The Swedish Research Council for Working Life and Social Research (FAS) promotes the accumulation of knowledge in matters relating to working life, public health and welfare. FAS awards funding to basic as well as applied research and the most important selection criterion is scientific excellence. FAS research strategy for 2009 to 2012 emphasizes the importance of providing career opportunities and favourable working conditions to young aspiring researchers, both at national as well as international level. Currently FAS provides a broad range of funding instruments with the purpose of promoting the careers of young, talented researchers. The Career path offered by FAS includes postdoc grants, research grants, as well as larger grants to programmes or centres of excellence.To promote research mobility and international collaboration, FAS provides international postdoc posititons. The international postdoc programme described in this application, COFAS 2, is a continuation of a COFUNDED project, COFAS, contract number 229728, which was awarded in the 2008 call. The COFAS programme consists of two types of global mobility, outgoing (FOIP) and incoming (FIIP). Main improvements proposed for the new programme, based on experiences with the COFAS programme are: Improved gender dimension, repatriation period financed by FAS, enhanced “Exchange of experiences” activities and Career coaching, introduction of a Career grant and COFAS ambassadors as well as requirement for Open Access publication.