Grants are the lifeblood of academic research, and each funding milieu has its own quirks and characteristics to get used to. That is a poetic way of saying that although I was pretty fortunate to have great funding in Canada, the Swedish funding context has been a tougher nut to crack… and this squirrel has been running up every tree and nibbling away. Finally something drops out of the tree, and it is a special fund for investigating worker health and safety during the ‘green transition’.
The project looks at fire, electrical, chemical, and ergonomic hazards during the repair of battery-electric and hybrid vehicles. So, this non-car-owner will be spending some time in mechanics shops in the coming months. It is a 3-year project and will involve hiring a Swedish-speaking doctoral student. Doctoral students are employees with full benefits in Sweden, and each funded project involves its own unique job posting, we don’t just recruit out of the departments incoming applicants.
More details about the project are available online now that the grants have been formally announced. For English speakers, here is the English version of the study website and the KTH article on the project. There were also a few press reports:
- From the funder: https://www.afaforsakring.se/ohalsa-och-arbetsskador/forskning/fou-program/pagaende-program/arbetsmiljon-i-den-grona-omstallningen
- From a trade magazine about motor vehicles: https://www.motormagasinet.se/article/view/1131915/forskning_ska_ge_battre_arbetsmiljo_for_fordonstekniker
- From the transport and logistics trades: Forskning om arbetsmiljön i den gröna omställningen – KTH-forskare får 10 miljoner | TRANSPORTochLOGISTIK.se
- Specifically about grants at KTH: https://www.afaforsakring.se/om-oss/pressrum/forskare-vid-kth-far-10-miljoner-till-forskning-om-arbetsmiljon-i-den-grona-omstallningen-2024