FAQ

A Theme may cost up to 2 000 000 SEK (including surcharges, excluding overhead), depending on the number of members and their respective salary costs. Costs for posts other than salaries cannot exceed 100 000 SEK. As a general rule, costs for salaries should therefore not amount to more than approx. 1 900 000 SEK (including surcharges, excluding overhead).

We accept 3-5 Themes, typically with 5-8 members per Theme. 
The number of ASGs varies, but usually 3-4 groups get accepted each semester.

The applications to start a Theme at Pufendorf IAS are due in December each year (exact date, check the Call).  In January. The Pufendorf IAS’ board makes the first assessment and decides on a shortlist of applications to be sent out to external reviewers. The Institute strives to have each shortlisted application evaluated by at least two experts. The results from the experts will be an important basis for the board´s decision.

The Pufendorf IAS’ board also decides on ASGs. Usually, the ASG applications are not sent to external experts for evaluation. 

The main applicant, coordinator and co-coordinator must be researchers with Phd or corresponding degree employed at Lund University, as must the greater number of the Theme group (a smaller number may be from other institutions of higher education than LU). Employment may be either permanent or time limited, but must cover the period during which the researcher agrees to be a member (i.e the Theme period of 9 months) and the extent of the commitment in the Theme (usually 20%).

Yes. Personnel with a technical or administrative (TA) position cannot to join a Theme unless also being partly employed as teacher/researcher on a percentage that can cover the time spent in the Theme (this time is usually 20% of fulltime as allocating one day a week for Theme work at the Institute is the recommended timeframe for members).

Employment with postdoc grants are generally set up in such a way that wages cannot be deferred. The Pufendorf IAS reimburses salary costs for the period of time during which the Theme is committed. If the postdoc grant cannot be postponed to have salary funds used at a later date, this means that postdocs themselves must consider if they indeed wish to use part of the time span of their grant for a Theme. The Pufendorf IAS accept postdocs as members on this condition.

It is possible if teaching and/or doing research is part of your assignment. This must be clarified in the application.

As a rule, PhD candidates cannot be members of a Theme. Exceptions to this rule can be made in certain cases; the Institute acknowledges the fact that PhD candidates may have expertise in areas of importance to the Theme, this expertise must however be complementary, not indispensable, to the Theme. PhD candidates cannot be remunerated for their time. A Theme cannot have more than one PhD candidate as member and PhD candidates must have permission (in writing) from their supervisor and their head of department. 

PhD candidates may, in exceptional cases, join an ASG if they have expertise relevant to the ASG, and if their head of department and their supervisor allow it. They cannot be main applicants, nor coordinators of an ASG. 

Yes, it is possible for ASGs to include members who do not have teaching or researching position if they have expertise relevant to the ASG.

Employment must cover the period from 1 September to 31 May, and if the researcher is temporary, we need a promise to allocate 20% of fulltime of his/her time in that period and this has to be re-calculated if the member has 50% employment.

International Fellows are international experts connected to Themes. Nominations must be a part of your application to start a Theme. You will find answers about everything connected to our International Fellows Programme here: International Fellows Programme | The Pufendorf Institute for Advanced Studies

Yes, please. The Institute wishes to get a fair idea of whom you plan to invite together with an approximate calculation of costs involved, i.e costs such as travel and accommodation (the asked for calculation of costs applies to guests only, not Fellows). Guests do not have to confirm their participation beforehand. If granted, the Theme will be able to make changes in their plan; it may be possible to invite additional/other guests within the set cost frame. Entirely different rules apply for international Fellows, please read more here: International Fellows Programme | The Pufendorf Institute for Advanced Studies

Researchers from other institutes of higher education may join as members in certain cases; if an external researcher have specific expertise needed to successfully approach the research questions put forward in the application, and this expertise cannot be found within LU, they can be part of the Theme as a full member. The requirements are the same as for LU researchers; all members commit to weekly meetings on site for the duration of the Theme period and their respective home departments will be compensated for salary costs to the extent of the commitment.

Yes, members need to meet on site, this is a requirement of the Pufendorf IAS. The odd meeting may be online, but as a rule all members commit 20 % of their time (which translate to full day, weekly meetings) on site for the entirety of the Theme period. This applies to members from other institutions of higher education also, they must be prepared to travel. 

If for some reason a Theme member can no longer participate in the Theme to the fulfilment of their commitment to the Institute, the agreement will be terminated. The Theme group may replace the member with another researcher from Lund University, to be approved by the director of the Pufendorf IAS.

Should this happen, the coordinator must contact the director of the institute as soon as possible, this is particularly vital with Theme applications, where the loss of expertise has bearing on the overall composition, and thus eligibility of the application.

A researcher may be on two Theme applications answering the same call, if able to dedicate the necessary time required, and is intent on doing so should both applications be granted. If a researcher is on two applications, The Pufendorf IAS will require a letter from the researcher's head of department. This letter is to confirm that should both Themes be granted, the researcher will be granted the extent within the employment corresponding to the commitment in both Themes. 

Without a statement from the head of department guaranteeing the former, this will constitute a weak link in both applications.

A calculation of expected costs for the Theme is to be included in the Theme application.This include expected salaries for all participating members, an estimation of costs for short term guests and additional activities. The estimated costs must be entered in the budget/cost frame template supplied with the call for Themes as this specific template has been designed to calculate expected adjustments in salaries and applicable surcharges. Note also that overhead costs are to be excluded from the calculation.

As part of Lund University, The Pufendorf IAS pays overhead. Whereas Theme members respective departments are reimbursed for salary costs and surcharges, overhead is payed directly to the University. 

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As a rule, the institute agrees to cover travel and accommodation for visiting guests. In exceptional cases, it may be possible to remunerate guests. Such a request may be made directly to the director of the institute. Lund University employees can never be remunerated by the institute, the exception applies to external guests only. 

Yes, international researchers who are invited for longer stays (1 - 5 months) through the International Research Fellows' Programme are contracted and paid a salary. Guest researchers invited for shorter stays, 1 - 7 days are not covered by the programme, costs must be covered by the Theme budget.

Yes, members who fulfill the requirements and wish to participate as full members-  but for different reasons prefer not to be paid – may still be part of a Theme. The Institute may accept unsalaried members, but the how and why must be clear in the application. The final decision is made when the board assesses the application.

In the current call for ASG applications, inviting national and international guests to take part in the ASGs internal meetings is encouraged, as is inviting colleagues and peers to participate in meetings. However, plans to organise events and activities for an audience or external target groups will not be granted.

Exceptions to this rule may be made once the group has started work, and only in cases where an event can be shown to clearly support the objective and outcome of the ASG. In rare cases, the institute can help the group with such an event. Costs for these will not burden the ASGs budget.