Cyber security for advanced digitalization 2024

A call for proposals within the program Advanced digitalisation

This the call for proposals offers funding for project that will develop solutions to the cyber security challenges that arise when new advanced digitization solutions are implemented in businesses. The projects that are financed must address the needs of industry and business, both today and in the future.

The call for proposals is part of the Advanced digitalisation programme, which is an industry-driven programme to promote Sweden's and Swedish industry's ability to create the digital solutions of the future. The program's starting point is the system-by-system aspect, where combined data flows from several systems enable new and expanded areas of use. Interconnected systems that share data facilitate many processes and create new opportunities, but can also involve security risks. A basic prerequisite for industry and business to be able to use advanced digital solutions is that data and flows between systems are robust from a cyber security perspective.

More information about the program

Overall lessons learned and results from funded project must be able to be shared openly after the end of the project to contribute to Sweden's common ability to create robust and secure digital solutions.

The call for proposals is aimed at consortia consisting of at least two project parties of which at least one Swedish company. The applicant can be from industry, business, academia, institutes, public activities or authorities. The projects must be driven by the needs of industry and business, and the owners of the needs must be involved in the projects.

The duration of the projects can be a maximum of 2 years. Each individual project can apply for funding in the range between 2 and 10 million kroner. Vinnova's funding can amount to a maximum of 50 percent of the project's eligible project costs. The call's total budget is SEK 50 million.

This the call for proposals aims to solve some of the cyber security challenges that arise when new advanced digitization solutions are to be implemented. The projects financed in this call for proposals must address the needs of industry and business, both today and in the future. Overall lessons learned and results from funded project must be able to be shared openly after the end of the project to contribute to Sweden's common ability to create robust and secure digital solutions.

The call for proposals is part of the Advanced digitalisation programme, which is an industry-driven programme to promote Sweden's and Swedish industry's ability to create the digital solutions of the future.

This the call for proposals aims in particular to contribute to the following results within the program:

• Sweden has the ability to develop next-generation digital solutions.
• Swedish industry has an ability to quickly use new digital solutions.
• Develop solutions for increased interoperability between digital products, services and systems.

The program's starting point is the system-by-system aspect, where combined data flows between different systems enable new and expanded areas of use. Connected systems that share data facilitate many processes and create new opportunities, but can also involve security risks. A basic prerequisite for industry and business to be able to use advanced digital solutions is that data and flows are robust from a cyber security perspective.

By cyber security is meant here not only protection against antagonistic threats or attacks, but protection against vulnerabilities that can lead to unwanted consequences in the broadest sense. The stability of digital systems also depends on protection against natural threats, system failures and human errors that can create disruptions and interruptions in the digital functionality. A high level of cyber security can partly help to avoid the occurrence of incidents, partly to avoid unwanted consequences should an incident still occur.

The government has expressed that Sweden should be a country where the next generation of advanced and powerful digital solutions are developed, not least as a means to cope with the green transition. Currently, new digital technologies are being developed at a rapid pace and are being implemented continuously in businesses around Sweden. When these technologies are to be implemented, there are often security challenges and issues that need to be addressed.

Listed below are some examples of possible issues to work on in the projects from a cyber security perspective:

• Software needs to be updated several times an hour. How can we ensure that systems handling hundreds of Gbit/s can be updated during operation without losing functionality?
• The availability of large amounts of data, along with advances in computing power, has enabled the development of artificial intelligence applications. How can we promote safe AI solutions and future possible certification systems? How can we trust decisions made or supported by AI?
• The complexity of interconnected and distributed systems underscores the need for proactive and automated detection, analysis and mitigation of cyber security attacks. How can cloud-based systems, data and infrastructure be secured?
• The human factor is often a contributing cause of incidents. Could new types of efforts to influence culture and behavior of people provide a higher level of cyber security? What would these look like?
• Separating data into different security domains is a fundamental principle for building cyber-secure systems. How should systems with different domains be managed? How is access to irrelevant information prevented?
• A supply chain attack (Supply Chain Attack) is a cyber attack that can be through hardware or software and can happen in any industry. How can we protect ourselves against such attacks?
• Information often needs to be shared between different actors. How can the integrity and reliability of information be ensured when it is shared between actors?

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 to everyone and scientific publication should take place with open access.

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.

Read more about 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 on and assesses is whether both women and men equally share in the contribution, 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" in Vinnova's e-service for applications. In this call for proposals the question is not the basis for assessment.

Read more about what our work for equal innovation means for those of you who seek funding from us

The call for proposals is aimed at consortia consisting of at least two project parties. The projects must be driven by the needs of industry and business and at least one Swedish company must be participant in the consortium. The applicant can be from industry, business, academia, institutes, public activities or authorities. Owners of needs must be involved in the projects.

Participant seeking funding must be a Swedish legal entity with its registered office in Sweden. In this respect, a foreign organization that has a branch or place of business in Sweden is equated with a Swedish legal person and a Swedish company. The costs in the project must be attributable to the branch's or operating location's activities.

Activities for which funding can be applied for

With this the offer we provide support for the development of technology, processes, methods, policy and other aspects that are important for new advanced digitization solutions to be cyber-safe throughout the entire life cycle. The projects financed in this call for proposals must address the needs of industry and business, both today and in the future.

The length of the project can be a maximum of 2 years.

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

Funding and eligible costs

Vinnova's funding takes place through funding. The general prerequisites for a cost to be eligible for support can be read in section 2 of Instructions for eligible costs. In section 4 of the instructions, a detailed description of each cost type is given.

Here you will find instructions for Vinnova's term on eligible costs

The call's total budget is SEK 50 million.

Funding per project

Each individual project can apply for funding in the range between 2 and 10 million kroner. Vinnova's funding can amount to a maximum of 50 percent of the project's total eligible project costs.

Funding per participant

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.

See our general terms and conditions for funding and Instructions for eligible costs

Funding to parties that carry out economic activities is granted according to § 9 of the regulation 2015:208 on government support for research and development and innovation. This means support for research and development projects. This is described in Article 25 of the EU Commission's Block Exemption Regulation number 651/2014, known as GBER.

Both the regulation 2015:208 and GBER are described in more detail on the website about State support for economic activities. There are also links to the regulations themselves.

The nature of the projects is expected to meet the description for Industrial research, which has the following term of maximum aid intensity to an individual beneficiary based on organization type:

• Small companies are companies with 1-49 employees and a turnover of a maximum of EUR 10 million. They can have a maximum of 70 percent of their costs covered by funding.
• Medium-sized companies are companies with 50-249 employees and a maximum turnover of EUR 50 million. Their funding can amount to a maximum of 60 percent of the costs.
• Large companies have more than 250 employees and a turnover of more than EUR 50 million. For them, a maximum of 50 percent in fundingapplies.

All kinds of companies can get an additional 15 percent support, up to a maximum of 80 percent, if they meet certain term. More information can be found in the document "Support levels, definitions and more for funding according to Vinnova" on the website about State support for economic activities.

Funding will preferably be granted for Industrial research, but in individual cases also for Experimental development.

Se Kapitel 1, Article 2 of the GBER for definitions:

• Item 85 for Industrial research.
• Item 86 for Experimental Development.

Please note that the support levels for different organization types above only apply to Industrial research. All details about support levels for different purposes and organization types can be found in a table in the document "Support levels, definitions and more for funding according to Vinnova" on the website State support for financial activities. There you will also find the GBER regulation.

Non-state aid is granted to parties that do not carry out economic activities, for example universities and university colleges, research institutes and public activities. Their maximum aid intensity is 100 percent. Regulation 2009:1101 with instruction for the Agency for innovation systemapplies here.

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

• The consortium consists of at least two project parties, of which at least one is a Swedish company.
• All project parties must be legal entities.
• The project manager must be employed by a participant.
• The project duration is a maximum of 2 years.
• Proposal must be written in Swedish or English.
• Proposal must follow all instructions and contain all appendices according to section 10.

What do we assess?

Proposal must be in line with the call's objective and aim stated in section 2 and will be assessed according to the criteria below. In addition to an individual assessment of each proposal, Vinnova may apply a portfolio perspective to achieve a certain spread of the granted projects, regarding aspects such as areas of application and size of project.

Potential

• Potential to contribute to the call's aim described in section 2.
• Potential to develop knowledge and skills that can promote cyber security for advanced digital solutions.
• The project's potential impact and impact on Swedish business and industry.
• The project's potential to contribute positively to the global goals in Agenda 2030, as well as minimize the negative effects.

Actors

• The competence, credibility and ability of the project parties to carry out the project and implement solutions for the identified cyber security challenge.
• Stakeholders' commitment and the project's anchoring in Swedish industry and business.
• The project parties' ability to spread, utilize and further develop the knowledge generated in the project.
• How well the team's key personnel are composed with regard to gender distribution, as well as the distribution of power and influence between women and men.

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 dissemination and spread of the project results and newly acquired knowledge is planned.

The applications will be assessed in competition and the assessment is based on the electronic proposal submitted via Vinnova's e-services.

Schematically, the decision process looks like this:

1. Proposal are submitted via Vinnova's e-services.
2. The applications that meet the formal requirements will be assessed based on the criteria stated above by Vinnova's appointed evaluator.
3. The assessment results in a recommendation to funding. Vinnova makes decisions about which project are to be financed and decisions are communicated to applicant.

Vinnova strives to achieve a certain spread of the challenge area and size of the granted projects and reserves the right to apply a portfolio approach to granted project.

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

There you also upload the following attachments:

• Project description that includes a maximum of 10 vertical A4 pages with single-column 12-point text. The project description must follow the mandatory template that can be downloaded from the call's website.
• Project summary in a separate appendix that may cover a maximum of 1 vertical A4 page. The project summary must be able to be shared with the program office and its external program council and must therefore not contain confidential or other sensitive information. The project summary is not part of the assessment process. It must follow the mandatory template that can be downloaded from the call's webpage.
• CV attachment for key personnel according to mandatory template. Varje CV must be a maximum of 1 A4 page with 12-point text per person

Programmet Avancerad digitalisation has a program council with representatives from Swedish industry who participate in the design of calls for proposals based on industrial needs in order to fulfill the programme's objectives.

Only requested pages and attachments will be assessed. Do not attach any documents not requested above. References to web pages will not be considered.

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 unlock proposal and make changes at any time, right up until the last application date.

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