Advanced digitalization - Industrial innovation 2025

In this call for proposals we want to finance research and innovation projects that contribute to the industrial application of advanced digitalisation. The project must be carried out in collaboration between at least two actors.

A proposal for the call for proposals should address one of the following areas:

• AI for industrial applications.
• Advanced digital infrastructure.
• Industrial flexible energy management.
• Human-AI interaction for industrial electrification.
• XR - learning and innovation.

For detailed information for each specialization, read sections 11 to 15 further down in the text.

The call for proposals is aimed at consortia consisting of at least two project partners, where at least one is a Swedish company. Other applicants may be from industry, business, academia, research institutes, public activities or public authority. The projects must be driven by the needs of industry and business, and need owners must be involved in the projects.

The duration of the projects should be 12 to 36 months. Each project can apply for between 2 and 30 million SEK in funding. Vinnova's funding can amount to a maximum of 50 percent of the project's eligible costs. The total preliminary budget of the call is 150 million SEK.

The call for proposals is part of the Advanced digitalisationprogram, an industry-driven programme to promote Sweden's and Swedish industry's ability to create future digital solutions. The projects funded will contribute to Sweden's shared ability to create and utilize digital opportunities.

Read more about the program on the Advanced Digitization website

In this call for proposals we want to fund project that develop new knowledge in advanced digitalisation for Swedish industry. The projects will promote innovation within one of the five areas of the call.

The results must have good potential for impact and dissemination to provide skills-enhancing effects for more than just the participating parties.

The call for proposals has five thematic areas. Projects applying must be relevant to one of these:

• AI for industrial applications.
• Advanced digital infrastructure.
• Industrial flexible energy management.
• Human-AI interaction for industrial electrification.
• XR - learning and innovation.

For detailed information about each focus, read sections 11 to 15 further down in the text.

The call for proposals is part of the Advanced digitalisation program, an effort from Vinnova in collaboration with industry, and mobilizes actors from different parts of society towards common objective.

Advanced digitalisation aims to strengthen Swedish research and make Sweden more attractive for research and innovation investments, and stimulate the development of advanced digital technology. The programme will be implemented with a long-term perspective and contribute to innovative, enabling technologies and the development of core competence areas that meet the needs of industry.

objective of the program is:

• Contribute to the next generation of advanced, powerful and secure digital solutions – developed in Sweden.
• Strengthen Sweden's attractiveness when it comes to research and innovation investments.
• Contribute to raising the competence and implementation capacity of Swedish business in the area of advanced digitalisation.
• Ensure increased competitiveness for industry operating in Sweden.
• To constitute a collaboration platform and function as a knowledge hub for other Swedish initiatives in the field of digitalization.
• Contribute to society's digital transformation, sustainable development and the work to achieve Swedish environmental goals.

Contribute to a sustainable system transformation

Vinnova is tasked with promoting sustainable growth and system transformation. To implement sustainable system transformation, we have chosen to base ourselves on the UN's global sustainability goals, defined in the 2030 Agenda. There, Vinnova prioritizes two perspectives: gender equality and climate change. All initiatives and project we finance are assessed based on how they contribute to these perspectives.

We therefore always follow up and assess this:

• If women and men participate in the project on an equal footing, receive contributions and have influence and power over the project.
• How well the project analyzes and takes a position on whether there are sex or gender aspects that are relevant to the project's problem formulation, solutions and effects.
• How well the project, based on the chosen focus, contributes to the climate transition, for example how the digital transition can positively contribute to energy efficiency, but also entail risks such as increased material consumption.

Making scientific publications and results available

When results from research and innovation are made freely available, more people can contribute to solving societal challenges. This the call for proposals will help make results available to everyone. Therefore, all scientific publishing should be open access.

The call for proposals is aimed at consortia with at least two participating parties, which may include industry, business, academia, research institutes, public activities, authorities or economic associations.

The projects must be driven by industry needs, and at least one company must therefore be part of the consortium. All participating parties can be companies.

A participant seeking funding must be a Swedish legal entity. In this respect, a Swedish legal entity is considered to be a foreign organization that has a branch or establishment in Sweden. The costs in the project must be attributable to activities of the branch or establishment.

It is possible to apply funding for activities that are part of research and innovation projects with a focus that meets the call's aim. See section 2, higher up in the text, for a description of the purpose.

Some examples of activities that are eligible for support:

• Investigation of technical and design conditions.
• Development of prototypes or demonstration versions of products or services. This may also include pilot work, testing and validation.
• Research and development of production methods.
• Planning and conducting studies and tests to verify an innovation.
• Investigation of market conditions, for example identifying customers, customer needs, possible partners and competitors.

We do not fund 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 strategies and protection.

The duration of the projects should be between 12 and 36 months.

What costs can we finance?

Our funding is subject to state aid rules. The rules govern what types of costs we can finance. 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 a third party.
  If costs for consulting services exceed 20 percent of a project party's budget, this must be justified in proposal. The proportion of consulting costs and the justification will be taken into account when your proposal is assessed.
• Other direct costs: For example, materials, supplies 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, such as regular premises and cleaning.

For more detailed information about which costs we can finance, see Instructions for eligible costs

What eligibility requirements apply to costs we finance?

For a cost to be eligible, 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 not claim someone else's costs as its own.

For more detailed information on which eligibility requirements, limitations and exceptions apply, see Instructions for eligible costs

Our funding is subject to state aid rules. The rules govern both the types of costs and the proportion of costs that we can finance. This is determined for each organization individually. We therefore differentiate between how much funding the project can receive, and how much each participant can receive.

How much funding can the project receive?

Vinnova's funding can amount to between 2 and 30 million SEK per project, and can amount to a maximum of 50 percent of the project's total eligible costs.

How much funding can a participant receive?

How much funding each participant can receive depends mainly on:

• what activities the party will carry out in the project
• party size and activities

The nature of the projects is primarily expected to meet the Industrial researchsupport basis. Depending on the nature of the projects regarding project activities, funding may also in some cases be granted under the Experimental Development support basis.

More information about support grounds, support levels and bonus basis can be found in the document Support levels, definitions etc. for funding according to Vinnova on the website about State aid to economic activities.

Not state aid

In this the call for proposals we also provide support to organizations that do not engage in 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 is engaged in economic activities?

An organization that offers any kind of service or product on a market is considered to be engaged in 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 has, 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 is conducting economic activities, contact call manager. However, the organization is responsible for assessing whether it is conducting economic activities.

In order for us to take a position on and assess your proposal it must meet certain formal eligibility requirements. If the requirements are not met, proposal will be rejected immediately.

Eligibility requirements on organizational form of project partners

• All project partners must be legal entities. We do not grant funding to individual companies.
• The coordinating party must be a Swedish legal entity and conduct activities in Sweden.
• The project must have at least two project partners, of which at least one party must be a Swedish company.

Eligibility requirements for project

• The project manager must be employed by the coordinator.
• The project may not begin before proposal is submitted.

Eligibility requirements on proposal

• Proposal must be written in Swedish or English.
• Proposal must follow the instructions set out in section 9.
• Proposal must contain all requested attachments.
• One and the same proposal can only be submitted to one of the call's focus areas.

What do we assess?

Proposal are assessed based on the assessment criteria below. Please note that the criterion of relevance serves as a prerequisite for the other criteria. A proposal that is not deemed sufficiently relevant will not be granted, regardless of whether the other criteria are deemed to be well met.

Relevance

• How well the project is judged to be in line with the call's focus chosen by applicant.

Potential

• The project's potential to develop solutions, knowledge and expertise within the chosen focus that can promote advanced digitalisation that renews Swedish industry in line with the program's objective.
• The project's potential impact and impact on Swedish industry.
• How well the project is assessed to contribute to increased gender equality.
• How well the project is assessed to contribute to climate change based on the chosen focus.

Actors

• The project partners' competence, credibility and ability to implement the project.
• The consortium's anchoring in Swedish industry within the chosen field.
• The ability of the project partners to disseminate, utilize, commercialize and further develop the results and knowledge generated in the project, both within their own organizations and outside the consortium.
• How well the project team is composed in terms of gender distribution. As well as how well power and influence are distributed between women and men in the project team.
• That the project is not more dependent than necessary on consulting services from external actors.

Feasibility

• The realism of the project plan in relation to set objective, methods, activities and budget.
• The participation and relevance of the specified project partners in the project's various work packages and activities.
• How well the project design contributes to the utilization and dissemination of the results, both within the own organizations and outside the consortium.
• How well risks are described and managed in the project's implementation.
• How well gender equality has been integrated into the project plan.

How do we assess?

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-making process looks as follows:

1. Proposal are submitted via Vinnova's e-services.
2. Applications that meet the formal requirements will be assessed based on the criteria stated above by Vinnova's appointed evaluator. The assessment results in a recommendation for funding.
3. If necessary, Vinnova may call for supplementary interviews.
4. Vinnova makes decisions on which project will be funded and decisions are communicated to applicant.

In addition to an individual assessment of each proposal Vinnova may apply a portfolio perspective to achieve some spread of the approved projects, regarding aspects such as areas of application and size of project.

We also assess financial status

Before deciding on funding we also conduct a comprehensive assessment of the organizational and financial status of those receiving funding. We use information we obtain from credit reports, currently from Dun & Bradstreet.

In order for us to grant funding, this applies:

• Organizations seeking funding for personnel costs must be registered as employers with the Swedish Tax Agency.
• Organizations must not be insolvent, undergoing liquidation or corporate restructuring. They must also not have unpaid debts with the Swedish Enforcement Authority.
• Limited liability companies must not have used up half or more of their share capital.
• SMEs must be able to demonstrate, upon request, that they have sufficient financial capacity to implement the project in accordance with their budget in proposal.

Once we have assessed all applications, we will send you a decision either granting or rejecting your proposal. In the decision, we state how much funding each party in the project will be granted. Our decision cannot be appealed.

What happens if you are granted funding?

If we grant your proposal, you must follow our general terms and conditions for funding.

The terms and conditions include the following:

• That you will sign a special document in which you approve your participation and commit to carrying out the project.
• That you report how things are going, your costs and achieved results to us regularly during the project period.
• If you are multiple parties, you must agree on your mutual rights and obligations in the project in an agreement. It can take time to get a project agreement in place, so it is a good idea to get this in place before the project starts.
• How the results will be used and how scientific publication will take place.

See our general terms and conditions and get help understanding and fulfilling them

You also need to follow the special conditions that apply to this the call for proposals:

• The project shall, upon invitation from the program manager, participate in relevant events within the Advanced digitalisation program and thus contribute to the dissemination of knowledge within Swedish industry in accordance with the program's aim.
• In information about the project and in each publication of project results, it must be stated that the work was carried out with support from Vinnova within the Advanced digitalisationprogram. Publication refers to, for example, publication, regardless of medium, and oral presentations. In English, the name Vinnova is rendered as Sweden's Innovation Agency.
• We may also decide to add supplementary special conditions for individual project. In such cases, they will be stated in the decision.

Could you have to pay back funding?

If you do not follow our term, you may be required to repay the amount. This also applies if you have been granted funding incorrectly or for an amount that is too high.

To apply funding, you fill out a proposal in our e-service. Proposal contains questions about the project, participating project partners and budget.

Please also attach these attachments to proposal:

• Project description
  May comprise a maximum of 10 portrait A4 pages with single-column 12-point text. The project description should follow the template found further down on this website.
• Project Summary
  Attached in a separate appendix. May comprise a maximum of 1 portrait A4 page. The project summary should be able to be shared with the program's external program board and should therefore not contain confidential or other sensitive information. The appendix is not part of the assessment process. The project summary should follow the template found further down on this website.
• CV attachment
  Relevanta CV for the project manager and all key personnel. The appendix is expected to include at least one CV per participant. Varje CV may be a maximum of 1 A4 page with 12 point text. The CV appendix should follow the template found further down this website.

Start proposal well in advance

Keep in mind that it takes time to make a proposal. Filling out templates can take several days, as it is based on the analyses you will do.

In our e-service you can start filling in the details and then continue at a later time. You can also distribute permissions to others who you want to contribute to proposal. When proposal is complete, mark it as done.

You can unlock proposal and make changes at any time, right up until the last application date. If you unlock proposal, you must then mark it as ready for it to be registered when the call for proposals closes.

When the call for proposals closes, your proposal will be registered as. We will then send an email confirmation to the person responsible for the user account, the project manager and the signatory. If you have not received a confirmation within 24 hours of the call for proposals closing, please contact us.

Once the call for proposals is closed, you cannot change anything in proposal. You can only make additions if we ask you to.

Who can read your proposal?

Your proposal will be read by Vinnova employees and the external evaluator participating in this the call for proposals. Everyone works under a duty of confidentiality.

Applications submitted to us become public documents. This means that we must disclose them if requested. However, we keep confidential information that we believe could cause financial harm to the individual if disclosed. This could include information about business and operational conditions, inventions or research results.

How we handle public documents and confidentiality

This focus will strengthen Sweden's capacity, innovative capacity and competitiveness in AI. By financing project that address complex challenges with a high level of innovation, the next generation of digital solutions is created within Swedish industry. The projects are expected to result in innovative technology or innovative solutions to new or existing application problems. Solutions can be shown as demonstrators, prototypes or pilot installations in the form of, for example, models, tools, applications, frameworks and platforms. The projects can also highlight and apply aspects of interoperability through frameworks and standards that represent, distribute and execute AI.

Underlying needs

The distance from research to application of AI has shrunk radically in a short time, and investments in AI in Sweden are nowhere near international levels. The level of safe and responsible AI use in Swedish industry needs to be raised quickly. There is a need to develop and implement solutions for applied AI, preferably with a connection to ongoing national and international research, and in broad collaboration between actors.

We expect cutting-edge, technically focused and industry relevant project within:

• Application of language models in completely new contexts.
• Trustworthy, explainable and user-friendly AI.
• AI with humans in the loop.
• AI security and resilient AI.
• Generativ AI and multimodal methods.
• AI Engineering, AI-ops, i.e. AI methods and tools for system and product development. For example, specification, coding, modeling, simulation, verification and validation.
• AI throughout the product lifecycle.
• AI in visualization.
• AI for increased sustainability.
• AI for automation and for autonomy.

Expected effects

The projects are expected to move the AI field forward and contribute to groundbreaking results in industrial applications. In the short term, we want to rapidly raise the level of safe and responsible development and use of AI in Swedish industry. We want to create broad collaboration between different actors in academia, industry and the public sector on the development and implementation of applied AI.

Within this focus, we finance project to develop solutions that contribute to increased ability of Swedish actors to create, improve, test and utilize advanced digital infrastructure. The projects can concern both software and hardware, for example electronic components, sensors and communication modems.

Underlying needs

Communication systems and digital infrastructure form the basis for digitalisation. The possibilities to connect and interconnect secure systems and devices are continuously developing. To meet eligibility requirements for future services and applications, capacity, stability, security and quality need to be improved. The use of standardized protocols and interfaces is also important to ensure interoperability between devices and systems in digital solutions.

Traffic volumes and stresses on underlying infrastructure are increasing, and an expected consequence is increased data streams and continued exponential development of network traffic. To reduce the risk of delays, and keep data close to the user, there is a need to greatly increase execution capacity, for example through distributed networks. In distributed networks, computing and storage capacity can interact with cloud environments. Computing capacity and storage technology are two other important areas of development.

Stability and the use of open standards are other relevant aspects. Industrial environments are becoming increasingly automated and dependent on digital tools. This requires robust communication networks that can withstand stress and disruption without affecting functionality. Open standards guarantee interoperability and applicability. Regulatory and intellectual property issues are also important perspectives.

Expected effects

The proposed projects must be relevant to and demonstrate impacts within one or more of the four technical sub-areas below. The proposal must state which of them the project has the greatest focus on.

Use of 5G in public and private 5G networks

Access to 5G networks and services for digitalisation of business, both through dedicated resources in public networks and own private 5G networks. This is to ensure:

• Robustness.
• Security.
• Low latency.
• Time reference.
• Energy efficiency.
• Flexibility.
• Handling large amounts of data (big data).
• Data flows.
• Features offered by 5G modems.
• The level of competence with regard to the possibilities of technology and technology choices.

Exploratory research and innovation around 6G

6G-related research and innovation projects that may also address sub-issues such as cognitive networks that automatically adapt to changing conditions and usage, for example:

• Networks with integrated, distributed or centralized computing resources.
• Resilient networks with handling of disruptions and protection against intrusion or manipulation.
• Seamless connectivity between different technologies and devices.
• Ultra-dense networks or resource-efficient networks.

Applications

Applications and digital systems that address, for example:

• Digital ecosystems with end-to-end functionality.
• Low latency applications.
• Open standards for protocols and data representation in communications, but also from industry organizations
  real-time cloud services.
• Legal and privacy aspects related to handling large amounts of data.
• Connected simple to adaptive learning sensors.
• Human-machine interfaces including next-generation internet, such as tactile internet or internet and senses.
• Application-specific 5G modems with integration into devices.

Resilient digital infrastructure

Resilient digital infrastructure includes systems that can withstand disruptions and impacts:

• Both locally, privately and via cloud services.
• Security in interaction between private and public communication systems.

Within this focus, we finance collaborative projects that, using methods in advanced digitalisation contribute to increased flexibility and energy efficiency in industrial electricity use. This can be done individually or in clusters of industries in a geographical area. Some examples of interesting areas are operational optimization and decision support for industries, preferably in collaboration with various relevant actors, which can contribute to more optimized electricity use locally and regionally.

The focus does not cover technology development for electricity generation, battery technology, hydrogen production and charging infrastructure. However, these can constitute important functions and data sources that actors need to contribute to increasing the industry's optimal and efficient production and use of electricity, including flexible electricity use. Nor is the electrification of vehicles covered, unless it is as part of a concrete industrial context, for example autonomous vehicles or machines in a mine or a port.

Underlying needs

Electrification is a central part of the sustainable transition of industry and fossil fuel independence. The need for electricity can therefore increase dramatically in areas where industries are established, or wish to establish themselves. When industries abandon fossil fuels, which have been used as raw materials in industrial processes, the use of other more sustainable energy carriers such as hydrogen increases. Hydrogen is produced via electrolysis, a process that requires large amounts of electricity. In other cases, there is a switch from fossil-based to electrified industrial heating using, for example, heat pumps or electric arc furnaces. Overall, the demand for electricity increases as other energy carriers are phased in and replace the fossil alternatives.

Today, the electrification of industry is limited by the insufficient transmission capacity of the electricity grid. One limiting factor is the ability to expand existing grid subscriptions and to obtain grid connections for new industrial facilities. When large consumers improve energy efficiency and adapt electricity consumption to the currently available grid capacity, it frees up space that allows for shorter connection times for new or expanded operations.

Advanced digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence, can help meet the industry's need to develop and implement models for forecasting, decision support and more automated control. In this way, achieving increased efficiency and flexibility for one or more industrial actors in geographical clusters increases the possibility of connecting to the electricity grid faster and accelerating electrification.

Expected effects

The projects are expected to increase the possibility of flexible electricity use among one or more industrial actors in a geographical cluster, preferably in collaboration with various relevant parties.

Advanced digital technology will help optimize the operation of industrial facilities in real time using model-based control. This often means that large amounts of data need to be managed and analyzed continuously, for example using AI/ML-based algorithms and models such as digital twins of industrial facilities and their context in the energy system or electricity grid.

Digital models can also be built to provide decision support for the control of an entire cluster of factories and other consumers in a geographical area. This provides the opportunity to adapt the cluster's total electricity use to the currently available grid capacity via price signals and other influencing factors. results of the projects will thus enable more actors and expanded activities to be connected to the grid more quickly, thereby accelerating the electrification of industry.

Digital solutions must be consistently designed taking into account aspects of resilience and robustness, including cybersecurity.

Project will contribute to developing and implementing results that ensure industry's access to the electricity it needs, when it is needed, at a reasonable price.

Within this focus, we fund project that create solutions to increase trust in advanced digitalization solutions, such as AI in decision support systems for increased energy efficiency and flexible electricity use in industry. If relevant, the projects are welcome to collaborate with electricity grid actors.

The focus does not cover technology development for electricity generation, battery technology, hydrogen production and charging infrastructure. However, these can constitute important functions and data sources that actors need to contribute to increasing the industry's optimal and efficient production and use of electricity, including flexible electricity use. Nor is the electrification of vehicles covered, unless it is as part of a concrete industrial context, for example autonomous vehicles or machines in a mine or a port.

Underlying needs

Decisions that affect how industrial processes are run can quickly have major consequences for the function and capacity of the electricity grid. Therefore, improved methods are needed for testing and developing new advanced decision support tools before they are implemented in operations. When industrial players purchase advanced digital tools and methods, for example for optimized control of processes and participation in markets for flexible electricity use, user-friendliness or compatibility with existing automation systems is often perceived as insufficient. Trust in the advanced technology is often based on the knowledge and experience of the user and determines whether the tool or method is used to its full potential. In order to achieve widespread dissemination and good implementation of new advanced digital tools and methods for industrial electrification, the interaction between humans and systems needs to function well and be perceived as safe and trustworthy, regardless of whether the decision-making level is the control room or the boardroom.

Expected effects

The projects are expected to increase the user-friendliness and efficiency of the use of advanced governance and decision support systems through better knowledge, understanding and practical methods to:

• Ensure that the developed advanced digitalized solutions have user-friendly interfaces, where the state of the system can be read (observability) and that the operator can easily influence the system and model (controllability).
• Achieve a high degree of security in, and trust in, systems that have significant elements of automation and AI.
• Develop competency-building methods to embrace and participate in the development of advanced digitalization solutions, such as AI, and the site-specific implementation of these tools and processes.
• Manage alarm systems with large amounts of data and signals.

2025-01-16

Added a point in section 6 under the heading " Eligibility requirements for proposal":
One and the same proposal can only be submitted to one of the call's focus areas.