FFI - Accelerate the transition to sustainable road transport - spring 2024

A call for proposals within the Vehicle strategic research and innovation sub-programme Accelerate

Vehicle strategic research and innovation (FFI) is a long-term collaboration between the state and the automotive industry to jointly finance research, innovation and development activities to make Sweden a leader in the global transition to sustainable road transport.

This the offer finances project within FFI's Accelerate sub-programme where the focus is on broad collaborations and larger system demonstrations. I Accelerera will demonstrate innovative system solutions with high societal benefit on a large scale.

For complete information on the content of the sub-programme, refer to FFI's Roadmap, which you should read before writing your proposal

Applications funded in this offer

Preparation project for a system demonstrator

• Project duration of a maximum of 6 months.
• Maximum funding to apply for is SEK 500,000.
• At least 25 percent in co-financing for the total project budget. That is, if SEK 500,000 is sought, co-financing of at least SEK 167,000 is needed and the total project budget will be at least SEK 667,000.
• At least two parties with at least one beneficiary.
• In addition to this, the state aid rules apply to each party. See further under section 4.

System demonstrator

• Project duration of a maximum of 36 months.
• Project budget of at least SEK 10 million and at least 50 percent in co-financing.
• At least three parties, of which at least one is a beneficiary.
• Completed a preparatory project. See further under section 2.
• In addition to this, the state aid rules apply to each party. See further under section 4.

A system demonstrator must clearly address one or more societal challenges linked to sustainable road transport and be of decisive importance in accelerating the pace of the transition. The solution has a high technical maturity with potential to be widely implemented within a few years and to be scalable in a national and international context. The system demonstrator shall not be limited to technical innovation including services and processes, but shall clearly integrate the other system perspectives infrastructure, business models, regulations, standards and behaviours. Broad collaborations are therefore crucial and relevant actors in the transport ecosystem should participate. The solutions in must be tested in a real environment,

More information is available on the website System demos for innovation

The preparatory projects build up a project group for a system demonstrator, provide increased knowledge of obstacles and opportunities, and produce a plan for a system demonstrator's activities and funding. Relevant actors are mobilized and an overview plan for utilization and dissemination of the results is developed.

The purpose of a system demonstrator is to:

• Create a common target image between several different parties in the transport ecosystem.
• Integrate all five systems perspectives: technological innovation, business models, policy, regulations, standards, behaviors, culture and infrastructure.
• Mobilize important actors in the entire value chain or transport ecosystem.
• Demonstrate solutions with a high technical maturity in a real environment together with need owners and users to analyze system effects and societal benefit.
• Prepare for implementation and scale-up of solutions nationally and internationally.
• Make solutions visible and create a broad commitment and interest in aim of finding more collaborations and scale-up opportunities as well as inspiring.

The total grant budget for this call for proposals is approximately SEK 88 million.

Project may advantageously contain several project partners from the same category, in order to increase the breadth. That is, which operates and competes within the same area or sector, for example vehicle manufacturers, suppliers or public organisations.

FFI's mission is to drive road transport innovations for a sustainable society. The program has a roadmap that sets the direction towards 2030. The long-term vision is that Sweden leads the global transition to sustainable road transport. Three impact goals and five sub-programmes guide the work.

In proposal, it must be clearly stated that the project's objective contributes to the program's impact goals, the subprogramme's section in FFI's Roadmap and the section "Important aspects for all subprogrammes".

FFI sees a clear need for a broader system perspective where traditional and new actors need to collaborate, test and drive development in order to increase the pace of innovation. The concept of innovation includes both process, product and organizational innovations. An 'innovation' is thus the implementation of a new or significantly improved product such as a good or service, or process, a new marketing method or a new organizational method in business practices, workplace organization or external relations.

This call for proposals takes place within FFI's Accelerate sub-programme. With this effort, we want, through broad collaborations, to create the conditions for system demonstrators to bring about significant system changes that accelerate the pace of the transition to sustainable road transport.

Read more about FFI's sub-program Accelerate

The call for proposals refers to project applications for:

• Preparation project for system demonstration project.
• System Demonstration Project.

What is a system demonstrator?

System demonstration projects are a way to start from the knowledge of what is required to change a system and put it into practice. To change at the system level, a portfolio of solutions is often needed that work together and move different parts of the system, rather than a single solution being implemented.

The demonstrator must not be limited to technical innovation including services and processes, but also needs to work with norms and values as well as culture and behaviors around the new solutions. Digital and physical infrastructure may need to be developed. Business models may need to be developed or adapted. Regulations and standards may also need to be adapted as technology and services develop, and for this both dialogue and cooperation with actors concernedare needed.

Read more about what the five dimensions can mean in relation to sustainable road transport in FFI's Roadmap, see page 16

A system demonstrator must clearly address one or more societal challenges linked to sustainable road transport where actors, who have the power to change the system and bring about a larger change, come together. The actors should operate within and have an impact on the five system dimensions above.

In order to understand which solutions and interventions need to be included, the projects should carry out analyzes of the system they intend to change. What major obstacles, needs and opportunities are linked to the social challenge that the project intends to address? The implementation of the test then takes place in a real environment, where all actors, including need owners and users, participate actively. It is the interplay between the solutions and reality that is sought and that leads on.

The solution has a high technical maturity with potential to be implemented within a few years and to be scalable in a national and international context. Broad collaborations are crucial and relevant actors in the transport ecosystem should collaborate in the system demonstrator.

More information about system demonstrators can be found on the website System demos for innovation

Expectations for a system demonstrator preparation project

The preparatory projects aim to prepare a proposal for a system demonstrator that contributes to accelerating the transition to sustainable road transport. The preparatory projects should provide increased knowledge and dialogue between the actors about obstacles and opportunities linked to the societal challenge, as well as planning to test out selected solutions together in the next step.

The preparatory project is expected to address the following performance objective:

• Mobilize relevant actors in the value chain, including need owners.
• Map and understand the system that is intended to change and deepen the needs analysis. What obstacles and opportunities exist?
• Identify what needs to be implemented and changed to move in the desired direction.
• Carry out a strategic analysis of the technology area.
• Develop proposals for strategically selected innovative solutions that can be tested in a real environment and bring about desirable change
• Plan an upcoming implementation and in this integrate how all five system dimensions will be explored in the system demonstrator.
• Develop a schedule, activities and plan for the financing of a system demonstrator.
• Develop an overview plan for utilization and dissemination of the results from the investigated solution.

After completion of the preparatory project, the project is expected to be able to scale up to a system demonstrator as described in this section.

Expectations of a System Demonstrator

A system demonstrator aims for the strategically selected innovative solutions to be tested and evaluated in a real environment and contributes to speeding up the transition to sustainable road transport. A preparatory project needs to have been completed before a project can apply for a system demonstrator. Final report regarding the preparation project must be attached with proposal. The preparation project does not need to have been carried out within the framework of FFI, but needs to fulfill what is described.

The system demonstrator is expected to address the following performance objectives:

• A common target image that provides a direction, future perspective and creates commitment on the part of the actors to tackle the selected key challenge within sustainable road transport.
• All of the following five dimensions of system innovation have been addressed in the system demonstration project:
  - Behaviour, culture and values.
  - Business models, procurement and cooperation.
  - Regulations and standardization.
  - Infrastructure, digital and physical.
  - Technology, products, services and processes.
• Selected solutions have a high technical maturity and have been demonstrated in a real context, together with need owners and users.
• Broad collaboration has taken place between relevant actors to address the key challenge and the five dimensions. They have shown commitment, have great influence on the system and a willingness to make the necessary investments.
• A description has been drawn up for how demonstrated solutions are to be scaled up both nationally and internationally. Commitment and recipient capacity exists with relevant need owners to implement selected solutions within a few years.
• Results, experiences and lessons learned have been packaged and disseminated in communication that creates broad commitment and can inspire more system changes.

Other aspects that need to be taken into account in all project

Vinnova is tasked with promoting sustainable growth and community development, and our efforts are aimed at achieving the Agenda 2030 goals. Climate and gender equality are singled out for special consideration, and Vinnova follows up and assesses whether both women and men equally share in the contribution, participate in and have influence over the project, as well as gender or gender aspects that are relevant.

Read more about our work to contribute to the goals of Agenda 2030Read more about what our work for equal innovation means for you who seek funding from us

Results from research and innovation that are made freely available increase the opportunity for more people to contribute to solutions to societal challenges. The call for proposals should contribute to making more results freely available and the scientific publication that takes place should have open access.

This the offer addresses wider project constellations that intend to collaboratively create a system demonstrator for complex societal challenges that in the long term contributes to accelerating the transition to a sustainable transport system.

The projects must be carried out in collaboration with actors in the entire value chain.

• For the preparation projects, at least two actorsare required.
• For the system demonstration projects, at least three actorsare required.

In both the preparation projects and the system demonstration projects, at least one of the actors must be a needs owner (user). The expectation is that the project consortium is larger than the minimum levels above, in order to be able to influence and create a major change in the system.

The project parties must be legal entities in Sweden.

Examples of actors are:

• Research organizations such as universities and research institutes.
• Public organizations such as regions, municipalities and authorities.
• SMEs in the transport ecosystem.
• Larger companies in vehicles and mobility.
• Vehicle manufacturer.
• Suppliers.
• Traffic managers
• Transport buyer.
• Service providers.
• Companies in community planning, infrastructure, circularity and energy supply.
• Civil society and non-profit organizations.

Foreign actors can be relevant and necessary to include as project partners in the project. If these actors do not have a branch or place of business in Sweden, they cannot receive grant funds in this call for proposals but they may participate as project partners.

This offer within Accelerera funds research and development activities, the aim of which is to help accelerate the transition to fossil-free, safe, equitable and efficient road transport. We finance system demonstrations with a maximum project duration of 36 months with a minimum project budget of SEK 10 million and preparatory projects with a maximum project duration of 6 months and requested funds of a maximum of SEK 500,000.

Activities for which funding can be applied for

Against the background of the call's aim, we finance project that aim to test solutions in a real environment in order to bring about a system change in the long term. It is possible to apply funding for preparatory projects or system demonstrations.

Approved activities for a preparatory project within the framework of the call for proposals for which it is possible to apply funding are, for example:

• System mapping and mapping of challenges and opportunities.
• Project management, coordination, process support and leading expertise to promote systems thinking and innovation.
• Planning of activities in the implementation of an upcoming system demonstrator how the five system dimensions should be explored in connection with selected solutions.
• Identification and mobilization of new collaboration partners for an upcoming system demonstrator, ensuring openness and inclusion.
• Description of expected effects for evaluation and analysis of the potential of a system demonstrator.
• Communication efforts to stakeholders outside the project.

Approved activities for a system demonstrator within the framework of the call for proposals for which it is possible to apply for funding, in addition to building and implementing a system demonstrator in a real environment, are for example:

• Evaluate tests and understand users' or customers' and other stakeholders' experience of the solution, as well as continued development of tests.
• Validate identified opportunities to influence structural factors, for example behaviour, laws, rules, standards.
• Investigate demand, business models, pricing, procurement.
• Investigate adaptation needs for physical and digital infrastructure.
• Investment needs for scaling up nationally and internationally.
• Communication efforts to stakeholders outside the project.

Basis for support and eligible costs

Our funding takes place through funding. Funding for organizations that carry out economic activities is covered by rules on state support. The rules govern, among other things, which types of costs and what proportion of them may be covered by funding.

In this call for proposals funding will be granted with support of § 9 regulation (2015:208) on state support for research and development and innovation, i.e. as support for research and development projects according to article 25 of the commission's regulation (EU) no. 651/2014 (GBER).

The types of project activities approved within the framework of this call for proposals must be covered by either the Feasibility Study for Preparatory Projects or Experimental Development for System Demonstrators funding. Maximum support levels and which costs are eligible for support for each basis for support can be seen in Support levels, definitions, etc. for funding according to Vinnova's support scheme and in Instructions for term on support-eligible costs.

You can find the document under the heading Eligible costs on the website Vinnova's general terms and conditions for funding

Funding to parties that do not conduct economic activities, for example research organizations, academia and actors in the public sector, funding is granted with support of regulation (2009:1101) with instructions for the Agency for innovation system. Such actors can be granted funding with up to 100 percent of the eligible costs.

For a cost to be eligible for support, it must be actual, auditable and incurred within the project period. Accounting for project costs must be distinguishable from the company's other transactions. This also applies to any project parties who are not beneficiary.

Vinnova finances each individual preparation project with a maximum of 75 percent of the project's total eligible costs and each individual system demonstration project with a maximum of 50 percent of the project's eligible costs. Each individual project must have at least 25 percent business financing.

Please note that the maximum grant share per project is not the same as the maximum permitted support level per participant.

The amount of funding that a participant can be granted is governed, among other things, by the rules on state aid and depends, among other things, on the size of the organization. See section 4 above. Dokumentet Stödnivåer, definitions etc. for funding according to Vinnova's support scheme clarifies what applies to various large organizations that carry out economic activities.

Both the regulation 2015:208 and GBER are described in more detail on the website about State support for economic activities

Each participant is responsible for ensuring that funding received does not exceed the aid intensity permitted according to the rules for state support. Vinnova does not finance companies that are in financial difficulties.

Conditions for us to assess proposal

We will only assess applications that meet the following formal eligibility requirements:

• Beneficiary are legal entities with a Swedish corporate identity number. In this respect, a foreign organization that has a branch or place of business in Sweden is equated with a Swedish legal person. The costs in the project must be attributable to the branch's or establishment's activities.
• The project has not started before proposal has been submitted, which means that the projects cannot count on already calculated costs in the project budget.
• Proposal is written in Swedish or English.
• A preparatory project or a feasibility study must form the basis of a project application for a system demonstrator. The preparatory project does not need to have been carried out within the framework of FFI.
• Proposal must strictly follow the instructions that follow from section 9.
• The project is carried out in collaboration. For the preparation projects, at least two actors are required and for the system demonstration projects, at least three actors are required. In both the preparation projects and the system demonstration projects, at least one of the actors must be a needs owner.
• The project manager is employed by one of the project parties.
• Applications must be received no later than 14:00 on the last application day via Vinnova's e-service.

When the application period has expired, completion of proposal can only take place at the request of Vinnova.

What do we assess?

The project proposal must be in line with aim and vision for FFI's roadmap and for the Accelerate sub-programme and will be assessed based on the following criteria.

Read more about FFI's Itinerary

System Demonstrator Preparation Project Criteria

Potential (weighted 45 percent)

• The project's potential to, through a later demonstration project, contribute to accelerating the pace of the transition to sustainable road transport.
• The project's novelty value in relation to existing solutions and larger investments in the area.

Feasibility (weighted 25 percent)

• The project's positioning in relation to the state of knowledge nationally and internationally.
• The effectiveness of the project plan in terms of a reasonable project time and budget for the work to be carried out.
• How well the intended demonstration project illuminates issues linked to technology, business opportunities, behaviour, regulations and policies as well as infrastructure.

Actors (weighted 20 percent)

• Assessment of how well relevant actors and organizations are involved in the project, to the right extent and at the right time to realize the project's potential.
• The commitment, competence and ability of the project team and the project manager to carry out the project.
• To what degree do the need owners, end users, customers or demanders participate in a relevant way for the project?

Gender equality (weighted 10 percent)

• Assessment of equality aspects such as gender or gender perspectives that may be important to take into account linked to the project's problem area, solutions and effects.
• How well the project team is composed with respect to gender distribution, including the distribution of power and influence between women and men.
• Assessment of how well equality aspects have been integrated into the project plan.

Criteria for system demonstrations

Potential (weighted 35 percent)

• The project's potential to contribute through a demonstration project to accelerating the pace of the transition to sustainable road transport.
• To what degree is social benefit met in relation to existing knowledge and solutions, nationally and internationally?
• How well does the proposed solution contribute to solving complex social challenges in the described location.
• To what degree is the benefit of the solution or new knowledge taken into account based on relevant system and user perspectives?
• The project's potential to be scaled up and implemented within a couple of years.

Feasibility (weighted 30 percent)

• To what extent the project is based on a credible project plan and budget where the activities are linked to project goals and desired results and long-term effects.
• To what degree is the system demonstrator prepared for scale-up with respect to the preparation project?
• To what extent the project plan and implementation demonstrate all five system perspectives:
  - Behaviour, culture and values.
  - Business models, procurement and cooperation.
  - Policy, standardization and regulations.
  - Infrastructure.
  - Technology, products, services and processes.
• Approaches that support and facilitate the involvement of parties: organization and involvement of project parties and relevant actors including users, customers and demanders

Actors (weighted 25 percent)

• Assessment of how well relevant actors and organizations are involved in the project, to the right extent and at the right time to realize the project's potential.
• The commitment, competence and ability of the project team and the project manager to carry out the project.
• To what degree do the need owners, end users, customers or demanders participate in a relevant way for the project? For example, as a driver, participant, through a reference group or in another way?

Gender equality (weighted 10 percent)

• Assessment of equality aspects such as gender or gender perspectives that may be important to take into account linked to the project's problem area, solutions and effects.
• How well the project team is composed with respect to gender distribution, including the distribution of power and influence between women and men.
• Assessment of how well equality aspects have been integrated into the project plan.

How do we judge?

The applications that meet the formal requirements will be evaluated against the assessment criteria by specially appointed external independent evaluator, who are appointed by Vinnova. Proposal is assessed in competition with other received applications.

Read more about FFI's announcement process

This is how you apply

To apply for funding, you fill in a web-based form in Vinnova's e-service for applications, which you can find via the button Apply here.

There you also upload your completed attachments:

• Project description
  - For preparatory projects, the template for Preliminary studies and minor studies must be used. Maximum 5 pages with 11 point font size excluding cover page, summary and table of contents. Mandatory template can be found on the announcement page.
  - For system demonstrators, the template for System Demonstrators must be used. Maximum 21 pages with 11 point font size excluding cover page, summary and table of contents. Mandatory template can be found under the heading "Download templates for attachments" further down on this website. However, please note that up to 21 pages are allowed for system demonstrator applications, not 15 pages specified in the template.
• CV attachment containing relevant CVs for project manager and all key personnel according to the mandatory template on the announcement page. Maximum 1 page per person.
• Final report for feasibility study or preparatory project. Applies only to proposal for system demonstrator.

Keep in mind that it takes time to make a proposal. You can start filling in information, save and continue at a later time. When proposal is ready, you mark it as done. You can completely unlock proposal and make changes at any time, right up until the application deadline. Please mark proposal well in advance before the call for proposals closes.

When the call for proposals has closed and proposal has been registered with Vinnova, a confirmation will be sent out by e-mail to you who are responsible for the user account, project manager and signatory or head of the coordinating project party.

It may take a few hours before you receive the email. If you have not received a confirmation by e-mail within 24 hours after the call for proposals has closed, please contact us.

Please note that proposal must be received no later than 2:00 p.m. on the last day of application.

When the application period has expired, completion of proposal can only take place upon request from us.