Apply for a SIDA-funded grant of SEK 35,000 to collect data for your thesis in a low- or middle-income country. You must be away for at least eight consecutive weeks.

There will soon be more information available about the application period for spring semester 2026. 

Eligibility

To be eligible for the scholarship, you must

  1. be conducting your field studies as part of a bachelor’s or master’s degree thesis at Malmö University.
  2. be a Swedish citizen or have a permanent residence permit (PUT) in Sweden. Students from other Nordic countries who are not Swedish citizens may be granted an exemption. In this case, you must have been registered as a resident in Sweden for at least one year at the time of the grant. EU citizens’ permanent right of residence is not the same as PUT and is not approved.
  3. be a registered student at Malmö University at the time of application or have been granted a leave of absence from your faculty, and plan to be registered for a thesis course at Malmö University during the fieldwork period.
  4. be able to carry out the field study in your host country for eight consecutive weeks, corresponding to at least 56 days, calculated from the date of departure from Sweden to the date of departure from the country of stay.

You must not

  1. have commenced doctoral studies.
  2. have been awarded any other SIDA-funded scholarship for the field study period in question. If you are applying for another scholarship for the same field study period, this must be stated in your application.

Terms and conditions for the thesis and trip

  1. The field study should relate to one or more of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which member states adopted through Agenda 2030.
    The Sustainable Development Goals (un.org)
  2. It should also be linked to the Swedish Government’s reform agenda for aid, which sets out the direction for Swedish aid and establishes seven priorities for Swedish development cooperation.
    Development assistance for a new era (regeringen.se)
  3. The thesis must be written in English. 
  4. Your field studies must last for at least eight consecutive weeks, corresponding to at least 56 days from the date of departure from Sweden to the date of departure from the country of stay.
  5. Your journey to and from the host country must take place in connection with the start and end of your field studies.
  6. The return journey must be completed no later than 18 May 2025 for MFS carried out during the spring of 2025.
  7. You can apply for the scholarship for fieldwork in countries where Sweden conducts development cooperation. Please note that countries without data (light grey in the list) cannot be selected.
    Countries and regions (openaid.se)
  8. MFS cannot be granted for a country or region to which the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (UD) advises against travelling. If the advisory against non-essential travel, or all travel, applies only to part of a country, you may carry out an MFS study in a safe part of the country as long as you can get there and back without travelling through a part covered by the Ministry’s advice against travel.

Applying

First, outline your idea and then (in consultation with your supervisor or other contacts) develop a feasible project. Your supervisor at Malmö University will help you with the academic aspects. The MFS administrator can sometimes assist with contacts, but in general it is up to you to find and contact relevant organisations or individuals.

Advice

Since the assessment places great emphasis on the feasibility of the project, you should clearly explain in your application

  1. what you will do
  2. where you will do it
  3. how it will be carried out (method, theory)
  4. who will help you, i.e. what contacts you have in the host country.

Also keep in mind

  1. to limit the scope of your study – as two months go by quickly
  2. to choose a topic related to development issues
  3. that it is a field study. Therefore, choose a topic that requires you to be on site to carry out your study, rather a project that can be done from your desk.

How to apply

Fill in the application form

Log in to the application portal and select ‘Application for Minor Field Studies - MFS’. You log in with your computer ID from Malmö University.

Upload all the required documents

To complete your application, you need to attach a number of documents. On the page, you will see which documents are required and what information they should contain.

Submit your application

Check that everything is included and then submit your application online. You will receive a decision by email after approximately 3–4 weeks.

Log in to the Move On portal

Required documents

Project description

This is the most important document. It is the main part of your application and forms the basis for the assessment. It must be in English and no longer than five pages. The project description must include

  1. Background, theory, objective, method.
  2. How your project relates to the UN’s global goals and the Swedish Government’s reform agenda for Swedish aid, ‘Aid for a new era’.
    • Describe how your field study relates to one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals.
    • Link your chosen goals to one or more of the Government’s seven thematic priorities for aid.
  3. Timetable, including preparatory work.
  4. Description of your proposed fieldwork.
  5. Brief analysis of the security situation in the area and how you approach it.
  6. A reflection on ethics. Please note that applications involving interviews or observations of children, or persons in any form of vulnerable position, will not usually be approved. 
  7. Alternative plan and approach. What happens if the original plan needs to be changed?
  8. References (not counted in the five pages of the project description).

Simple budget

The budget should include travel expenses, daily expenses (based on the cost of living in the country in question), any vaccinations, visas and permits.

Statement from your supervisor at Malmö University

The statement should confirm the suitability of the study and that the person will be your supervisor. If your department is unable to provide you with a supervisor at this stage, a document from a teacher at the department confirming the suitability of the study and confirming that you will have been assigned a supervisor by the time you undertake fieldwork is also acceptable.

Document from the contact person in the field

The document must confirm that there is a contact person in the country where the study will be conducted who will assist with practical arrangements, contacts, support, etc. This document can, for example, be an email conversation or a formal invitation. Don’t forget to explain who the contact person is. Your contact person may be someone you already know, a contact you have obtained through a teacher, or someone you have contacted by searching for relevant organisations online. The contact person must be affiliated with an organisation, company, or university and be present in the host country during your field studies.

Transcript from Ladok

Documents showing that you are a registered student at Malmö University and your results. If you have grades from other educational institutions, please attach them as well.

CV

List of previous education and relevant experience, as well as your contact details.

Copy of passport or personal identity document showing citizenship

If you are not a Swedish citizen, you must attach your PUT document (certificate of permanent residence permit). If you are a citizen of another Nordic country, you must attach a certificate from the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) confirming that you have been registered in Sweden for at least 12 months.

How your application is assessed

The International Office makes an initial assessment to determine whether the basic requirements have been met. The application is then sent to your faculty or department for assessment.

More about assessment

The assessment group bases its assessment on the programme office’s ‘General Conditions’.

All basic requirements must be met. The overall feasibility of the application is then assessed. All variables in the application are taken into account, such as choice of subject and method, research question, contacts in the host country, the student’s awareness and maturity, reasonable budget, background research, the security situation in the country and any risks to the student’s personal safety.

The decision cannot be appealed.

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