether all costs are eligible, whether co-funding is required, and whether premises, equipment or subcontracts should be included.

Read more: Economy and budget   ·   The INDI model

These rates apply to research at Dentmed (OF), 2026 levels. Other departments have different INDI rates. Always verify current rates with the finance unit.

How budget support works (Dentmed)

1. Review the project idea with the head of division before budget work and the application are started.
2. Contact the finance unit well before the deadline, after clearance from the head of division.
3. Gather the input: funder and call, project duration, staff with roles and level of effort, any doctoral students, operating costs, equipment, travel and premises.
4. The finance unit prepares the budget in the budgeting template, using Dentmed’s rates and the doctoral salary scale.
5. You review co-funding and commitments with the head of division if needed, especially if the funder does not cover the full INDI rate or if staffing, premises or infrastructure are affected.
6. You receive a final budget to attach to the application and to use as supporting documentation for signature.

Dentmed has a budgeting template for the most common funders (VR, Forte, Formas, Vinnova, Cancerfonden, the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, KAW, ADSS, the Swedish Dental Society and SOF) with LKP, INDI, doctoral salary scale and co-funding built in. Ask the finance unit for it.

4. Final review and signature

Applies to both KI and Dentmed

Confirm commitments before signature (Dentmed)

Once the budget has been prepared, complete a final review with the head of division before the application is submitted. The early review in section 2 should already have confirmed that the project can be carried out within the division; this final review confirms the financial and practical commitments.

• whether the project fits within the division’s activities and priorities,
• what the division commits to: co-funding, premises and infrastructure,
• staffing during the project period, including doctoral students.

The head of division confirms that the division stands behind the commitment before the application proceeds to signature. The budget documentation is the basis for the discussion.

Signature before submission (KI)

• Most applications are signed by the Head of Department.
• Some are signed centrally by the Head of Grants Office, the President, or the University Director.
• International applications require a special form and central signature. Allow up to ten working days.

Read more: Step 1 – signatures and submission

5. Submit the application

KI-wide

• In most cases, you submit the application yourself in the funder’s portal.
• Swedish government grants, such as VR, are handled in Prisma.
• US federal applications are submitted by Grants Office.

Portals: KI Prisma   ·   Current calls

6. Once you have been awarded funding

Applies to both KI and Dentmed

Agreements and authorised signatories (KI)

• The agreement between the funder and KI is signed by an authorised signatory, not by you as PI.
• Swedish and Nordic funding: the department handles the finances. You archive the agreement and the application at the department by contacting the finance unit.
• EU and US funding: contact Grants Office directly. All agreements go through Grants Office and Legal, with approximately 14 days’ processing time.
• Other international funders: send the agreement to Grants Office and attach an application assurance form signed by you, the Head of Department and the administrative manager.

Read more: Step 2 – agreements   ·   Grants Office   ·   Step 3 – follow-up

Set up the project with the finance unit (Dentmed)

1. Notify the finance unit and send the award notice, contract and submitted application.
2. The finance unit sets up the project in UBW with a project number and a monitoring budget.
3. The authorised signatory signs the agreement via the department.
4. Costs can now be charged to the project. Review the starting budget and reporting dates with the controller.

Tip for PIs: KI provides a UBW guide on how to retrieve project balance reports to support ongoing financial follow-up of projects. The finance unit is also available as support and can always be contacted for insight and help with ongoing project follow-up.

7. When the amount awarded is lower than requested

Applies to both KI and Dentmed

Funders often award less than you applied for. In that case, the budget is adjusted before the project starts.

What to do (Dentmed)

1. Contact the finance unit and recalculate the budget to the awarded amount.
2. Reprioritise costs for staff, operating costs and equipment, and reduce the project scope if necessary (a proportional redistribution based on awarded funds may be needed).
3. Review again with the head of division if the commitment changes, for example more co-funding or changed staffing.
4. Check the funder’s requirements. Some require a revised budget before they release funds.

The full cost remains the same (KI)

The project’s full cost according to KI’s model does not change because the funder awards less. The portion of INDI not covered by the funder becomes KI co-funding, and this must be anchored with the head of division and the Head of Department. The budgeting template calculates the co-funding when the funder’s overhead rate is lower than full INDI.

8. Timeline

Applies to both KI and Dentmed

Guidelines before the deadline. EU and US applications require longer lead times.

9. Checklist

Applies to both KI and Dentmed

Before submission

• Project plan ready, funder and call selected
• Project idea reviewed early with the head of division
• Budget prepared with the finance unit
• Co-funding reviewed if INDI is not fully covered
• Data management plan completed if required
• Ethics approvals identified
• Intellectual property and GDPR addressed
• Gender and sustainability perspectives considered where required
• Registration details and forms completed
• Final review with the head of division completed
• Signature arranged (for international applications at least five days in advance)

After funding has been awarded

• Finance unit informed, award notice and application sent
• Agreement signed by an authorised signatory
• Project set up in UBW
• Budget revised if the amount awarded was lower
• Agreement and application archived
• Reporting dates noted

10. Contact: the finance unit and research support at Dentmed

Dentmed-specific

The finance unit at the department helps you with budgeting, project setup and follow-up. Start via the shared mailbox.

More about support services: Organisation and management   ·   Dentmed staff page

Check current information on ki.se. Roles may change.

11. KI internal calls

KI-wide

You can also apply for internal funding at KI. KI administers funds from foundations and donations and awards research grants, travel grants and prizes. You apply in Prisma, and application periods are often short, around two weeks.

Examples

• Travel grants, for example KI’s travel grants and Axel Hirsch’s travel grant, with several periods each year.
• Doctoral student funding, such as KID funding, Research AT, FiH and the KI–NIH programme.
• Foundations and funds, around thirty named funds, including the Erik and Edith Fernström Foundation.
• Prizes and awards from KI’s foundations.

Search in: KI research grants and prizes   ·   Calls for doctoral students   ·   KI Prisma

Budget internal funding correctly as well. The rules for indirect costs differ between calls, so review them with the finance unit (section 3).

12. More resources at KI

KI-wide

• Research support
• Research funding
• Step 1 – Apply for a grant
• Step 2 – Agreement
• Step 3 – Follow-up and report
• Economy and budget
• The INDI model
• KI Prisma
• KI internal grants and prizes
• Grants Office
• Forms and registrations
• Current calls