Minor Field Studies (MFS) – field studies abroad
The MFS programme is a Sida-funded stipend for first-cycle and second-cycle students who want to conduct field studies in low- and middle-income countries to collect data or materials for their theses.
Application Deadlines for 2025
- For field studies in the autumn semester of 2025: April 15, 2025.
- For field studies in the spring semester of 2026: To be announced later, but will be sometime during the autumn semester of 2025.
Target group
This call is for students planning to conduct their thesis work in an eligible host country during the fall semester of 2025 or the spring semester of 2026. Field studies can start no earlier than June 1, 2025, and must be completed by May 30, 2026. “Completed” means that MFS report must be submitted by this date. An internal review group at KI will rank the applications.
Conditions
Your project must relate to one or more of the government's seven priorities for development work in the aid reform agenda: Development assistance for a new era – freedom, empowerment and sustainable growth, and one or more of the global goals for sustainable development (see UN Agenda 2030 and the global goals for sustainable development on Sida's website (in Swedish). General information about MFS is also available on the programme office's pages.
Application Requirements
- The thesis must be written in English.
- The field study must be at least eight consecutive weeks (56 days) and no more than 20 weeks long.
- The field study can only be conducted in an eligible host country.
If two students want to travel together, each must apply individually. Clearly specify in the project description who is responsible for which tasks during the field studies.
Restrictions
Non-Swedish citizens must have been registered in Sweden for at least one year at the time of application.
Stipend
The MFS scholarship is 35000 SEK, which can be used for travel, accommodation, vaccinations, and visas. The scholarship is not intended to cover all expenses abroad and should be supplemented with, for example, student loans from CSN.
Application
Attach the following documents to your application (all in English)
The project description is the most crucial part of your application and forms the basis for the assessment. It can be based on an already developed project plan and should be 2-2.5 A4 pages, written in English. Describe how your project relates to one or more of the government's seven priorities for development work in the aid reform agenda: Development assistance for a new era – freedom, empowerment and sustainable growth, and one or more of the global goals. Provide a timeline for your project and indicate if your project has the necessary ethical approvals to be conducted in the host country. If two students are conducting the thesis together, specify this in the project description and clarify who is responsible for which tasks.
Budgetplan including travel costs, vaccinations, and daily expenses, based on the cost of living in the country in question.
Personal letter describing why you want to do an MFS (max one A4 page).
Max one A4 page, focusing on relevant merits for the MFS scholarship.
Confirming the suitability of the field study and their role as your supervisor.
Confirming the presence of a contact person in the host country to assist with practical arrangements and support.
Showing your citizenship or proof from the Swedish Tax Agency, “population registration certificate”, that you have been registered in Sweden for 12 months.