Information on research efforts concerning higher education in Sweden is presented. Questions that have been addressed by the Swedish research program in the past five years have included the long-term social effects of higher education activities, the knowledge traditions of higher education programs, and the conditions of research with and outside the higher education system. Specific topics include: the process by which professional knowledge is acquired in occupations (e.g., economists, engineers, doctors, and psychologists); students' concept formation and knowledge development and the manner in which they acquire attitudes and values concerning what is essential to their professions; changes in cognitive capacity and linguistic proficiency during studies and for a number of years of vocational activity, particularly among teachers, but also among engineers and doctors. The cognitive, human, and social attitudes conveyed by some of the new programs are being analyzed in a number of projects through interviews with teachers, other practitioners, and policy-makers regarding the training of nurses, social workers, and preschool teachers. Additional studies concern the history of ideas with reference to the specialization and professionalization of medical practice, research training in some of the humanities, the properties of research that influence its use outside the higher education system, and decision-making processes regarding the use of research. In addition to research projects, conferences and seminars are conducted, and two special advisory groups provide support for the research program. A list of current research projects and surveys, information on program costs, and the composition of the advisory groups, and a list of conferences and meetings are appended. (SW)