Minor Field Studies (MFS) is a scholarship programme funded by Sida that offers students at Swedish universities the opportunity to conduct field studies in countries where Sweden engages in development cooperation. The programme, first launched in 1985 as an evolution of its predecessor Minor Research Task (initiated in 1968), has since provided students with a unique chance to collect data in low- and middle-income countries.

Since 2024, Stockholm University has served as the national programme office for the program.

The aim of MFS is to give students practical experience in conducting fieldwork in countries where Sweden has active development strategies, while also fostering knowledge about international development. The program helps students develop valuable skills and encourages them to share their experiences, both within Swedish universities and with partners in Sweden and abroad

Sweden’s development cooperation aims to empower people living in poverty and oppression to improve their living conditions. It focuses not only on addressing immediate needs but also on building long-term, sustainable societies where individuals have the opportunity to live with dignity, freedom, and security.

Sweden’s development cooperation and humanitarian aid are guided by the government through various strategies, which may focus on a specific country, region, or thematic area. Agencies like Sida are responsible for implementing these strategies and ensuring that the work is carried out effectively.

Learn more about Sweidish aid on Openaid:

About Swedish aid - Openaid

Agenda 2030 and Sweden’s development assistance

Agenda 2030 outlines the global goals for sustainable development, while Sweden’s national guidelines for development assistance are presented in the new reform agenda, "Development Assistance for a New Era – Freedom, Empowerment, and Sustainable Growth" launched on December 14, 2023. Sweden’s thematic priorities within development assistance include:

1. Combating poverty through job creation, trade, and education.
2. Improving health for the most vulnerable.
3. Promoting freedom and fighting oppression.
4. Expanding climate aid and addressing environmental challenges.
5. Strengthening gender equality and empowering women and girls.
6. Aligning development assistance with migration policies.
7. Providing enhanced humanitarian support.

Read more about the government’s reform agenda:

Development assistance for a new era – freedom, empowerment and sustainable growth - Government.se

How development assistance is delivered

Swedish development cooperation is carried out at multiple levels.

Long-term developemt cooperation

This approach aims to combat poverty and promote democratization through multi-year strategies decided by the Swedish government. Long-term development cooperation is implemented either multilaterally or bilaterally:

• Multilateral core support: Support is provided to international organizations, which distribute it to various countries and regions. This is mainly handled by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
• Bilateral aid: Sweden provides direct support to specific countries or regions, with Sida as the main actor.

Humanitarian aid

Humanitarian aid offers urgent support in crisis situations and its goal is to save lives, reduce suffering, and restore dignity for those affected by crises such as armed conflicts or natural disasters. 

Read more on Different kinds of aid:
Different kinds of aid - Openaid

The MFS scholarship offers students the opportunity to conduct field studies in countries where Sweden has active development cooperation strategies. You can find a list of these countries and regions on Openaid under Countries and Regions. The strategies outline the key thematic areas prioritized by Swedish development cooperation, as well as the specific goals to be achieved in each country and region.

There are two types of strategies:

• Geographical strategies: focus on individual countries or regions.
• Thematic strategies: address specific issues, such as human rights, democracy, or the development of the justice sector.

Useful resources to find Swedish development cooperation strategies:

• Explore the active strategies of the Swedish government: Government Strategies - Regeringen.se
• Check strategies on the Openaid website: Openaid - Sida
• Read current bilateral, regional, and thematic strategies on Sida's website: Strategies - Sida

Learn more about how you can link your project to a strategy in the section "Information fo students: How can I link my MFS project to strategies?".

Travel dissuasion issued by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Please note that the MFS scholarship will not be granted to a country or a region if the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Utrikesdepartementet) advise against all travel to a specific country or region.

An MFS-study cannot be undertaken when the Foreign Ministry advise against the below travel: 

• “all travels to the country”
• “all Swedes to leave a country/part of the country”

Note: If the advice against all travel applies only to a specific part of the country, students may still carry out an MFS study in a safe area of the country, as long as they can travel there and back without passing through the restricted area.

Note: If the advice against travel is introduced, or changed, after departure and includes a dissuasion from “all travels”, the students need to leave the country and return to Sweden within 30 days.

Note: If the advice against travel is introduced, or changed, after departure and “urges to leave the country / part of the country”, the University must ensure that the student immediately follows the dissuasion and leaves the country / part of the country.

Should the Foreign Ministry dissuade from travelling when you have already arrived in the host country, you do not need to meet the MFS conditions of spending 8 weeks in the field. This is specified in the MFS general terms.

Even if a travel dissuasion has not been issued by the Foreign Ministry, Universities should always secure that the personal safety and health of the student, and of persons concerned in the host country, is not at risk during the period of the Minor Field Study. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' travel information (in Swedish)

The MFS scholarship is 35 000 SEK, which can be used for expenses such as travel, accommodation, vaccinations, and visas. Please note that the scholarship is not intended to cover all costs during your time abroad, and you may need to supplement it with other funding, such as student loans from CSN.