Have you written a thesis on digital trust, governance, security, privacy or emerging technology?
Apply for an ISACA Sweden Chapter scholarship!
ISACA Sweden Chapter annually awards scholarships for thesis work within ISACA's areas of interest. The scholarship is intended to support the recipient's personal development within these areas, for example through a conference, training course, professional certification, course literature or a study trip.
This year we will award up to three scholarships of SEK 5,000 each.
From 2026, the scholarship is open to degree projects and theses at higher vocational education (yrkeshögskola) level, bachelor's level and magister/master's level. The three levels are assessed in separate categories. The number of scholarships per category is not fixed; the nomination committee allocates them on the basis of the submissions received.
The awarded theses will be published on the ISACA Sweden Chapter website and presented with summaries in the chapter newsletter.
The nomination committee reserves the right not to award a scholarship in a given category, or not to award any scholarships at all, if it does not receive theses that meet the stated criteria.
ISACA's areas of interest
ISACA brings together professionals who work with digital trust – the confidence that digital technology, data and the organisations that manage them are secure, reliable, transparent and responsibly governed.
This includes audit and assurance, governance, risk, information security, privacy and data protection, as well as new and emerging technologies. The scholarship is open to theses that contribute to any of these areas, regardless of the department or faculty in which the work was carried out.
Examples of areas covered
- Audit, assurance and quality of digital operations – IS/IT audit, internal and external assurance, assurance methodologies and control frameworks, data analytics and continuous assurance, and the auditing of algorithms and AI systems.
- Governance of IT, data and information – enterprise governance of technology and digitalisation, IT governance, COBIT and other frameworks, data and information governance, architecture and operating models.
- Information and cyber security – security architecture, threat and vulnerability management, incident response, identity and access management, security in cloud, OT and IoT environments, digital resilience and business continuity.
- Risk and regulatory compliance – IT and information risk management, third-party and supply-chain risk, and the application of regulatory frameworks such as NIS2, DORA, the EU AI Act, the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and the Data Act.
- Privacy and data protection – data protection in practice, privacy by design and privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs), data sharing and secondary use of data, cross-border data flows, regulatory supervision and compliance.
- AI governance and AI assurance – AI governance, risk management and accountability for AI systems, auditing models, data and supply chains, transparency, explainability and human oversight.
- New and emerging technology – artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud services, quantum technologies, distributed ledgers and blockchain, the Internet of Things, digital identity and automation.
- Data, analytics and data quality – data management and the data lifecycle, data quality, analytics and decision support, and the controls surrounding them.
- Digital ethics and digital trust – ethical, organisational and societal issues arising from the use of technology, responsible innovation, trust-building governance, sustainable digitalisation, and skills and capability development within the field.
Interdisciplinary work is particularly welcome. The thesis may, for example, have been completed within informatics, computer and systems sciences, engineering, law, economics and business administration, political science, philosophy or ethics, provided that it has clear relevance to one or more of the areas above.
Criteria
To be eligible for the scholarship, the thesis must:
- Address one of ISACA's areas of interest as described above.
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Be an independent thesis at either:
The Level and scope must be evidenced at the time of application: for higher education, by a transcript (Ladok) or a certificate from the supervisor; for higher vocational education, by a diploma, a certificate of studies or a statement from the programme manager or supervisor.
- Be accompanied by a written, signed certificate from the examiner, supervisor or programme manager confirming that the thesis has been presented and defended. The final grade need not be determined at the time of application, but must be set before the scholarship can be awarded;
- Have been presented and examined at a Swedish higher education institution or a Swedish higher vocational education provider, within a national or international study programme;
- Be written in Swedish or English.
- Have been presented during the period 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2026.
- Be accompanied by a correctly completed ISACA Sweden Chapters scholarship submission form.
- Be submitted as a PDF or Word file to research@isaca.se.
- Be suitable for open publication by ISACA Sweden Chapter. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that the thesis does not contain confidential information relating to clients or other organisations, or personal data that may not be disclosed, and that any necessary permissions or consents have been obtained.
An awarded recipient must be able to present valid identification when the scholarship is awarded.
Nomination process
- All eligibility criteria above must be met.
- The thesis must be submitted by e-mail to research@isaca.se no later than 31 October 2026. The application must include the applicant's name, address, telephone number and e-mail address for correspondence.
- The nomination committee, whose decision is final and cannot be appealed, will select the scholarship recipients no later than 1 January 2027.
- The recipients will be announced on the ISACA Sweden Chapter website.
- Scholarship recipients are expected to give a short presentation at one of ISACA Sweden Chapter's member events, for example ISACA Dagen. The scholarship is personal and may not be transferred to another person.
Processing of personal data
The personal information provided as part of an application is processed by ISACA Sweden Chapter solely for the purposes of administering and assessing applications, selecting and contacting scholarship recipients, and publishing the names and theses of the recipients.
The information is shared with members of the nomination committee and is not retained for longer than necessary.
For further information about how personal data is processed and about your rights, please see the chapter's privacy policy:
https://engage.isaca.org/swedenchapter/home/footer/chapterprivacypolicy
For further questions about the scholarship, please contact the Chair of the R&D Committee at research@isaca.se.
We look forward to receiving your application!