Call for applications – Theme: Equine Welfare

Call for applications 2026

The Swedish-Norwegian Foundation for Equine Research (SHF) now welcomes research applications in the annual open call. Stage 1 of the call opens 1st of April and closes on 27th of May at 14:00.

This year’s call amounts to a total of 12 million SEK, of which approximately 5 MSEK is allocated to new projects and 7 MSEK to ongoing projects, provided that continuation applications are approved. The call also includes 8.5 million NOK, of which approximately 3.6 MNOK is allocated to new projects and 4.9 MNOK to ongoing projects, provided that continuation applications are approved.

Additional funds may be added to the call in the event of further contributions from external organisations or remaining Norwegian funds after decisions in this year’s targeted Norwegian call.

Eligible Projects

Within the Annual Open Call, the Swedish-Norwegian Foundation for Equine Research invites applications for research funding on the theme of equine welfare and how training and competition can be developed through preventive measures to improve welfare and sustainability in horses, such as:

• Preventive, sustainable, and ethical training
• Behavioural studies on positive signals/indicators of equine welfare
• The impact of equipment on the horse, including equipment-related injuries
• Horse–human interaction, including the suitability of the horse’s temperament profile for the task
• Management and the role of feeding in equine welfare and performance
• Track surfaces
• Ensuring that the horse is ready for the task (e.g., fit to compete), physically and mentally
• Ability to assess the horse’s physical and mental status
• Modified judging criteria in competitions and development of competition formats to improve equine welfare and sustainability
• Image analysis/AI as technical tools for behaviour and/or movement analysis
• How equine welfare can be improved from a humanistic and social science perspective
• Research focusing on improved equine welfare in horse management in relation to the Five Domains describing the horse’s basic needs is also included.

A project may advantageously include several of the points above.

The overarching goal is that funded projects should contribute to increased knowledge that promotes equine welfare. Projects should contribute to improved understanding of optimal horse management, training, and competition. The call primarily targets research directly relevant to the aspects listed above, but other related aspects may also be relevant.

Multidisciplinary projects spanning over both of the foundation’s traditional research areas (VHT and SH) are welcomed.

Collaborative projects between Sweden and Norway are encouraged, as well as collaboration between disciplines/institutions and with the equine industry. Pure Norwegian and pure Swedish projects are also welcome to apply. The foundation reserves the right to apply a portfolio approach.

Application Process

The call consists of two stages:

Stage 1: A short project outline focusing on relevance for horses and the equine sector.

Stage 2: A number of applicants will be invited to submit a full research proposal.

Important Information for All Applications

Language

Applications must be written in English in both Stage 1 and Stage 2, with a summary in Swedish or Norwegian.

Follow the instructions in the handbook and the application system carefully

Please note that the instructions in the handbook and the application system must be followed for the application to be processed. The same content as in the Stage 2 application may also be used for the Norwegian parts of SHF research projects when registering with the Research Council of Norway. Applications must follow the handbook’s instructions and will be automatically rejected if they do not.

Method description

If a project requires the use of experimental animals or humans, this must be stated already in stage 1, including justification and approach, based on the Three Rs (Reduce, Refine, Replace). All applications must clearly specify the number of animals/participants planned for the study.

Dissemination and practical impact

The application must clearly describe how expected results will be disseminated to the equine industry/horse owners and how the project plans to ensure practical implementation of the results.

Funding amount

Applicants may request up to 1 million per year for 3 years. For collaborative projects between Sweden and Norway, this amount may be applied for in both countries in the respective currency. One application per main applicant per call applies.

Budget

The maximum overhead (OH) for Swedish costs is 25% on salaries and consumables, requested OH may never exceed actual costs. Funding for salaries for researchers affiliated outside Sweden/Norway may be requested for up to 15% of the project budget; however, salary cannot be requested for researchers in Russia or Belarus. Additional research activity by partners outside Sweden/Norway is welcome if additional salary costs are covered in kind.

Requirements for the main applicant

The main applicant must hold a PhD or equivalent and be affiliated with a Swedish or Norwegian research environment.

Please note that special instructions for collaborative projects between Sweden and Norway, as well as pure Norwegian projects, can be found in the foundation’s handbook and in the application system.

Important dates and times of the call

Application	Open	Close
Stage 1	1st of April	27th of May, 14:00 hrs
Stage 2	27th of September	1st of October, 14:00 hrs

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New Application System

For this year's open call, the Swedish-Norwegian Foundation for Equine Research has switched application systems. We are shutting down the old one, SBS Manager, and launching the new one, Researchweb.

Researchweb is ready to use, but only for new applications. The new application system is not yet ready for those of you with ongoing projects from before — it will become available in June.

• If you are applying in the annual Open Call: You will need to create a new account in Researchweb, which you can do from the date the call opens on April 1. If you have applied before, your account has been migrated from the old application system and you will have received a welcome email from Researchweb. Your previous applications will become accessible in your account as we transfer information from the old system. The same procedure applies to all co-applicants. See detailed instructions on how to proceed with your application in the Handbook!
• If you have an ongoing project that you need to access: Your account has been migrated from the old application system and you will have received a welcome email from Researchweb. Your data will become available in your new account as we transfer information from the old system. This is expected to be completed by June at the latest. Please contact the foundation's office for guidance if you need to access your project before then.
• If you are a reviewer: The new application system will be ready for the first conflict-of-interest declaration on June 5, followed by the review period starting June 12. At that point, you will also be able to create a new account in Researchweb to access the applications.

Do you have questions about the switch to the new application system? Once you have logged into Researchweb, there is a Help section with clear questions and answers. Instructions regarding the application process and information about the assessment criteria can be found in the Equine Research Foundation's handbook. We would like to clarify that applications that do not follow the handbook's instructions will automatically be rejected.

Have you experienced problems or found bugs in the new application system, Researchweb? Please contact us at admin@lantbruksforskning.se

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Research areas

The foundation’s research programme is divided into two research areas:

Suggested areas within each research area are listed in an appendix to the foundation’s research programme.

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