Stiftelsen för Strategisk Forskning

What Stiftelsen för Strategisk Forskning does

Stiftelsen för Strategisk Forskning (SSF) is a Swedish research funding foundation established in 1994 and headquartered at Kungsbron 1 G7 in Stockholm. The foundation's core function is to finance strategic research of the highest quality within natural sciences, engineering, and medicine that contributes to Sweden's competitiveness. SSF operates a portfolio of grant programs rather than technology products, organized around annual calls for proposals and supported by an online application portal at strategiska.se/apply. The foundation runs 11–50 employees and currently manages 247 ongoing research projects, with 2,155 projects funded and 18 billion SEK disbursed since inception.

SSF's program portfolio spans multiple funding instruments. The flagship Framtidens Forskningsledare (Future Research Leaders) program has operated since 2000 as the foundation's primary early-career researcher track. Mobility-oriented programs include Industriell postdoktor (Industrial Postdoc, 15 million SEK annual allocation with mandatory minimum 30% industry co-funding), Strategisk mobilitet (Strategic Mobility, 10 million SEK annually, 4–12 month intersectoral exchanges), SSF Sabbatical (international research placements), Industridoktorand (industrial PhD), Forskningsinstitutsdoktorand, and Adjungerad professor. Large-scale thematic research centers of 60 million SEK each have been awarded in 2025–2026 across cyberresilience for AI systems, 6G satellite communication, drone swarm autonomy, brain organoid research (Kopia av hjärnan), and bioCO2 reduction (ACCELERATE). The Instrument-, teknik- och metodutveckling program allocated 120 million SEK to 12 projects in competitive selection. Additional services include the Strategic Research Index (SRI), EU Horizon Europe application support, the Lise Meitner Grants program for Israeli-Swedish collaboration, the Ingvar Carlsson Award (including an 'Across the Atlantic' track for researchers leaving the USA), and the Om Vetenskap podcast. Annual themed magazine Framtidens Forskning is distributed with Dagens Industri.

SSF's business model is that of an endowed foundation: the foundation holds and manages investment capital (kapitalförvaltning), and the returns on that endowment fund the grant disbursements. There is no commercial product, no pricing model, and no paying customer base in the conventional sense. Revenue is derived from investment returns rather than product sales. SSF's go-to-market is event-driven via annual grant cycles, with program announcements published on the website, distributed through social media (Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Bluesky), email newsletters, press releases, and direct outreach to Swedish universities. The foundation maintains bilateral research funding agreements with international counterparties including Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (~60 million SEK, second round starting 2025), South Korea's National Research Foundation (100 million SEK, signed November 2024), Israel's Ministry of Science and Technology (Lise Meitner Grants, ~50 million SEK across eight projects), and Japan's Society for the Promotion of Science (postdoctoral exchange). Governance is led by CEO Lars Hultman (appointed April 2013, formerly professor of thin film physics at Linköping University) under a board chaired since December 2016 by Björn O. Nilsson, CEO of Kungliga Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademin (IVA).

Name

Stiftelsen för Strategisk Forskning

Legal name

Stiftelsen för Strategisk Forskning

Website

https://strategiska.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stiftelsen för Strategisk Forskning (SSF) is a Swedish research funding foundation, established 1994 in Stockholm, that finances strategic research in natural sciences, engineering, and medicine through endowment-funded grants to Swedish universities, individual researchers, and industry partners via programs including Framtidens Forskningsledare, Industriell postdoktor, and SSF Sabbatical.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Funding Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Research grant funding
• Strategic research foundation
• Academic research funding
• Science grant programs
• Research mobility grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Grant Disbursement: SSF receives income from its endowment capital (kapitalförvaltning) and distributes grants to Swedish researchers through various programs. The foundation's investment strategy was adjusted in 2020 to increase financial stability for larger grant disbursements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stiftelsen för Strategisk Forskning (SSF) is a Swedish research funding foundation that awards strategic research grants in natural sciences, engineering, and medicine. It disburses grants through named programs covering intersectoral mobility, postdoctoral industry placements, sabbaticals abroad, research leader fellowships, industrial PhD positions, and large-scale research center funding.

Product overview

Stiftelsen för Strategisk Forskning (SSF) is a Swedish foundation that funds strategic research across natural sciences, engineering, and medicine. The organization operates as a portfolio of grant programs and support services rather than a unified software product. Key offerings include research mobility programs (Strategisk mobilitet, Industriell postdoktor, Forskningsinstitutsdoktorand), fellowship programs (Framtidens Forskningsledare, Ingvar Carlsson Award), sabbatical opportunities (SSF Sabbatical), sector-bridging initiatives (Adjungerad professor), and thematic funding calls (semiconductor design, cybersecurity, AI, 6G, climate research). Additional services include the Strategic Research Index (SRI) assessment tool, EU application support for Horizon Europe funding, and the 'Om Vetenskap' podcast for science communication. SSF collaborates internationally with countries including Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Israel through bilateral research programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategisk mobilitet (Strategic Mobility) Annual grant program covering salary costs for researchers moving between industry/government/hospitals and academia for 4-12 month exchanges. Promotes knowledge transfer and cross-pollination between sectors of society. Available to researchers in natural sciences, engineering, and medicine.
• Industriell postdoktor (Industrial Postdoc, IPD) Grant program enabling recent PhD graduates (within 5 years) to conduct postdoctoral research at a company. Aims to promote mobility between academia and industry in natural sciences, engineering, or medicine. Industry co-funding required at minimum 30%.
• SSF Sabbatical Program enabling researchers to conduct research abroad at institutions outside their current collaborations. Goal is to gain new experiences, perspectives, and contacts within SSF's priority areas of natural sciences, engineering, and medicine.
• Framtidens Forskningsledare (Future Research Leaders) Flagship program for young researchers with potential to become future research leaders. Provides substantial funding and leadership development training. Operating since 2000 and recognized as a prestigious brand in the Swedish research community.
• Industridoktorand (Industrial PhD) Program funding research and doctoral education for industrial PhD students in collaboration between academia and industry. Promotes knowledge exchange and technology transfer.
• Forskningsinstitutsdoktorand (Research Institute PhD) Grant program enabling employees at research institutes to pursue doctoral degrees. Promotes mobility between academia and research institutes.
• Adjungerad professor/lektor (Adjunct Professor/Lecturer) Program promoting mobility, knowledge transfer, and cross-pollination between sectors by enabling part-time positions for academics in industry and vice versa.
• Ingvar Carlsson Award Grant program supporting young researchers, including the 'Across the Atlantic' initiative for researchers leaving the USA. 15 million SEK allocated in 2025.
• Lise Meitner Grants Grants for Israeli-Swedish research collaboration. Approximately 50 million SEK allocated across eight research projects through agreement with Israel Ministry of Science and Technology.
• Instrument-, teknik- och metodutveckling Funding for development of instruments, techniques, and methods supporting research infrastructure and methodological advancement. 120 million SEK allocated to 12 projects in 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2155 total projects funded since inception
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2025SSF participates in a postdoctoral exchange program with JSPS, enabling Swedish researchers to conduct research in Japan. The program supports international mobility and knowledge exchange.
• National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 November 2024SSF committed 100 million SEK for research collaboration between Sweden and South Korea. The partnership supports joint research projects in strategic research areas between Swedish and Korean researchers.
• EU Horizon Europe (HEU)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2021SSF provides support for Swedish researchers applying to EU Horizon Europe program, including writing support grants to help researchers prepare competitive EU applications.
• Israel Ministry of Science and TechnologymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2020SSF signed a research agreement with Israel to support the Lise Meitner Grants program for Israeli-Swedish research collaboration, with approximately 50 million SEK distributed across eight projects.
• National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) TaiwanmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2020SSF partners with Taiwan's NSTC for a second round of joint research funding starting 2025. The collaboration represents approximately 60 million SEK commitment and enables Swedish-Taiwanese research partnerships in strategic areas.
• VinnovaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2011SSF and Vinnova jointly conducted a pilot program 'Verifiering av forskningsresultat' (Verification of Research Results) to support commercialization of research findings.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kempestiftelserna: Swedish private research foundations funding strategic research in northern Sweden with a focus on natural sciences and engineering. Closely comparable Swedish grantmaking foundation peer at smaller scale.
• Carlsberg Foundation: Danish research funding foundation supporting basic research in natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences. Similar Nordic endowment-based strategic research funding model and program portfolio.
• Wellcome Trust: Large UK-based independent research foundation funding biomedical science and strategic research. Closest international analogue to SSF's endowment-driven, multi-program strategic research funding model.
• Vinnova: Sweden's innovation agency, funding strategic research, innovation, and industry-academia collaboration. Direct peer in mission; SSF even partnered with Vinnova on the 'Verifiering av forskningsresultat' pilot program.
• FORMAS: Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning - a government research funder under the same family of Swedish research councils as Vetenskapsrådet. Comparable Swedish government grantmaking peer with overlapping strategic research mandate.
• Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet): Sweden's primary government research funding agency, distributing grants across natural sciences, engineering, medicine, humanities, and social sciences. Closest direct public-sector peer to SSF in funding Swedish research.
• Novo Nordisk Foundation: Major Danish enterprise-funded research foundation supporting research in natural sciences, life sciences, and medicine. Highly comparable endowment-based grantmaking model with strategic, multi-year program commitments similar to SSF.
• Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation: Sweden's largest private research funding foundation, supporting basic research at Swedish universities in natural sciences, engineering, and medicine. Directly comparable to SSF in mission, grantmaking model, and target beneficiaries, though at significantly larger scale.
• Volkswagen Foundation: German independent research foundation funding strategic research in natural and social sciences with international collaboration focus. Closely analogous European endowment-funded research foundation peer to SSF.

Broad incumbents

• Howard Hughes Medical Institute: Major US biomedical research organization supporting investigator programs and strategic research. Broader but analogous large-scale research funding model with strategic, multi-year researcher support programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/strategiskaSSF
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ssfstiftelsen/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/Stiftelsen-f%C3%B6r-Strategisk-Forskning-104077276340056
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stiftelsen-f%C3%B6r-strategisk-forskning-ssf
• Instagraminstagram.com/strategiskforskning

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Stiftelsen för Strategisk Forskning