Swedish space research
The Swedish National Space Agency supports the European space infrastructure through Swedish contributions to programs within ESA. The Space Agency participates in various committees at ESA and can thus influence the direction of the various programs and share the latest information.
As a research financier, the Swedish National Space Agency (SNSA) carries out annual calls where researchers at Swedish universities and institutes can apply for support for space research. The areas range from atmospheric research, astrophysics and astronomy to research in weightlessness, space physics and satellite-based earth observation. Some research groups build their own instruments, others develop new methods and results by analyzing space data. The annual support for research projects amounts to a total of approximately SEK 100 million.
The SNSA also has calls for new national satellite projects as well as research on balloons and rockets launching from the Swedish base Esrange. These programs have their own budget and the timing of new calls depends on the development of the ongoing projects and available funds.
The research applications received are prepared with the help of an external advisory committee consisting of prominent international experts in various research areas. This is done to ensure that the selected projects maintain a high scientific quality and to prevent disputes.