Shape the sustainable solutions of the future within the mobility or food system

Vinnova's effort Shape the future's sustainable solutions within the mobility or food system project offers to contribute with exploratory methods to making the future more tangible through so-called future prototypes. Together with developers, designers, researchers, experts, and actors within the mobility or food system, we want to bring the future to life in a way that creates commitment and change.

The future prototypes can be physical objects, digital simulations or physical or virtual environments that participants can interact with and thus also contribute their thoughts, fears and hopes about the future.

The aim of the investment is to stimulate our ability to imagine different futures, generate discussions and shape the mobility or food systems of the future in a sustainable direction.

Project parties must produce a future scenario and a prototype. The scenario must be based on signals or current events in society linked to the mobility or food system. The future prototype, which is delivered at the end of the project, is developed through the speculative design method.

This the call for proposals is aimed at collaborative projects through cross-disciplinary teams consisting of competencies in speculative design and the mobility or food system. The actor constellation must consist of at least two parties, of which at least one has expertise in speculative design.

Vinnova can grant up to SEK 700,000 per project. The total budget for the call for proposals is approximately SEK 7 million for the mobility system and approximately SEK 7 million for the food system.

The future prototype that the project designs will be demonstrated in mid-January 2025 at an opening organized by Vinnova. In addition, the projects must participate in a kickoff at the start of the project.

This call for proposals aims to stimulate the ability to look up and imagine different conceivable futures for a sustainable mobility systems or food system by developing future prototypes to make the future more concrete and tangible. What futures do we want to exist, how can we get there and how can we avoid futures we don't want to create?

The global challenges are great, at the same time that societal development is accelerating. In order to be able to make the courageous decisions required, we need tools that can help us understand what lies ahead. To be able to handle changes and new challenges actors in the innovation system must become better at understanding the future.

One way to do that is by using strategic foresight. Foresight is an approach that gives us the insights, understanding, inspiration and motivation that allow us to shape the future – not just let it happen. It is not about predicting the future, no one can do that, but about working with scenarios about possible futures based on the knowledge we have today. With their help, we can make the decisions today that shape our tomorrow the way we want.

In foresight work, you work data-driven and identify patterns based on signals and analyses. In this way, you can see when, for example, changed behaviours, new business models or new services are about to emerge. Based on what is most important for the necessary change we are facing, you then select areas where you create in-depth scenarios.

Read more about foresight

One way to work with in-depth scenarios is future prototypes, which are part of the speculative design method.

Read more about speculative design

A future prototype is a "thing from the future" such as a product or gadget that one could visit, see, feel, hear or otherwise experience. It can also be a process, a service, information material or an environment that one can imagine will exist in the future. A future prototype is deliberately designed to provoke thoughts about possible futures, desired and undesired, that have potential to create engagement and dialogue. Experiences can make it easier for participants to imagine what a possible future might look like.

By making futures concrete and comprehensible with potential future scenarios, we can more easily make decisions and conduct dialogue between different target groups about how best to deal with an uncertain future and shape sustainable mobility and food systems.

The projects decide which environment they want to use to showcase the prototypes. In this call for proposals we would like to see that you use the opportunity to think broadly, holistically and inclusively within the mobility or food system, even if the project is limited to a specific future scenario.

The projects choose to search within either the mobility or food system. Read more about each area below.

The mobility system

The transport or mobility system is crucial for the movement of people, goods and other social services and is thus central to society being able to function. The transition to a fossil-free, sustainable mobility systems requires more than just investments in clean technical solutions, improvements to the vehicle fleet or new products and services. It requires new innovative working methods and collaborations.

Sustainable mobility means all activities that enable the movement or non-movement of people, goods or other social functions that are efficient, healthy, climate-neutral and accessible and include the entire system.

• All modes of transport (eg road, shipping, rail, air).
• Supply of transportation (for example freight and passenger transport, the automotive industry, service providers, infrastructure, logistics, public transport).
• Demand for transportation (eg consumers, citizens, businesses).
• The role of system and community actors in mobility (policy and regulatory systems, planning and decision-making processes).

Never before has development progressed so quickly and the entire mobility system with all its types of traffic is changing. We are reached by information and driving forces from society within, among other things, AI, self-driving vehicles, electrification, increased expectations of accessibility and shared mobility, policy and regulations, for example, environmental zones and emission rights that affect how we travel.

In parallel, there are a number of societal challenges that also have an impact on the mobility system. These can be climate impacts, pandemics, increased surveillance affecting privacy and security, increased divides and exclusion, health challenges and global concerns. We have a choice to - based on a systems perspective - shape the mobility system of the future in a sustainable direction.

The projects must produce a future scenario where one or more signals in mobility that we can already see signs of today are illustrated based on one or more societal challenges. The scenario must describe an everyday event, situation or context in a conceivable future that addresses the mobility system. The future prototype should take place in your future scenario and inspire and provoke dialogue for the future mobility system.

The food system

The food system needs to undergo a rapid adjustment to become sustainable. Enligt Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations( FAO) is a sustainable food system a food system that delivers safe and nutritious food for everyone in such a way that the economic, social and environmental foundations for creating safe and nutritious food for future generations are not compromised.

Read more about FAO

Currently, food production and consumption account for 25 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and these emissions must at least be halved. Fourteen percent of Sweden's total emissions of greenhouse gases come from the agricultural sector, where the emissions mainly consist of methane and nitrous oxide from animal feed digestion, manure handling and nitrogen transformation in soil. At the same time, today's eating habits rank as one of the biggest risk factors for ill health and early death in the population in Sweden.
Read more at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency about agriculture and emissions of greenhouse gases
Read more at the Swedish Food Agency about eating habits and diseases

At the same time, a number of societal challenges are taking place which also have an impact on society and the food system, for example climate change, pandemics, digitalisation, increased gaps and exclusion. We have a choice to – based on a systems perspective – shape the future's food system in a sustainable direction.

This the offer is about contributing to designing sustainable food systems of the future. The projects seeking funds for future prototypes connected to the food system must also connect to one of the objective, also called missions, which are run by national innovation platforms within the initiative "A new recipe for the food system". We are asking for project with future prototypes that contribute to arousing thoughts about various desirable or undesirable futures.

A successful future prototype must be able to be integrated into the work of the innovation platforms.

The future prototypes must also be able to be used to learn about obstacles and opportunities, and be used to mobilize more resources and activities to contribute to the transition towards a sustainable food system.

The future prototypes should help to illustrate experiences that make it easier for participants to imagine how a possible future could look like, that creates commitment and that makes it possible to make decisions and conduct dialogue about the future based on the identified missions of the innovation platforms.

The innovation platforms' missions are:

• By 2035, the food system promotes a healthy life for all.
• In the future, Sweden is self-sufficient, has sustainable production and can last 30 days without access to imported inputs or food.
• Within a decade, a third of the food consumed in a city is produced, processed and sold in the city.
• Regenerate the food system by 2038.
• By 2035, everyone will be eating new fermented foods every day.
• In 2033, Sweden's public food environments secure the needs of man, society and nature.
• World-class Swedish proteins.
• In 2040, nine out of ten meals consumed in Sweden are within the planet's borders.

Here you can read more about A new recipe for the food system and the Innovation Platforms' missions

Agenda 2030 and gender equality

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. 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.

Read more about our work to contribute to the goals of Agenda 2030

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.

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. It is important that the future prototypes consider an equality and equality perspective. This question is mandatory for all applicant and can be found under the heading " Project tasks". In this call for proposals the question is the basis for assessment under the potential criterion.

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

This the call for proposals is aimed at collaborative projects through cross-disciplinary teams consisting of competencies in speculative design and mobility - or the food system. We believe that shaping a possible future is best done in project constellations that consist of different roles with different skills.

Different actors may be needed such as:

• knows the basics of foresight, signals intelligence and scenario development.
• can facilitate conversations with different target groups.
• can the mobility or food system.
• have the ability to design and build prototypes.
• have access to a location where the future scenario can play out.

However, it is not an eligibility requirements that all these actors participate in the project.

The constellation of actors must consist of legal entities such as companies, non-profit organisations, the public sector and research organisations. It must consist of at least two parties, of which at least one has competence in speculative design such as innovators, designers, futurists or similar with documented competence in speculative design and the ability to build prototypes.

For applicant within the food system, the future prototypes must be connected to one of the objective, also called missions, which are run by national innovation platforms within the initiative "A new recipe for the food system".

Applicant should conduct a dialogue with one of the innovation platforms to promote that the future prototype can be docked into the work of the platforms.

Contact details for the respective innovation platform can be found here

Foreign project parties are welcome to participate in the projects, but a prerequisite for receiving funding from Vinnova is that the project party is active and has a place of business or a branch in Sweden.

Activities for which funding can be applied for

The financing is primarily planned to include the creation of the future prototype, but also the development of future scenarios and adaptations of the environment or the creation of new environments to present and display the results.

Examples of activities for which funding can be sought are:

• to develop, test and evaluate the prototype
• signals intelligence
• environmental monitoring
• dialogue with target groups
• communication efforts.

The project that are granted funds must also participate in two mandatory activities, a kickoff and an opening organized by Vinnova. Applicant is expected to set aside project funds for these activities when drawing up the project budget.

Furthermore, applicant is expected to have a clear strategy for communication and dissemination of results as the project is seen as a communicative effort. It can be about communicative efforts such as film, blog website or other.

Vinnova also provides a blog about foresight where the projects are expected to be active. The projects may also be filmed via Vinnova's own communication efforts.

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.

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

In this call for proposals funding will be granted with support of one of the following support bases:

• Research and development projects within the category of experimental development in accordance with Section 9 Vinnova's support scheme and Article 25 GBER.
• De minimis in accordance with Section 2 of Vinnova's aid scheme and the de minimis regulation.
  Before de minimis support can be granted, a certificate of support of minor importance must be sent to Vinnova. This is done in connection with proposal.
  Read more about de minimis support and download the form here
• Not state aid in accordance with Vinnova's instructions.
  Organizations that do not carry out economic activities cannot be granted state aid. This generally includes universities and university colleges, research institutes and other organizations that do not offer any kind of service or product on a market. An organization applying for non-state support is ultimately responsible for the assessment that it does not carry out economic activities.

Beneficiary may only use the grant for 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 parties who are not beneficiary.

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 economic activities. There you will also find the GBER regulation.

Maximum funding per project is SEK 700,000. The budget for the call for proposals is approximately seven million kroner within the mobility system and approximately seven million kroner within the food system.

How much funding a participant can be granted depends, among other things, on the basis for support the grant is granted according to and the size of the organization. The document table of support levels for government support clarifies what applies to various large organizations that carry out 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.

Conditions for us to assess proposal

We will only assess applications submitted with fully completed forms and meeting the following formal eligibility requirements:

• Beneficiary are legal entities with a Swedish corporate identity number with a branch or place of business in Sweden. Only costs incurred in activities of the branch or establishment in the project are eligible for support.
• The project must be carried out by at least two project parties, of which at least one has competence in speculative design and the ability to build prototypes.
• Proposal is written in Swedish or English.
• Proposal contains the attachments Project description and CV according to the templates provided on the call's website and according to the format described in section 9.
• 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, proposal can only be completed at the request of Vinnova.

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.

Potential (weighted 40 percent)

• How well the project captures signals based on environmental monitoring and addresses current societal challenges to describe and bring to life a future scenario and prototype, as well as how relevant the prototype is for a sustainable mobility or food system.
• How accessible the prototype is to target groups in terms of location selection and demonstration.
• Potential to inspire and provoke dialogue.
• Potential for lessons learned and results to be taken on and disseminated after projectis completed.
• The project's potential to contribute to increased gender equality and inclusion.

Actors (weighted 30 percent)

• The project constellation's access to knowledge and competence within the mobility or food system.
• The project constellation's access to knowledge and competence in speculative design and creation of a future prototype.
• How well the project team is composed with respect to gender distribution, including the distribution of power and influence between women and men.

Feasibility (weighted 30 percent)

• How effectively the effort's aim and objective are achieved according to the project plan and budget.
• The project's ability to implement communication efforts, document implementation and capture project results.
• Conditions to implement the project within the time frames.
• How the project has included processes to promote gender equality and inclusion.

How do we judge?

Applications received that meet the formal requirements are evaluated in competition by internal and external evaluator. Applications within the mobility system and the food system do not compete with each other. The applications are assessed according to the assessment criteria.

Vinnova reserves the right to apply a portfolio perspective when selecting applications that are granted. With regard to the food system, this means, among other things, that when selecting future prototypes, Vinnova will take into account the connection of the future prototypes to the Innovation Platforms' missions, that the future prototypes address different areas, geographical distribution.

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 Apply button further down the page.

There you also upload the following attachments:

• Project description, maximum 7 pages with 12-point font size according to the template on the call page.
• CV attachment containing relevant CVs for project manager and all key personnel according to the template on the announcement page.

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

Mark proposal ready in good time 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.