MBB procedures for grant applications requiring departmental signatures
Securing the necessary departmental signatures for your research funding applications is a crucial step in the submission process. Each funder has unique requirements, and our department’s procedures may vary depending on the specific call and your career stage. This page provides an overview of the general steps involved in obtaining departmental approval and signatures at MBB.
While this guide outlines standard procedures, it is essential that you carefully review the specific requirements of the funding call and consult any detailed instructions provided. Ensure that all necessary documentation is complete and submitted in a timely manner to facilitate signature processing.
Explore the sections below to learn how to secure the departmental (and Grants Office) signatures required for your application!
Who signs what
Typically, Björn Högberg, Head of MBB, signs off on grant applications from the following divisions:
- Biochemistry
- Chemistry I
- Chemistry II
- Vascular Biology
- Immunology
Björn has delegated signatory responsibility for the other divisions to Gonçalo Castelo-Branco, Deputy Head of MBB, and Ann Wredenberg, Assistant Head of MBB.
Gonçalo signs off on grant applications from these divisions:
- Medical Systems Bioengineering
- Genome Biology
- Molecular Metabolism
Anna signs off on applications from these divisions:
- Molecular Neurobiology
- Chemical Biology
- Genome Engineering
Procedures by funder or grant type
(e.g., European Research Council (ERC), European Innovation Council (EIC), Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), consortium-based Horizon Europe calls, etc.)
- Please notify Tamsin Lindström, Scientific Director at MBB, that you plan to apply.
- Complete and sign an Application Assurance Form, and get it countersigned by Carina Hammarström and by Björn Högberg, Gonçalo Castelo-Branco or Anna Wredenberg (see the section above: ‘Who signs what’). Once all the signatures are in place, email the form to KI Grants Office.
- For European Research Council (ERC) applications, KI Grants Office must receive your signed Application Assurance Form before it can provide you with the KI Commitment Letter (signed by the Head of Research Support Office and External Relations) needed for your application.
- Exception: for EU partnership calls in which each applicant receives national funding, e.g., the Eurostars programme, applications are signed by the department, not KI Grants Office. For these applications, please follow the instructions in the section on Swedish and Nordic applications.
- Check out KI Grants Office web pages on European Commission funding applications.
(e.g., NIH, CDMRP, DOD, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, etc.)
- Please notify Tamsin Lindström, Scientific Director at MBB, that you plan to apply.
- Complete and sign an Application Assurance Form, and get it countersigned by Carina Hammarström and Björn Högberg, Gonçalo Castelo-Branco or Anna Wredenberg (see the section above: ‘Who signs what’). Once all the signatures are in place, email the form to KI Grants Office.
- For federal US applications (e.g., NIH, CDMRP, DOD), KI Grants Office submits the application on your behalf and has strict internal deadlines you must follow. Check out KI Grants Office web pages on US funding applications.
- Please notify Tamsin Lindström, Scientific Director at MBB, that you plan to apply.
- Complete and sign an Application Assurance Form, and get it countersigned by Carina Hammarström and Björn Högberg, Gonçalo Castelo-Branco or Anna Wredenberg (see the section above: ‘Who signs what’). Once all the signatures are in place, email the form to KI Grants Office.
- For Wellcome Trust applications, KI Grants Office must approve your application in the electronic submission system before the submission deadline.
Departmental signature logistics
Certain Swedish funders—including Hjärnfonden, Cancerfonden, SSMF, and Diabetesfonden—require that the Head of Department (or equivalent) sign the final version of the application in the online submission system before the submission deadline. Moreover, if you make any changes to the application after sending it to the Head of Department to sign, you must send a new request to your Head of Department to sign the application again. It is, therefore, important that you finalise these types of applications and request departmental signatures well ahead of the application deadline.
Applying for funding to establish yourself as an independent researcher
Swedish Research Council Starting (and Consolidator) Grants
- These applications require a letter of support signed by the Head of the Department (or equivalent). MBB has a template for this. Please contact Tamsin Lindström to receive an up-to-date template.
- If you are not a Principal Investigator at MBB (as listed in the MBB Handbook), you must also obtain approval from the Head of your Division and sign a departmental consent form (contact Tamsin Lindström).
SSMF Starting (and Consolidator) Grants
- Please notify Tamsin Lindström that you plan to apply for an SSMF Starting or Consolidator Grant well ahead of the submission deadline. These applications must be signed electronically by the Head of Department (or equivalent) in the submission system only once the application is finalised and before it can be submitted.
- If you are not a Principal Investigator at MBB (as listed in the MBB Handbook), you must also obtain approval from the Head of your Division and sign a departmental consent form (contact Tamsin Lindström).
Applying for project grants, equipment grants, etc, when you are not a Principal Investigator
If you are not a Principal Investigator at MBB (as listed in the MBB Handbook) and these applications require departmental signatures, please email Tamsin Lindström
- stating which call you are applying to and including a link to the call text
- copying in your Principal Investigator
- copying in the Head of your Division
For certain calls, MBB has templates you must use for the requisite letter of support, letter of intent, or letter of certification.