Started in 1996, the International Grants Programme (IGP) of the Swedish STINT-foundation has funded close to 250 collaborative ventures between research teams at universities in Sweden and abroad, involving over a thousand individuals. The programme aims at strengthening Swedish research through international collaboration and building of lasting partnerships.

ACA has carried out a through evaluation of the IGP grant programme assessing especially the impact the funded cooperation projects have had on individuals (from project leaders to participating students) and on the tangible outcomes related to advancement of research (publications, patents, new techniques etc.). Its task was also to provide recommendations regarding the continuation of the scheme and possible reassessment of its form and priorities.

Quantitative information, collected through a wide-scale survey of all programme beneficiaries, was complemented by a large number of institutional site visits and individual in-depth interviews.