How the Foundation Works with Research

Administration of the Agria and SKK Research Fund is handled by the Swedish Kennel Club secretariat, while a executive steering committee, which also manages the research program, directs the partnership between Agria and SKK. 
The actual work with the applications is carried out by the Research Committee, whose members are selected based on scientific expertise and their connection to relevant research fields.

Agria and SKK Research Fund – the Committees

Requirements
All researchers working with dogs, cats, and other companion animals may apply for funding from the foundation. However, the researcher must also meet certain requirements. First and foremost, they must hold a PhD – meaning they have written an approved doctoral thesis or have equivalent scientific experience.
They must also be affiliated with a university, a research institution, or another organization, such as an animal hospital. The foundation accepts applications from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Germany.

Step 1
Every April, researchers submit an initial application. It is important to have a solid basic idea – one that provides concrete benefits for animal welfare and health. The project may be within veterinary medicine or related to the role of companion animals in society. Ethics are also essential. No painful animal experiments are allowed, and no animals may be subjected to suffering.

The Research Committee
The Research Committee consists of ten members from various research fields within veterinary medicine, social sciences, and the humanities. These members read and evaluate all incoming applications.

Meeting in June
In June, all committee members meet in person to discuss which projects should move on to the second stage. The discussions can be lengthy, as the goal is for everyone to reach agreement before any decisions are made. Once the Research Committee has made all its decisions, the applicants are notified by email.

Step 2
In September, the next part of the application process begins.
Between 1 and 30 September, those who advanced from Step 1 may submit a longer and significantly more comprehensive application. In November, the committee members meet again. Once more, they review all submitted applications together, discuss them, and weigh the pros and cons. For Step 2 applications, the committee proposes to the Steering Group which projects should receive funding. The decision is then confirmed by the CEO of Agria and the Swedish Kennel Club, respectively.

Decision in January
At the beginning of January, applicants are informed whether they have been granted funding, and during the spring, funds are distributed to the researchers who received approval. 
In total, it takes about a year from the time a researcher submits their first application until they receive funding from the foundation.

Open access
When a study is completed, it is published digitally online and made available for everyone to read. This is known as open access. But how do you find everything that is available? On the foundation’s own website, you can access a large number of final reports from the fifteen years the foundation has existed. You will also find links to articles published in various scientific journals and in the magazine Hundsport Special. There are also videos from our autumn 2024 seminar. Many researchers also share their knowledge through podcasts, radio and TV programs, or in various specialist magazines.

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