Planning grant for international proposal 2025

This offer is aimed at those of you who are planning to apply for funding for a research and innovation project in an international call for proposals. The planning grant gives those of you who have a developed project idea an opportunity to further develop and strengthen your project application for an announced international call for proposals.

The overall goal is that the planning grant will contribute to more internationally competitive applications with Swedish participation. In your planning grant proposal you should therefore describe what activities you want to carry out to develop and strengthen your project application (for the main project, the project you are applying for in the international the call for proposals). You should also describe what role the Swedish project partners have in the preparatory work of developing the project application.

The planning project may last for a maximum of 12 months and may be completed no later than one week after the international the call for proposals has closed and the project application has been submitted.

Who can apply?

The offer can be applied for by research institutes, the public sector, actors in academia or civil society, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Sweden.

How much can you apply for?

The offer has two contribution levels, depending on the role the Swedish actor has in the project application to the international the call for proposals.

• Actors who plan to participate as participant in a project application for an international call for proposals can apply for up to 300,000 SEK.
• Actors who plan to coordinate an international project (with at least three actors from three different countries) and apply to an international call for proposals can apply for up to 500,000 SEK.

By participating in international collaborations, Swedish organizations have better opportunities to promote global sustainability and increase Sweden's competitiveness. This call for proposals aims to encourage Swedish actors to deepen their international collaborations and improve their ability to write competitive project applications for international calls for proposals. The goal is to strengthen Swedish actors' chances of participating in high-quality international research and innovation projects and increase the opportunities to receive international funding.

A special effort is being made on planning grants to design an international proposal to Horisont Europa where one of the following countries is included as participant: Brazil, Israel, Japan, Canada, Singapore, United Kingdom, South Korea and Ukraine.

Definition of planning projects and main projects

This call for proposals mentions planning projects and main projects. Within the framework of the call for proposals Vinnova finances the work on the planning project. The difference between planning projects and main projects is described as follows:

Planning project

• Aim
  To develop and strengthen a project application to an identified international call for proposals.
• Contents
  Within the planning project, you work on developing and strengthening a competitive project application for a specific published international call for proposals.
• Time frame
  The planning project may last for a maximum of 12 months. The starting date for the planning project may not be earlier than the date of the decision on whether a planning grant is granted. The end date may not be later than one week after the international the call for proposals closes.

Main project

• Aim
  The project that you will apply for funding for in the next step in a published international call for proposals.
• Contents
  The main project is described in the project application that is developed during the planning project and submitted to the international the call for proposals.
• Time frame
  The timeframe for the main project is set by the international the call for proposals.

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.

Gender-equal innovation – what it means for those seeking funding from us

Agenda 2030 as a driver for innovation

This offer is aimed at those of you who are planning to apply for funding for a research and innovation project in an international call for proposals. The planning grant gives those of you who have a developed project idea an opportunity to further develop and strengthen your project application for an announced international call for proposals.
An international call for proposals means a call for proposals in which applications are evaluated in international competition. Please note that the planning grant cannot be applied for for Eureka's programme, for example Eureka Eurostars. Small and medium-sized companies are offered free support by EU SME Support.

The offer can be applied for by research institutes, the public sector, actors in academia or civil society, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Sweden. All project partners must be legal entities. Natural persons or individual companies cannot participate as project partners. The coordinating party must be a Swedish legal entity and conduct activities in Sweden.

Foreign actors without a registered branch or establishment in Sweden can participate as project partners, but they cannot receive funding from Vinnova.

The planning project will aim to implement activities that have potential to strengthen a competitive proposal with Swedish participation in an international call for proposals.

Approved project activities within the framework of this the call for proposals are, for example:

• Activities to strengthen the consortium's composition and collaboration, such as meetings and discussions with potential international partners.
• To develop and strengthen a project idea and to write and submit a proposal to the announced international the call for proposals. If external expertise is hired to strengthen the project content (for example IPR and technical consultation), it is important to describe their competence and previous experience in the area. Please note that costs for writing consultation may amount to a maximum of SEK 75,000.
• Developing the scientific or technical basis for the project, for example by carrying out pilot or proof of concept studies. It is important to explain why this is required for a successful proposal, or if the international the call for proposals specifically requests this.
• Activities to strengthen business acumen, such as conducting IPR analyses, user interviews or developing an initial business plan. It is important to justify why these measures are needed for a successful proposal, or if the international the call for proposals specifically requires them.

What cannot be funded in this the call for proposals is, for example:

• Planning projects that do not aim to submit a proposal to an announced international call for proposals.
• Main project that focuses solely on basic research.
• Development of proposal directed to Eureka's programme, for example Eureka Eurostars.

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.
• Material costs: Instruments and equipment
• Consulting costs: Costs for consulting services from outside parties that are relevant to strengthening the project content (for example, IPR and technical consulting). You must justify the need for consulting efforts in proposal. This justification is weighed in our assessment.
  Please note that costs for writing consultancy (consultant who is involved in designing the project application for the international the call for proposals) may amount to a maximum of 75,000 SEK.
• 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.
  Indirect costs may constitute a maximum of 30 percent of personnel costs. Universities, university colleges, and certain research organizations and government agencies have higher maximum limits depending on the type of activities.

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 in the project
• recorded correctly and separately from the organization's other costs.

An organization may also 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

The state aid rules also govern how much of the costs we can finance. This is determined individually for each organization. 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?

The offer has two contribution levels, depending on the role of the Swedish actor or the actors:

• Actors who plan to participate as participant in a proposal for an international call for proposals can apply for up to 300,000 SEK.
• Actors who plan to participate as coordinator in a proposal for an international call for proposals can apply for up to SEK 500,000. The project proposal must include at least three actors from three different countries.

The planning grant may not exceed 80 percent of the total eligible costs of the planning project. The remaining amount, corresponding to at least 20 percent of the planning project costs, must be self-financed by the project parties.

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.

Please note that the maximum contribution rate per planning project is not the same as the maximum allowable support level per participant.

The level of support for each participant is limited for companies around the rules for state aid. In this the call for proposals we provide support according to the following support grounds; not state aid and de minimis support ( support of minor importance).

Read more about state aid rules on Vinnova's website

More about the grounds for support:

Not state aid

This means that we can provide support to organizations that do not engage in economic activities. This means that they do not offer a service or product in a market. This usually includes universities and university colleges, research institutes and other organizations.

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 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 has. For example, 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.

De minimis support ( support of minor importance)

In this the call for proposals we can also provide de minimis support, also known as support of minor importance.

An organization can receive a maximum of 300,000 euros over a three-year period in this form of support, regardless of the funder and project. This means that if the same organization has received support of lesser importance in other project from other funders in the past, it will affect how large the support can be in this the call for proposals.

Please submit a certificate of de minimis support when you submit proposal (see section 9 on attachments). This is required for us to be able to grant this support.

Certificate of de minimis support can be found on this page

We grant funding in accordance with the EU Commission Regulation (2023/2831) on de minimis support.

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 parties

• All project partners must be legal entities. Natural persons or individual companies cannot participate as project partners.
• The coordinating party must be a Swedish legal entity and conduct activities in Sweden.
• Foreign actors without a registered branch or establishment in Sweden can participate as project partners, but they cannot receive funding from Vinnova.

Eligibility requirements for the project

• The project manager must be employed by the coordinating party in the project.
• The planning project may last for a maximum of 12 months.
• The planning project must be completed no later than one week after the international the call for proposals has closed and the project application has been submitted.
• Costs for writing consultation may not exceed SEK 75,000.

Eligibility requirements on proposal

• Proposal should refer to a planning project for a specific announced international call for proposals and must include a working direct link to the international the call for proposals. An international call for proposals means a call for proposals in which submitted applications are evaluated in international competition.
• Proposal must be written in Swedish or English.
• Proposal must follow the instructions given in section 9.
• The grant applied for may constitute a maximum of 80 percent of the planning project's total eligible costs. This means that at least 20 percent of the applicant party or parties' own funding is required.
• For companies, it is mandatory to attach a signed certificate of "De minimis Support " (de minimis support) as an attachment to proposal.

What do we assess?

The planning project should be in line with aim and objective of the identified international the call for proposals and will be assessed against the criteria below. If the international proposal has specific eligibility requirements for self- funding, it is important that the applicant describes how they plan to meet these eligibility requirements and secure the necessary self-funding to carry out the main project.

Potential

• The planning project's potential to develop and strengthen a competitive project application for an international call for proposals.
• The planning project's potential to engage relevant actors both internationally and nationally.
• The main project's potential to be granted international funding.
• The innovation level of the main project.
• The main project's potential to contribute to increased gender equality and the global goals of Agenda 2030.

Actors

• How well composed the project team is in terms of gender distribution, and how well power and influence are distributed between women and men in the project team.
• How good is the project team's (including consultants hired by the project) capacity, competence and ability to develop and strengthen a competitive international proposal.
• How well the need for consulting services has been justified if a project party's budget includes consulting costs.

Feasibility

• How well gender equality has been integrated into the planning project plan.
• How realistic, credible and appropriate is the planning project's schedule and budget.
• How effective are the planning project's activities in strengthening an international proposal and, if relevant, in creating deeper collaborations.

How do we assess?

The assessment is based on proposal submitted via Vinnova's e-services.

Applications for planning grants that meet the formal requirements are evaluated against the assessment criteria by an assessment group consisting of external evaluator and Vinnova employees. The assessment takes place in competition between submitted applications. The overall evaluation results in a recommendation, based on which Vinnova makes a decision. Vinnova reserves the right to apply a portfolio perspective when selecting planning grants.

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, nor must they 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, upon our request, be able to demonstrate that they have the financial means to implement the project according to their budget in proposal. They cannot use public funding or their own funds intended for other project to cover project costs in this call for proposals.

Once we have assessed all applications, we will send you a decision either granting or rejecting your proposal. Our goal is to make the decision no later than 4 weeks after closing. In the decision, we will 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 include, among other things:

• 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.

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:

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.

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, as well as 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