Bilateral and regional development cooperation is administered by Sida, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, which is also responsible for the research cooperation. Development cooperation with the Middle East and North Africa is focused on supporting regional cooperation and collaboration.
As one main component in the support to capacity development, Sida offers International Training Programmes in all fields where Sweden holds specific competence. The Programmes target key persons in strategic institutions in our partner countries in order to support change processes and increase the organisations’ capacity through individual training of their staff. The Programmes last for up to 18 months with four to six weeks of training in Sweden and in a partner country. For more information and for the full catalogue on current Programmes, please visit Sida’s website: www.sida.se
The Swedish Institute aims at establishing cooperation and lasting relations with other countries through strategic communication and exchange in the fields of culture, education, science and business. One such program is the Young Leaders Visitors Program aiming to support young opinion makers from the Middle East and North Africa in their efforts to promote freedom of expression and democratic development. More information can be found at www.si.se
Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is an independent organisation whose overall objective is to promote the sciences and strengthen their influence in society. The Academy offers many different kinds of scholarships, grants, scientific exchange and research fellow positions. It has recently established the Swedish Secretariat for Environmental Earth System Sciences (SSEESS) – in order to facilitate Swedish researchers’ participation and leadership in international research programmes about sustainable development. Every year the Academy awards the Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, the Crafoord Prize and a number of other large prizes. More information can be found on: www.kva.se/en/
Linnaeus-Palme is an exchange program for teachers and students at undergraduate and master’s level in higher education. The program aims at strengthening co-operation in the long-term between Universities in a developing country and in Sweden to their mutual benefit. In order for students to be eligible for the Linnaeus-Palme grant his/her University has to have a project together with a Swedish University. Then the student applies to the University to participate in the program. More information can be found at www.programkontoret.se
University studies: Scholarships for PhD-studies in Sweden are available for students from North Africa and the Middle East. For conditions and application forms, please visit www.studyinsweden.se
Research Cooperation between research institutions in Sweden and countries in North Africa and the Middle East has previously been financed through the Research LINKS programme, administered by the Swedish Research Council. It is being evaluated in 2010; more information is available at www.vr.se