< Calls

Open Call

WASP-HS Research Clusters

Deadline March 14, 2025

For more thorough information about the call, please download and read: Further Particulars (.PDF)

Now open for applications!

The Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanity and Society, WASP-HS, is a Swedish research program generating research and building expertise to advance understanding of how AI impacts humanity and society. Since 2019 the research program has grown into a vital community of bottom-up, interdisciplinary research.

For the coming five years, WASP-HS aims to fund active, forward-looking, internationally competitive clusters of researchers with cutting-edge humanities and social science expertise to consolidate and complement the current strengths of the research program.

Research clusters will hold a key role in WASP-HS capacity building, through the recruitment of PhD students for the next cohort of the WASP-HS Graduate School, training of postdoctoral fellows, and as hosts for international guest professors.

Research clusters will be critical in the overall WASP-HS architecture, linking to collaborative initiatives with other research programs and surrounding society. Research clusters are expected to contribute broadly to the success of WASP-HS, and cluster leaders are expected to coordinate with and actively support WASP-HS management.

With this call WASP-HS aims to:

  • Further advance relevant research in the WASP-HS domain
  • Establish structures for long-term research collaboration that build on research and networks established in the first five years of the program
  • Invite new researchers into the WASP-HS research community
  • Increase the international visibility and impact of WASP-HS

Scientific Requirements

A research cluster shall:

  • Pursue a theme relevant to the WASP-HS program, with specific scientific aims, ambitious research questions, and theoretical and methodological rigor
  • Apply and build expertise on AI and autonomous systems in the Social Sciences and Humanities
  • Foster a genuine interdisciplinary research environment
  • Provide a stimulating research environment for PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and international guest professors
  • Have international research impact and a presence in international research communities

Organizational Requirements

A research cluster shall:

  • Be managed by a designated Cluster Leadership Team of at least three senior researchers from three different universities. One of them should be appointed the Cluster Lead.
  • Engage a significant number of junior and senior researchers from several universities and academic disciplines. The majority of researchers should have their expertise in the Social Sciences and Humanities.
  • Have concrete and explicit support from participating universities (i.e., home universities of cluster leaders).

Restrictions and Definitions

  • Members of Cluster Leadership Teams can only be associated with one research cluster.
  • At least one member of the Cluster Leadership Team shall have an affiliation with WASP-HS.
  • A participating researcher can be associated with no more than two research clusters.
  • A significant share, but not all, of the participating researchers shall have an affiliation with WASP-HS.
  • Research clusters and leadership teams shall have a diverse composition.
  • Support from participating universities (i.e., home universities of cluster leaders) shall be detailed in letters of support, signed by the vice chancellors.
  • Seniority is defined by a track record of excellent research, extensive research leadership experience, and a record of working with researchers from other disciplines.
  • Having an affiliation with WASP-HS may entail being a PI or researcher on a WASP-HS project, an advisor to a WASP-HS doctoral student, instructor of a WASP-HS course, or speaker at a WASP-HS event.

Budget

WASP-HS plans to support 3-5 research clusters. Funding will begin in 2025 and run for five years. Funding will primarily be earmarked for guest professors, postdoctoral fellows, and doctoral students, and set by standard amounts. Research clusters will also receive funding for coordination and research initiatives. Total funding for each cluster is expected to range from 25 to 40 million SEK. The submitted research cluster budgets may be re-negotiated in dialogue with successful Cluster Leadership Teams. Based on the clusters’ interim progress reports (to be submitted in October 2027), WASP-HS may come to revise funding and other conditions for the research clusters.

Support from participating universities is essential to helping ensure the success and fulfill the potential of research clusters. In their letters of support, Cluster Leadership Team home universities should demonstrate what initiatives, structures, and competences are in place, or are to be formed, to support the research cluster.

The research clusters are expected to contribute to other WASP-HS initiatives under additional separate funding from WASP-HS.

Next Steps

Interested applicants are encouraged to begin or continue cross-disciplinary, cross-university dialogues. Interested applicants are also advised to inform university leadership about the intention to apply at an early stage.

A more detailed version of this document will be posted on wasp-hs.org in mid-January 2025. The application page on wasp-hs.org will open on February 14, 2025. The application deadline for WASP-HS research clusters is March 14, 2025, 12 noon.

WASP-HS is expected to make funding decisions in late April 2025. Soon after, successful research clusters will be required to start recruiting doctoral students participating in the clusters. These doctoral students will form the next cohort of the WASP-HS Graduate School and, therefore, will need to commence their studies in the spring of 2026.

Application

Applicants should keep in mind that WASP-HS Research Clusters will form an integral part of the program for the coming five years. In preparing an application to form a research cluster, applicants should consider the bullet points below. They define most of what will be asked for in the final application.

  • Title of the proposed research cluster
  • Summary
  • Research plan, including specific aims for the cluster, research questions, and expected long-term contribution
  • Contribution to WASP-HS
  • Core research competencies and relevant ongoing research projects
  • Description of key international collaborators
  • Access and use of local, national, and international research infrastructures, centers, facilities, etc.
  • Research cluster organization and leadership
  • Recruitment strategy for doctoral students, postdocs, guest professors, and other collaborators
  • Ethical, legal, and diversity considerations
  • CV of each Cluster Leadership Team member
  • Top publications of each Cluster Leadership Team member
  • Names, affiliations, and links to homepages of participating researchers (at the time of application)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it possible to apply with a research team in which only a smaller part, say less than a third, is affiliated with WASP-HS?

In general, we expect researchers affiliated with WASP-HS to be well-represented in the cluster so, for example, 50% of the research team. However, researchers’ affiliation with WASP-HS is just one factor in how the applications will be evaluated. Cluster applications that do not meet the 50% rule of thumb may, of course, have other strengths that make them viable candidates for funding. 

What qualifies as "having an affiliation with WASP-HS"?

Affiliation with WASP-HS could mean any of the following: 

  • PI or project member of a MAW/MMW project that is part of WASP-HS or a WASP-HS-affiliated project
  • Instructor of a WASP-HS course
  • Speaker or organizer of a WASP-HS preconference workshop, conference, or meeting (e.g., AI4HS, community reference meeting)
  • WASP-HS-funded position
  • Supervisor of a WASP-HS-funded or affiliated doctoral student

Do all Cluster Leaders need to have a WASP-HS affiliation?

A Cluster Leadership team should have three or more members. At least one of the Cluster Leadership Team members should have a current affiliation with WASP-HS. 

Can members of Cluster Leadership Teams be associated with more than one research cluster?

No. Members of a Cluster Leadership Team can only be associated with that one research cluster. They may not be Cluster Leaders or researchers in other clusters. 

What would be the minimum proportion of participating researchers that have to have an affiliation with WASP-HS?

We consider 50% of participating researchers to be a general rule of thumb, but as suggested above, this is not an exclusion criterion.  

Is there an upper limit to how many key participants a cluster could involve?

There is no upper limit to how many key participants a cluster can involve.  

What is meant by “expertise in the social sciences and humanities”? Does that only include researchers who work in such departments, or do you have a broader definition in mind?

“Expertise in the social sciences and humanities” implies that cluster members have the competence to carry out research in these domains. It does not require employment at a department focused on the humanities or social sciences. 

Does a Research Cluster need to have PhD students, postdocs, and guest researchers? Or is it possible to include only one of these categories?

Clusters should include doctoral students and guest researchers and can choose to include one or more postdocs.  

Is it possible to apply for research time for participating researchers, or is funding earmarked for coordination, PhD students, postdocs and guest researchers?

Funding will be available to support cluster coordination, as well as doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers, and guest researchers. Modest funding will be available to support the initiation of research, but it is generally assumed that the cluster researchers already have ongoing, funded research.   

WASP-HS aims for the Research Clusters to build on research and networks established in the first five years of the program. Does that mean that only cluster proposals related to previously funded WASP-HS research will be considered?

No, but at least one cluster leader should have a current affiliation with WASP-HS. We also expect researchers affiliated with WASP-HS to be well-represented in the cluster (e.g., 50% of participating researchers as a rule of thumb), but that is not an exclusion criterion.  

Is there a template for the university support letter?

There is no template for the support letter. There is no predefined form of support because strategies, opportunities, competencies, resources, etc. differ depending on the university or institute. The letter should describe how the cluster fits into long-term ambitions and how it will be supported in the short and long run. The letter should be written on the official university letterhead and signed by the university vice chancellor.

Application Form

The call is closed.