Politicians have constantly prioritized governmental research funding bodies such as the Swedish Research Council rather than providing basic funding for higher education institutions (HEI). For universities and their staff, this means that an increasing proportion of research funding must take a costly detour via state research funds and a more precarious work environment with unclear career paths. The Swedish system creates problems that the universities must compensate for or at least put some pressure on the government to change the system by, for example, increasing the basic funding for HEIs, thus strengthening the individual researcher’s opportunities for an academic career path.