Advanced digitalization for digital value chains 2024

The purpose of this effort is to strengthen Sweden's companies' ability to effectively manage data for the entire life cycle of a product, including design, manufacturing, use and recycling. By integrating data and processes related to the product life cycle, we make it easier to share information, track the product and create circular product flows.

Digital value chain means creating value for users by generating and sharing digital information about the product, its components and about the production process throughout the product's life cycle. Digital value chains increase the possibilities for traceability, circularity and sustainability and create new business opportunities.

The investment is aimed at organizations and consortia that can develop and demonstrate relevant parts of a product's digital value chain. We also welcome project that contribute to knowledge aggregation, standard development and collaboration within the area. A proposal is strengthened by participating project parties who represent different parts of the digital value chain. To ensure the project's industrial anchoring, at least one Swedish limited company from the business world must be part of the consortium, and it is also an eligibility requirements that the consortium must consist of at least two Swedish actors. Foreign actors can participate as participant but cannot be beneficiary.

The project we are looking for must show a clear potential and innovative solutions for increased interoperability and be able to create added value for the industry(s) involved in proposal. Proposal must also include a plan for how the project should be implemented and disseminated to increase competence on digital value chains and digital product passports in Swedish companies and to create an understanding of how companies can share product data in relevant ecosystems.

The project can apply for a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 10 million kroner. Support is given up to 50 percent of the project's eligible costs. The projects must last a minimum of one and a maximum of three years.

The initiative aims to promote the development of solutions and knowledge about digital value chains. The goal is to strengthen the national capacity and ability in the area and to demonstrate the potential to create benefit for Swedish business life in several industries.

We welcome project that aim to develop and validate cross-industry solutions for traceability and verification of data related to a product's life cycle, but also solutions for a specific industry. The project can focus on developing complete digital value chains for products, or important components in the value chains. Alternatively, the focus could be on knowledge aggregation and coordination to strengthen Sweden's competence in the area.

The approach in the project should be significant and ambitious. The project must build on the use of developed standards, follow the ongoing development of standards at the EU level, and contribute to standard development.

The project is expected to create the following values:

• Opportunity to share general lessons learned with the Swedish business community to promote the development of more solutions.
• Create trust in the systems that connect different actors and businesses in value systems or value chains.
• Spreading knowledge to more industries and actors to enable broad knowledge extraction and implementation of solutions to verify and share product data throughout its entire life cycle.
• Contribute to the development of standards and common specifications, international efforts and the use of open platforms.

Programmet Avancerad digitalisation

Research and innovation are absolutely crucial to strengthening Sweden's competitiveness, sustainability and resilience. The development and application of key digital technologies moves in step with and interacts with the development of other strategically important areas for transition, such as electrification, automation and the circular economy. Advanced research and development of key digital technologies is of crucial importance. Research and development in the international front line is also crucial for Sweden's supply of cutting-edge expertise.

Advanced digitalisation is an innovation program that wants to accelerate Sweden's and Swedish industry's ability to develop tomorrow's digital solutions. The goal is for Sweden to be a country where the next generation's advanced and powerful solutions are developed to cope with the green transition and our security. It is about solutions that use smart and secure data flows through complex systems of systems.

Sustainable growth and social development

Vinnova is tasked with promoting sustainable growth and community development. Genom Agenda 2030, the countries of the world have agreed on a global agreement and understanding of what characterizes sustainable development. Through our efforts, we contribute to the global commitment to reach the goals.

Our work to contribute to the goals of Agenda 2030

In Inom Agenda 2030, Vinnova has specifically identified climate and gender equality as two central sustainability perspectives to which our funded investments should contribute positively. Project financed by Vinnova are therefore expected to take special account of the climate and gender equality aspects.

One aspect that Vinnova follows up and assesses is whether both women and men take part in the grant in an equal way, participate in and have influence over the project. See section 7 under the actor criterion.

Another aspect involves analyzing and deciding whether there are gender or gender aspects that are relevant in relation to the project's problem area, solutions and utilization. This question is mandatory for all applicant and can be found under the heading " Project tasks". The answer to the question will not be an assessment-based task.

Equal innovation - what it means for you who seek funding from us

The call for proposals is aimed at consortia with at least two project parties where companies, public authority, universities, university college, research institutes can be included.

At least one Swedish company from business must be part of the consortium to ensure that the project is anchored in Swedish business and industry. In the project, at least one party must be included in the role of needs owner, that is, have a need to share and consume data about a product in its life cycle. Project that include parties from different parts of the digital value chain are encouraged. All participating parties can be companies.

Participant seeking funding must be a Swedish legal entity. 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 operating location's activities.

It is possible to apply for funding for activities that are part of research and innovation projects with a focus that fulfills the call's aim.

Activities that the call for proposals can finance include:

• Spread knowledge to more industries and actors to enable a broad extraction of knowledge and implementation of solutions that enable the verification and sharing of data throughout the product's life cycle.
• Enable secure sharing of data between actors in the value chains without moving data to a central department or third party.
• Promote circularity and sustainability by facilitating traceability of products and their components.
• Validate parts of or complete product passes in cross-industry operations.
• Through transparent data sharing, consumers' sustainable choices and actions increase, for example repair, service, reuse and recycling.
• Contribute to standardization and common specifications in areas such as data carriers, access rights management, interoperability, data storage, security and privacy, including international activities.
• Create new business opportunities for actors through circular value preservation and optimization, such as product-as-a-service activities and improved repair, service, manufacturing and recycling based on improved access to data.
• Samordna Sveriges competence in the field, create space for sharing knowledge and experiences and contribute to standard development both nationally and internationally.

We do not finance routine or recurring changes to existing products, services, manufacturing methods or processes. We also do not finance educational efforts, courses, marketing, sales, ongoing operations, quality assurance, certification, as well as intellectual property rights strategies and protection.

Our funding is covered by rules on government support. The rules govern both what kind of costs and what proportion of the costs we can finance. This is determined for each organization individually. We therefore distinguish between how much funding the project can receive, and how much each participating participant can receive.

How much funding can the project get?

The maximum amount to apply for is SEK 10 million over 3 years and the minimum amount is SEK 2 million. Support can amount to 50 percent of the total project costs. The goal is to finance a thematically balanced portfolio that covers the needs of several industries.

How much funding can a participant receive?

How much funding each participating participant can receive depends mainly on:

• which activities the party will carry out in the project.
• party size and activities.

In this the call for proposals we provide support for industrial research

Industrial research can be simply described as seeking new knowledge through planned research or critical analysis in order to develop or significantly improve products, processes or services. For the full definition, see Basis of support and support levels for funding.

What costs can we finance?

We grant funding in accordance with Article 25 of the European Commission's General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER).

De minimis support ( support of minor importance)

In this the call for proposals we can also provide support of minor importance, also called de minimis support. We can finance up to 100 percent of a project party's costs.

An organization can receive a maximum of 200,000 euros over a three-year period in this form of support, regardless of funder and project. This means that if the same organization has received support of less importance in other project from other funders, it affects how big the support can be in this the call for proposals.

To be granted this support, you need to submit a certificate of de-minimum support when you submit proposal.

Not state aid

In this the call for proposals we also provide support to organizations that do not conduct economic activities. This generally includes universities and university colleges, research institutes and other organizations that do not offer a service or product on a market.

We can finance up to 100 percent of such organizations' costs.

How do you determine whether an organization carries out economic activities?

An organization that offers any kind of service or product on a market is considered to be conducting economic activities and cannot be granted this form of support. It does not matter how the organization is financed, whether it is public or private, or whether it has a profit motive. It also does not matter what legal form the business takes - that is, whether it is a limited liability company, a trading company, an economic association, a non-profit association or a foundation.

If you are unsure whether an organization in your project carries out financial activities, contact call manager. However, the organization itself is responsible for assessing whether it carries out economic activities.

What costs can we finance?

Our funding may only go to certain types of costs. These are called eligible costs.

In this the call for proposals these types of costs are eligible:

• Personnel costs: Salaries, social security contributions and other personnel costs.
• Equipment, land and buildings: Instruments, equipment and rent for premises other than regular business premises.
• Consulting and licensing costs: Consulting services, knowledge and patents purchased or used under license from an external actor.
• Other direct costs: For example materials, stock items and travel necessary to carry out the project.
• Indirect costs (overhead): Costs that are not incurred as an immediate consequence of but can be related to the project, for example regular premises and cleaning.
  Indirect costs may constitute a maximum of 30 percent of personnel costs.

For more detailed information on which costs we can finance, see our instruction on eligible costs.

What eligibility requirements apply to costs we finance?

For a cost to be eligible for support, it must be necessary for the activities of the project. Project costs must also be properly accounted for and reported separately from the organization's other costs. An organization may also not take up someone else's costs as its own.

For more detailed information on which eligibility requirements, limitations and exceptions apply, see our instruction on eligible costs.

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

• The project must have at least two project parties, of which at least one party must be a Swedish limited liability company from Swedish business.
• A participant must have a needs ownership role, that is, have a need to share and consume data about a product in its life cycle.
• All project parties must be legal entities.
• Proposal must be written in Swedish or English.
• The project must not have started before proposal is submitted.
• Proposal must follow all instructions and contain all appendices according to section 9.
• Funding is not granted to organizations that are insolvent or that are undergoing liquidation or company restructuring, or that have unpaid debts or payment notices with the Swedish Enforcement Agency.
• If the organization is a limited company, half or more of the share capital must not be used up.
• We take credit information on all applicant who are not public actors, and funding is not granted to organizations with the lowest credit rating C.
• An organization seeking funding for personnel costs must be registered as an employer with the Tax Agency at the latest when the grant decision is made.

What do we assess?

The project applications will be assessed in competition according to the criteria potential, actors and feasibility. The evaluators consist of a group of external evaluator appointed by Vinnova and programme manager from Vinnova. Vinnova strives to spread the scope and focus of the projects granted and reserves the right to apply a portfolio approach to project granted.

Potential

• Potential to contribute to the call's aim described in section 2 with the main focus on security, interoperability and standardization of digital value chains.
• Raises the competence and implementation ability of Swedish business in digital value chains.
• The project's potential to contribute positively to the global goals of Agenda 2030, especially climate and gender equality. Please note that assessment of gender equality is based on the applicant's answer to the mandatory question under " Project tasks."

Actors

• To what extent does the project group have access to relevant competence in sustainability linked to traceability and recycling of products.
• The competence, credibility and ability of the project parties to implement the project.
• The consortium's anchoring in Swedish business life and ability to meet the needs of business life for the entire digital value chain linked to products.
• How well composed the project team is in terms of gender distribution. As well as how well power and influence are distributed evenly between the sexes in the project team.

Feasibility

• The realism of the project plan in relation to set objective, methods, activities and budget.
• The participation and relevance of the specified project parties in the project's various work packages and activities.
• How well the project structure contributes to dissemination and future utilization of the results.
• How well risks are described and managed in the implementation of the project.
• How well aspects relating to gender equality and climate have been integrated into the project plan

How do we judge?

The project applications will be assessed in competition according to the criteria potential, actors and feasibility. Vinnova will also strive to grant a broad portfolio of project with different focuses.

The assessment is made by a group of evaluator appointed by Vinnova, as well as programme manager from Vinnova. The evaluators have experience in a wide range of areas and industries.

About our decisions

After a decision, Vinnova sends a message via e-mail to the project manager and the coordinator's signatory for each proposal with notification of approval or rejection. How much each party in the project is granted in funding is shown in the decision. The basis for support appears in the decision and also governs which costs are eligible for support. Our decision to grant or reject a proposal cannot be appealed.

Term for granted funding

For granted funding our general terms and conditions for fundingapply. The terms contain, among other things, rules about project agreements, conditions for payment, follow-up, reporting and utilization of results. Scientific publication must take place with open access in accordance with Vinnova's instructions. Current term can be found here together with help to understand and fulfill the terms

In addition to our general terms and conditions the following special conditions for granted projectapply in this call for proposals:

• With information about the project and with every publication of project results, it must be stated that the work was carried out with support from Vinnova within the program Advanced digitalisation. In English, the name is rendered with Sweden's Innovation Agency. Publication means, for example, publication, regardless of medium, and oral presentations.
• Coordinator or other representative of the project must, when invited by the program manager, participate in relevant events within the Advanced digitalisation program and in this way contribute to the spread of knowledge in accordance with the program's aim.
• The final report must contain an appendix with an overall description of the project's implementation, results and lessons learned. This appendix must be able to be distributed openly and must not contain any confidential information.

Other instructions:

• The project's participants must conduct a continuous dialogue with the Advanced Digitization program office in aim of strengthening the project's conditions for project results through dialogue in line with the program's overall objective.

In the event that the project team is not equal, not within 40/60 in terms of women and men, the following instruction applies:

• In connection with the first progress report, a plan must be attached that explains how a better gender distribution can be achieved during the project period, for example during recruitment or the like.

Supplementary special conditions can be decided for individual project.

If you do not follow our term you may be liable for a refund. This also applies if you have been granted funding incorrectly or with an amount that is too high.

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 company signatory or head of department. 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.

When the call for proposals is closed, you cannot change anything in proposal. Then you can only supplement if we ask for it.

Who can read your proposal?

Your proposal will be read by employees at Vinnova and the external evaluator working in this the call for proposals. Everyone works under confidentiality.

Applications submitted to us become public documents. This means that we must disclose them if they are requested. However, we keep confidential information that we believe could mean financial damage to the individual if disclosed. This may, for example, be information about business and operating conditions, inventions or research results.

This is how we handle public documents and confidentiality