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.
The following costs are eligible:
- Staff costs
- Costs of equipment, land and buildings to the extent and during the time they are used for the project
- Costs for consultants and licenses etc
- Other direct costs
- Indirect costs
More information on term, limitation and scope for each cost type mentioned above can be found in the Instructions for Vinnova's term on eligible costs.
Instructions for Vinnova's term on eligible costs
Support bases and support levels
Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 (GBER)
Funding for organizations that carry out economic activities is covered by rules on state support. Read more about government support on our website.
By economic activities we mean all activities that involve offering goods and services on a market. This is independent of legal status, how the business is financed and whether the entity was established for profit or not. What is decisive is the type of activities carried out, not the form of company.
The rules govern, among other things, which types of costs and what proportion ( aid intensity) of an organization's eligible costs may be covered by funding. The level of support depends on the size of the organization and the nature of the project activities carried out.
Funding is granted according to Vinnova's regulation (2015:208) on state support for research and development and innovation and Article 25 of Commission Regulation (EU) No. 651/2014 (GBER).
The following support bases can be used for the organizations that carry out economic activities:
Feasibility study: the activities for which you are seeking funding must meet the description for the feasibility study (art. 25).
Innovation project: the activities for which you are seeking funding must meet the description for industrial research (art. 25) or experimental development (art. 25).
Feasibility study: " evaluation and analysis of the potential of a project aimed at supporting the decision-making process by objectively and rationally revealing the project's strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and risks and identifying the resources required to implement it, and finally the prospects for that the project will be a success".
Industrial research: “planned research or critical analysis, aimed at acquiring new knowledge and new skills to develop new products, processes or services, or to significantly improve existing products, processes or services. This includes the creation of components that form part of complex systems, and may include the construction of prototypes in a laboratory environment or in an environment with simulated interfaces to existing systems and to pilot operations, if this is necessary for the industrial research, especially for general technology validation”.
Experimental development: “acquiring, combining, shaping and using existing scientific, technical, business and other relevant knowledge and skills with the aim of developing new or improved products, processes or services. This can also include e.g. activities aimed at conceptual definition, planning and documentation of new products, processes or services. Experimental development may involve the prototyping, demonstration, piloting, testing and validation of new or improved products, processes or services in environments that correspond to realistic operating conditions, where the primary purpose is to make further technical improvements to the products, processes or services that have yet to be developed. are not fixed, This may include development of a commercially useful prototype or pilot work that is necessarily the final commercial product and is too expensive to produce to be used only for demonstration and evaluation. Experimental development does not include routine or recurring changes to existing goods, manufacturing methods, manufacturing processes, services or other ongoing operations even though these changes may involve improvements."
The document below, "Support levels, definitions, etc. for funding according to Vinnova's support scheme" clarifies what applies to organizations that carry out economic activities. There is a table of the highest possible support levels for different types of efforts depending on company size.
" Support levels, definitions etc. for funding according to Vinnova's support scheme"
Each individual participant is responsible for ensuring that the funding received funding not exceed the aid intensity that is permitted according to the rules for government support.
Below is a tabular compilation of maximum permitted support levels for different types of efforts depending on company size (from the document ''Support levels, definitions, etc. for funding according to Vinnova's support scheme''). The support levels refer to the maximum permitted support for eligible costs, per beneficiary, in percentage.
Feasibility studies
Funding for (current paragraph in the support scheme or article in GBER) | Small business (% aid intensity) | Medium-sized company (% aid intensity) | Large company (% aid intensity) |
Feasibility study (section 9 / art. 25) | 70 | 60 | 50 |
Innovation project
Funding for (current paragraph in the support scheme or article in GBER) | Small business (% aid intensity) | Medium-sized company (% aid intensity) | Large company (% aid intensity) |
Industrial research (section 9 / art. 25) If at least one of (1) and (2) is fulfilled: (1) (a) ``De facto cooperation'' between at least 2 companies of which at least one is an SME, or the cooperation is carried out in at least 2 Member States, or the cooperation is carried out in a Member State of an EEA country, and none of the companies represents more than 70% of the total eligible project costs; or (b) ``Actual collaboration'' between companies and one or more research organizations, and research organizations. accounts for at least 10% of the eligible costs and has the right to publish its own results. (2) The results of the research project are widely disseminated through conferences, publication, open databases or free or open source software. | 70 80 | 60 75 | 50 65 |
Experimental development (section 9 / art. 25) If (1) actual collaboration or if (2) the results are disseminated: Same bonuses, under the same conditions, as for industrial research, see above. | 45 60 | 35 50 | 25 40 |
Support of minor importance (de minimis support)
Small businesses can apply for funding according to § 2 regulation (2015:208) on state support for research and development and innovation and the commission's regulation no. 1407/2013 on support of minor importance (de minimis support). Before such support can be granted, a certificate of minor support must be submitted to Vinnova. This is done in connection with proposal. Maximum permitted support of minor importance is 200,000 euros per recipient during the last three tax years. More information is available on our website State support for economic activities (businesses) under the heading Support of minor importance.
Funding for (current paragraph in the support scheme or article in GBER) | Small business (% aid intensity) | Medium-sized company (% aid intensity) | Large company (% aid intensity) |
Support of minor importance / de minimis support (2 § 2 p./Commission Regulation (EU) no. 1407/2013) | No limitation in aid intensity Max €200,000 in 3 financial years | No limitation in aid intensity Max €200,000 in 3 financial years | No limitation in aid intensity Max €200,000 in 3 financial years |
Funding that does not constitute state aid
Organizations that carry out non-economic activities can be granted funding that does not constitute state aid when they participate in their non-economic activities.
