Impact Innovation - call for proposals for strategic projects

About strategic project in Impact Innovation

The call for proposals is carried out within the framework of Impact Innovation - an initiative by the Swedish Energy Agency, Formas and Vinnova.

Impact Innovation is an actor-driven and long-term collection of forces that will contribute to global competitiveness through transformation for sustainable development.

There are five programme within Impact Innovation and their conversion goals (missions) are about:

• zero emissions from industry
• sustainable metal and mineral supply
• resilient management of water resources
• a reformed public sector
• sustainable built environments and mobility.

Read more about Impact Innovation

The call for proposals is aimed at actors from various sectors, industries and organizations who have the skills and resources to implement so-called strategic project. There are a number of efforts that meet (sub-) objective and have an effect within one of the five programs within Impact Innovation.

The need for strategic project is defined by the programs themselves and formulated as a number of offers in this call for proposals. Read more about current offers below.

Information about the skills and resources required to implement a certain strategic project ( offer) varies. The amount of funding, support grounds and maximum aid intensity also depends on the specific the offer.

Offers are added in step with the needs of the programs and disappear as executors are appointed. The call for proposals is continuously open, but applications are assessed on several occasions.

This the call for proposals within the Swedish Energy Agency's, Formas' and Vinnova's joint effort Impact Innovation is linked to the program's needs for so-called strategic project.

The purpose of the strategic projects within Impact Innovation is to finance precision efforts, with defined activities or results that are needed to reach stated objective and sub-goals. And with expected importance for adaptability and benefit.

What characterizes a strategic project within Impact Innovation?

Strategic project within Impact Innovation:

1. Responds to needs that the program office has identified in collaboration with the actors in the program.
2. Used for activities that lead to designated objective, or bridge critical knowledge or development gaps. The result is thus beneficial for the entire program and mission.
3. Has a smaller target group of possible actors than a traditional call for proposals.
4. The purpose is addressed by one or a few project and is therefore not suitable for a traditional call for proposals. It is positive when actors find each other and create a consortium for the task.
5. Project must consist of research, development and innovation activities.
   
   

What are the programs within Impact Innovation?

Net Zero Industry

Development of a resource-efficient and resilient industry with international competitiveness.

Mission: Extreme resource efficiency and resilience in industry.

Program Statement: Focus on extreme resource efficiency and resilience in industry. The transition goals include a 75 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption.

More information about Net Zero Industri and contact persons

Swedish Metals & Minerals

Swedish Metals & Minerals Samarbeten for a safe supply of metals and minerals within the boundaries of the planet.

Mission: Ensure a sustainable and resilient metal and mineral supply.

Program statement: Increase and secure access to metals and minerals, while reducing the planetary footprint of extraction and production. Metals and minerals that are extracted, or recycled, must generate as much useful function and as little waste as possible. The program will work for collaboration in the value chain nationally and internationally, design business models, policy proposals and social innovation that pave the way for solutions required to fulfill the mission.

More information about Swedish Metals & Minerals and contact persons

Water Wise Societies – sustainable water for all by 2050

System changeover for sustainable water management – for people, society, business and the environment.

Mission: Sustainable water for all by 2050.

Program statement: Bring about a system change for the management of water resources and related infrastructure. The goal is a future where water is available in the right quantity and quality and provides good conditions for people, the environment, ecosystems, industries and society at large. Despite a changing climate.

More information about Water Wise Societies and contact persons

SustainGov

Community management for a democratic, powerful and fair transition for all.

Mission: Transformation of the public sector.

Program statement: Contribute to a sustainable transition being made in a democratic, legal and effective way. The basic idea is that a reformed public sector is central to achieving sustainability within the planet's borders, health and well-being for all inhabitants.

More information about SustainGov and contact persons

Shift Sweden

Transition to fossil-free and resource-conscious societies, attractive and accessible to all.

Mission: Transform, fossil-free and resource-conscious, into attractive living environments for everyone.

Program statement: Bringing together the construction and transport sectors to mobilize actors around three shifts – integrating the built environment and mobility into an ecosystem, creating new values through circular business models, and creating competitive alternatives to individual car travel. The program will show how such a transition can take place in urban, semi-urban and peripheral environments all over Sweden in a fossil-free and resource-conscious way.

More information about ShiftSweden and contact persons

What is important in Impact Innovation?

Every offer to implement a strategic project is unique, but below are listed some points that are generally important for the Impact Innovation venture as a whole. With the exception of the last point, the information below should be seen as background information, not something that applies to all strategic project.

Read the information under each offer to find out specific eligibility requirements.

The importance of a systems perspective

Problems with an unambiguous solution are not the focus of Impact Innovation. The challenges of the programs are difficult to grasp, changing over time, difficult to describe fully or visibly self-contradictory. It is therefore important to have a systems perspective: that is, to look at the whole and not just the parts and downpipes, but its interconnections. The system perspective is a prerequisite for social impact.

The importance of foresight

To be able to make the decisions required for system change, tools are needed that can help us try to imagine what lies ahead. Foresight can prepare for possible events in the future, how to deal with them and create a basis for strategic decisions. Interesting images of the future or future scenarios can, for example, relate to changed behaviour, new business models or new services and technologies.

The importance of active participation, user involvement and policy development

To be able to influence the entirety of a system, actors who have different perspectives and who work in different sectors, industries and parts of the value chain need to be involved. The actors need to participate actively with both powers and responsibilities. Not only the creators and enablers are needed, but also users must be involved early. This is to be sure that the right solutions are developed, but also to create sustainable financing models over time and management structures for the solutions. In this way, they can be scaled up, spread and utilized for maximum effect in the system.

In addition, active work is required to remove any obstacles to the introduction of the solutions with the help of policy development to, for example, adapt laws and regulations. This means that it is important to involve, for example, system administrators and developers, problem owners, suppliers and users already in the formulation of the challenge.

The importance of having internationalisation as a starting point

The Impact Innovation programs have a strong international perspective, this in order to be able to contribute to their missions and milestones. Solutions or contexts may exist internationally, or future new solutions may create international interest or competitiveness and the need to connect with international actors. The programs within Impact Innovation therefore work with an international perspective and an active monitoring of the world around them.

The importance of sustainable system change

Impact Innovation will contribute to global competitiveness through transformation for sustainable development. Through our efforts, we contribute to the global commitment to reach the goals in Agenda 2030. In order to achieve sustainable system change, it is important that project in the design of new solutions handle goal conflicts and minimize the risk of unintended negative effects.

One aspect that Impact Innovation follows up and assesses is whether both women and men equally share in the contribution, participate in and have influence over the project, see section 7 and criterion for Actors.

Another aspect involves analyzing and deciding whether there are gender aspects that are relevant 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". When the question is the basis for assessment, it is clear from the description of the respective offer.,

Equal innovation - what it means for you who seek funding from us

The call for proposals is aimed at actors with specialized skills or resources in areas of importance for the mission within one of Impact Innovations's programme. Resources also mean that actors are part of a specific context or constellation, or have developed a special way of working or a business model. Read more about the skills and resources needed under each offer.

It is positive when such actors find each other and create a consortium for the task.

Those of you who apply together do so as project partners, where one of you acts as coordinator. A participant is actively involved in the project and shares risks and results. It is important that project partners and key people participate with active involvement.

There are other ways for organizations to participate in a strategic project, such as being a subcontractor or reference group member.

The activities of a strategic project must fall within the definition of what is described in GBER Article 25, i.e. basic research, industrial research, experimental development or feasibility studies.

A strategic project can also fall within the definition for GBER article 26, 29, 30, 31, i.e. "Investment support for testing and experimental infrastructure", " Support for process innovation and organizational innovation", " Support for research and development in the fisheries and aquaculture sector" and " Support for education".

The above applies regardless of whether the grant is granted as state aid or not.

See more information and definitions on relevant articles in GBER

Our funding is covered by rules on state aid. The rules govern both what kind of costs and what proportion of the costs we can finance. This is determined for each organization individually. We therefore distinguish between how much funding the project can receive, and how much each participating participant can receive.

How much funding can the project receive?

Maximum funding and aid intensity vary depending on offer. Read more about the limits that apply under each offer.

How much funding can a participant receive?

How much funding each participating participant can receive mainly depends on:

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

In this the call for proposals we provide support to both organizations that conduct economic activities and organizations that do not conduct economic activities.

Special limitations may apply to individual offers, read more under each offer.

How do you determine whether an organization carries out economic activities?

An organization that offers some kind of service or product on a market is considered to be conducting economic activities. 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 takes - 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 carries out financial activities, contact call manager. However, the organization itself is responsible for assessing whether it carries out economic activities.

Not state aid

In this the call for proposals we provide support to organizations that do not conduct economic activities. This generally includes public activities, 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.

State aid

In this the call for proposals we grant funding in accordance with Article 25 of the European Commission's General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER).

More information and definitions can be found here

De minimis support ( support of minor importance)

In this the call for proposals we can also provide support of minor importance, also called de minimis support. We can finance up to 100 percent of a project party's costs.

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

To be granted this support, you need to submit a certificate in connection with proposal.

We grant funding in accordance with the EU Commission Regulation (2023/2831) on support of minor importance.

What costs can we finance?

Our funding may only go to certain types of costs. 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 an external actor
• Other direct costs: For example materials, stock items 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, for example regular premises and cleaning

For detailed information on which costs we can finance, see Instructions for term on eligible costs.

Special limitations may apply to individual offers.

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 also not take up someone else's costs as its own.

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

In order for us to take a position on and assess your proposal it must meet certain basic requirements - so-called formal eligibility requirements. If these eligibility requirements are not met, our evaluator will not handle your proposal.

The general formal requirements are:

• The coordinating party must have a Swedish organization number and conduct activities in Sweden.
• Beneficiary must have a Swedish organization number and that the costs for participation in the project are worked out in a branch or place of business in Sweden.
• The project manager must be employed by one of the project parties.
• Proposal is written in Swedish or English.
• Proposal must follow the instructions set out in section 9.
• Funding is not granted to organizations that are insolvent or that are undergoing liquidation or company restructuring, or that have unpaid debts or payment notices with the Swedish Enforcement Agency. Credit information is provided and the organization must not have score of C.
• If the organization is a limited company, half or more of the share capital must not be used up.
• An organization seeking funding for personnel costs must be registered as an employer with the Tax Agency at the latest when the grant decision is made.

Special formal eligibility requirements may apply to individual offers.

What do we assess?

A prerequisite for a strategic project to be announced is that it is relevant to and expected to contribute to one of Impact Innovation-programmens's missions. The assessment will therefore focus on competencies, resources and plans to implement a strategic project, and on the project's potential to deliver benefits according to the programs' needs.

Your proposal will be assessed based on the criteria potential, actors and feasibility. The assessment criteria for Strategic project Impact Innovation are:

Potential

• To what extent the project has potential to deliver benefits according to the selected offer.
• To what extent the project's challenge and possible solutions are defined taking into account an equality perspective and thus can contribute to increased gender equality.

Actors

• To what extent the organizations in the project have the resources and capacity to implement the project.
• To what extent the project manager and other key personnel have the competence and joint ability to carry out the project.
• How well the team (key people) is composed in terms of gender distribution, as well as how well power and influence are distributed between women and men.

Feasibility

• To what extent the project is based on a credible project plan and budget where the activities are linked to project goals and desired results and long-term effects.
• Engagement and involvement of relevant stakeholders (for example, need owners, customers, users or others). For collaborative projects: also the degree of collaboration between participating actors.
• How well aspects related to gender equality are integrated into the project plan.

How do we judge?

All applications that meet the formal requirements are assessed. Competition between applications within the same offer may occur. In that case, funds are granted to the application(s) that best meet the assessment criteria.

The evaluators consist of a group of experts appointed by Vinnova and programme manager from Formas, the Swedish Energy Agency and Vinnova. The evaluators have experience in business, public activities, academia and civil society as well as knowledge linked to a wide range of areas and industries.

Since applications can relate to different types of project, consideration will be given to the different conditions that apply to each project. This includes the classification of basis for support based on the project's planned activities.

Schematically, the decision process looks like this:

1. Only applications which, after review, meet the formal requirements set out in Section 6 will be assessed.
2. The assessments are made using the criteria stated in section 7.
3. Based on the assessors' recommendation, decisions are made about which project are to be granted funding and which are to be rejected.
4. In a competitive situation, the overall portfolio perspective will be taken into account.
5. Decisions are sent to those who have applied funding and information about granted project at www.vinnova.se and the respective programs' website.

When we have assessed all applications, we will send a decision in which we either grant or reject your proposal. In the grant decision, we state how much funding each party in the project is granted. Our decision cannot be appealed.

What 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 this:

• That you must sign a special document in which you agree to carry out the project
• That you must report your costs and results to us regularly during the project
• That, if there are several parties in the project, you must agree on what applies to the project in a project agreement
• How the results will be used, and how any scientific publication will take place

General terms and conditions for one participant and General terms and conditions for several project parties can be found on this page

You also need to follow special conditions that apply to your strategic project. These special conditions can be found under the offers. They also appear in the decision.

Can you have to pay back funding?

If you do not follow our term, you may be liable for a refund. This also applies if you have been granted funding incorrectly or with an amount that is too high.

The call for proposals is open for a few months, but received applications are assessed on several occasions. Practically, this means that we read applications on certain occasions and then assess those that have been received. The last day for submitting a proposal to a certain offer is indicated under the respective offer.

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

You also attach these attachments to proposal:

• Project plan: use the template provided.
• CV attachment for key persons: use the prescribed template, maximum 1 page per CV.

Please note: If attachments in addition to these, or excess page numbers, are sent in, these will not be read or assessed.

The templates can be accessed via the call's website.

Check that all grant parties are creditworthy

See eligibility requirements in section 6.

Start proposal in good time

Keep in mind that it takes time to make a proposal. Filling out templates can take several days, as it is based on analyzes you will be doing. Therefore, start in good time. You can start filling in information 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. If you unlock proposal, you must then mark it as ready for it to be registered at the time of reading.

Mark proposal ready in good time before the relevant reading occasion for the selected offer. Note that the reading takes place at 14.

When your proposal has been registered, we send a confirmation to the person responsible for the user account as well as to the project manager and the signatory. This may take a few hours after the call for proposals closes. If you have not received a confirmation within 24 hours after the call for proposals closes, please contact us.

When the call for proposals is closed, you cannot change anything in proposal. Then you can only supplement if we ask for it.

Who can read your proposal?

Applications submitted to us become public documents. This means that we must disclose them if they are requested.

However, we keep confidential information that we believe could mean financial damage if disclosed, for example information about the business, inventions or research results.

This is how we handle public documents and confidentiality

2024-11-19
Offer 5 has closed and this text has been added under the heading:
Please note that this offer has closed and is no longer searchable. The last application date was 18 November at 14:00:00.

2024-11-14
Offer 4 has closed and this text has been added under the heading:

Please note that this offer has closed and is no longer searchable. The last application date was 11 November at 14:00:00.

2024-10-25

Offer 3 has closed and this text has been added under the heading:

Please note that this offer has closed and is no longer searchable. Last application date was 24 October at 14:00:00.

2024-10-18

Added in offer "Die casting of major structural components":

Please note that this offer has closed and is no longer searchable. Last application date was 17 October at 14:00:00

Added in offer 6 - Net Zero Industry: Large-scale industrial transition to resource-efficient, resilient and competitive circular manufacturing (stage 1):

The offer is about developing industrial examples of system shifts towards circular manufacturing methods on a large scale. The strategic project must be able to demonstrate large-scale implementation of circular manufacturing in parallel in at least three large Swedish companies in parallel.

Also added under the heading "Who can search?":

The offer is aimed at actor constellations consisting of at least five Swedish parties (legal entities), of which at least three are large companies with manufacturing in Sweden. At least one party must belong to a research institute or academy.

As well as added under the heading "Special formal eligibility requirements and term":

At least three parties must be large companies[AH1], one of which has manufacturing in Sweden.

2024-10-11

Added offer 4,5 and 6.

No offers at the moment

Please note that this offer has closed and is no longer searchable. Last application date was 17 October at 14:00:00.

What can you apply for?

The offer is about gathering relevant parties for an industrial conversion to large-scale die casting of structural components in recycled aluminum within the Swedish automotive industry. The intention is to create Swedish cutting-edge expertise and make the manufacture of electric cars competitive.

An industrial scale-up and application of such large-scale die-casting requires an ecosystem of actors who develop different issues in parallel and put them together into a sustainable industrial overall solution. For example construction, production, materials, tools, recycling logistics and more.

The project includes understanding how the system change should take place, where obstacles and risks arise, how goal conflicts are resolved, how new value chains are built, how an supply of European recycled aluminum is secured and more.

When will the project be implemented?

The project being financed is expected to have an implementation period of 12 months.

The project must be implemented during the period November 2024 to November 2025.

Who can apply?

The offer is aimed at constellations of actors consisting of at least four Swedish parties (legal entities).

• At least two parties must be companies, one of which has manufacturing in Sweden and which wants to work together to create a project that contributes to Net Zero Industrys's mission in the long term.
• At least one party must belong to a research institute or academy.

It is an advantage if small and medium-sized companies are part of the project group, as well as if actors from different industries participate.

Foreign actors are welcome to participate in project on the following term:

• A foreign actor cannot be coordinator.
• In order for foreign actors to be granted funding it is required that they have a Swedish organization number and that the costs for participation in the project are worked out in a Swedish branch or place of business.

How much can you apply for?

The grant can amount to a maximum of SEK 4 million, and to a maximum of 50 percent of the project's total eligible costs.

In this the offer we grant funding both to organizations that do not conduct economic activities and to organizations that conduct economic activities as described in section 5.

Desired competence and ability

Project parties:
The project must be industrially driven and linked to an industrial cluster that includes both long-term competence building and has the ability for test and demonstration operations.

Consortia should include actors from research institutes and academia who can contribute to and influence research, education and competence development.

Expected results and deliveries

Expected results of all three stages:

• System understanding of how the system shift to industrial manufacturing of the floor structure in a vehicle in die-cast aluminum with a high degree of recycled aluminum is carried out with primarily Swedish actors.
• Funding for the development and concretization of Net Zero Industrys Impact Plan and thus better conditions for achieving the mission.
• 75 percent reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 compared to 2024 for the floor construction in a vehicle in die-cast aluminum with a high degree of recycled aluminum while strengthening Swedish competitiveness.

Expected results of stage 1:

• Plan for how the project will contribute to the system shift to industrial manufacturing of the floor structure in a vehicle in die-cast aluminum with a high degree of recycled aluminum must be implemented with primarily Swedish actors, including knowledge of obstacles, risks, alternatives, scenarios, schedule, critical goal gates and opportunities to succeed with the industrial system transition.
• Plan for the development of necessary new competence areas around, among other things, materials, tools, process, aftermarket, recycling, etc. to at least TRL 4 and connect them to an industrial system change.
• Analysis of how well the five system perspectives work and whether new actors need to be linked to the consortium to improve the possibilities of reaching all five system perspectives.
• Analysis of and plan for which issues should be addressed in stage 2, stage 3 and in supplementary project.
• Analysis of and plan for how research, development and teaching should be developed within designated competence areas to support the system shift.
• Analysis of and plan for how new value chains should be developed to support the system shift.
• Increased knowledge within the project about how to carry out a mission-oriented way of working as well as an anchored plan for a long-term and sustainable funding of the industrial system change after the completion of stage 3.
• Competence, basis and dialogue that contribute to developing and concretizing Net Zero Industrys Impact Plan and thereby improving the conditions for achieving the mission.
• Analysis and plan for how greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced by 75% by 2035 compared to 2024 for the floor construction in a die-cast aluminum vehicle with a high degree of recycled aluminum while strengthening Swedish competitiveness.
• Account of the potential to contribute to the program's mission from an LCA perspective.

In order to improve the conditions for the above-mentioned performance targets to be achieved and taken care of within the project, both Net Zero Industry and the financiers will assist with relevant information during the course of the granted project. This means that Net Zero Industry and the financiers plan to:

• convene seminars on, among other things, mission-oriented working methods and system demonstrators.
• share information deemed to be of relevance to the implementation.
• carry out dialogue processes for individual adaptation of any subsequent intervention.

The project shall contribute to the spread of knowledge and actively contribute to the development of Net Zero Industrys's mission through information and knowledge sharing.

Special formal eligibility requirements and term

Special eligibility requirements:

• The constellation of actors must consist of at least four Swedish parties.
• At least two parties must be companies, one of which has manufacturing in Sweden.
• At least one party must be a research institute or academy.

Special conditions:

• The project must be represented by at least one participant at the conferences and other activities organized within Net Zero Industry.
• The project must maintain a continuous dialogue with the Net Zero Industrys program office and project support throughout the duration of the project.
• When informing about the project regardless of the channel and at every publication of project results, it must be stated that: the work was carried out within Net Zero Industry, a joint effort by Vinnova, Formas and the Swedish Energy Agency within the framework of Impact innovation.

We can also decide to add supplementary special conditions for individual project. In that case, they appear in the decision.

More information and questions

For questions about the offer's background, aim and desired effects, contact the program office. It is also possible to contact Cecilia Ramberg, Calls & projects coordinator, at cecilia.ramberg@ri.se.

Offer "Expert Pool"

Please note that this offer has closed and is no longer searchable. Last application date was 24 October at 14:00:00.

What can you apply for?

ShiftSweden is looking for actors who can plan and implement the strategic project "Expertpool": to create and run a pool of experts who follow the program over time.

The expert pool should be a critical friend that ensures that the program leads towards the mission and the three shifts. This takes place through long-term support from experts who, individually and in groups, support the program office and the constellation of actors concerned with a basis for reflection and learning. It is important that it is an equal pool of experts.

The expert pool must consist partly of a core group and partly of a more loosely composed group of experts (the pool):

• The core group must consist of 6 to 8 people and be led jointly by two people. The leader of the core group must continuously coordinate the work with ShiftSweden's program management.
• In addition to the core group, there must be a pool of at least 20 experts of relevance to the program. The core group must, in dialogue with the program management, develop criteria and a process for recruiting the experts.

The expert pool shall:

1. Take part in and synthesize results from the program at a strategic level.
2. Stimulate joint reflection on the program's theory of change, orientation and working methods, and continuously propose changes in the theory of change, orientations and working methods.
3. Provide support and inspiration regarding mission- and transformation-oriented research and innovation.
4. Provide support and inspiration regarding how to ensure utilization and learning in practice.
5. Ensure connection to other initiatives in aim of contributing to joint reflection and learning.

The experts in the pool are invited to make focused syntheses and analyzes of the program's activities. The analyzes shall be published in report form and shall be the basis for conversations with relevant actors in aim to promote learning and reflection. The pool will also offer a network for experts who want to follow ShiftSweden, exchange knowledge and experiences that are relevant to the program's shifts.

The core group will meet twice a year with a mix of digital and physical meetings. The physical meetings should be 2 to 3 days each time. The program office and central project manager from ShiftSweden are also invited to these.

When will the project be implemented?

The strategic project will start with start-up work during the last quarter of 2024. It will then be in full operation for two years with the possibility of a new stage in another two years.

Milestones Stage 1:

• The composition of the core group must be completed by Q1 2025 at the latest.
• Criteria and process for recruiting the pool must be ready by Q2 2025 at the latest.
• The pool must be in place by Q4 2025 at the latest.

Who can apply?

The strategic project can be applied for by a Swedish research institute, university or university college. The project must have at least two parties.

The applicant organization signs subcontracts with other experts who are part of the strategic project.

How much can you apply for?

A maximum of four million kroner in total for stage 1. The plan is that the second stage in two more years will also have a budget of four million kroner. Maximum aid intensity for the project is 100 percent.

In this the offer we provide support to organizations that carry out non-economic activities as described in section 5.

Desired competence and ability

The two leaders of the core group must have:

• professorial competence
• many years of experience in research and innovation in civil engineering and mobility
• be able to express oneself freely in Swedish and English both in speech and in writing
• be active in Swedish research environments
• documented experience of having leading roles in long-term strategic research and innovation programs in civil engineering or mobility.

As we want to promote new collaborations, the people leading the work must not have the same employer or have previously worked closely together.

The other members of the core group shall:

• be defended
• have many years of experience in the shifts that the program aims to achieve
• have experience in translating research results into practical change and innovation work
• have roots in a Swedish or international research environment.

The group must include at least one person with specific competence in transformation and system innovation, preferably with a location-oriented focus. The majority, approximately 5 to 6, of the members should be made up of researchers from Sweden and the rest of the Nordic countries. A further 2 to 3 members are subsequently recruited from the rest of Europe.

Expert pool members shall:

• Have skills relevant to the program.

Expected results and deliveries

The core group must annually summarize their analyzes and reflections on the program's activities and work with the shifts and the mission in a concise PM. The report must contain proposals for how the program can be developed. The proposals must be the basis for discussions between the experts in the core group and the program's steering group, management or program office. The forms for this are designed in dialogue with the program management.

Special formal eligibility requirements and term

Special eligibility requirements:

• The project must have at least two parties.
• Applicant must be a non-economic activities or apply within their non-economic activities.
• Proposal must contain CVs for those who will lead the core group and at least four more of the core group's participants.

Special instructions on the project description

The project description must include detailed and clear plans for stage 1, as well as a broadly planned layout for stage two.

More information and questions

For questions about the offer's background, aim and desired effects, contact John Hultén at ShiftSweden's program account: john.hulten@shiftsweden.se

Please note that this offer has closed and is no longer searchable. The last application date was 11 November at 14:00:00.

What can you apply for?

SustainGov is looking for actors who can plan and implement the strategic project " Feasibility study: Capacity building for system transformation".

The offer is about carrying out a feasibility study on knowledge needs and capacity for system innovation in the public sector - that is, the public sector's ability to manage and lead the system transformation. Currently, there is no overall overview of the public sector's needs and capacity.

The preliminary study will inventory, highlight and spread knowledge about how individuals who work in or with the public sector at different levels can best develop a system understanding and learn about system transformation, and system innovation. What role can the public sector play as an enabler/obstacle for system transformation? The focus must be on issues relating to coordination and cooperation across sector boundaries and between administrative levels, so-called "wicked problems".

The preliminary study must be carried out based on the current international state of knowledge and on a scientific basis.

The purpose of the preliminary study is to create an overview of competence and capacity needs in the public sector, which becomes a starting point for identifying input proposals regarding capacity building. Actors who work with capacity-building initiatives for system transformation and need owners must be invited to produce suitable proposals based on scalability and quality. Through the effort, SustanGov can in the long term contribute to increasing the capacity within the public sector to speed up systemic changes in various social sectors and deal with complex societal challenges.

The preliminary study must include a broad mix of actors from different sectors to ensure a broad and multifaceted description and analysis.

Target groups for the results of the preliminary study are, in addition to SustainGov's program office and researchers, also actors who work with capacity-building efforts for system transformation and need owners in the public sector.

The preliminary study shall consist of two parts.

Part 1: Mapping of needs and existing capacity-building efforts.

Identification and initial insights regarding benchmarking of existing capacity-building efforts for system innovation, both with regard to form and content.

• Basis for further knowledge development on how actors at different levels can best develop increased system understanding and learn about system transformation and innovation with a specific focus on the role of public administration in the context.
• First insights into criteria for scalability of capacity building efforts. What are key barriers to scalability?
• First insights into indicators to assess quality, cost-effectiveness and innovation potential in various programme and modules.

The work must be done through data collection of the needs and existing capacity-building efforts, where the public sector's constellation of actors mainly consists of data delivery and empirical work.

Part 2: Analysis and recommendations for new and developed interventions.

• Based on part 1, a further analysis and recommendation for new or further developed efforts is made.
• In the analysis and development of recommendations, public sector actors are actively involved in the work.

The program office in SustianGov will be actively involved in the strategic project and will be continuously informed about the work and results of the preliminary study. A SustainGov steering group will meet with the project group every two weeks. The program office will also be actively involved in networking with external actors of relevance to the feasibility study, as well as in workshops, conferences and subsequent seminars and conferences that are part of SustainGov.

Strategic communication in connection with the project will be funded by and coordinated with SustainGov's other communication activities. For example, workshops, podcasts, proofreading, printing or digitalisation reports.

When will the project be implemented?

The project being financed is expected to have an implementation period of 12 months.

The project must start in November or at the latest December 2024 and end 12 months later.

Who can apply?

The offer is aimed at actors or constellations of actors that represent a wide range of organizations and activities of importance to the issue. This includes, for example, academic institutions, authorities and municipalities, private actors and network organizations for social innovation within civil society, so-called NGOs, non-governmental organizations. Cross-sector associations are also included. Participating organizations and businesses do not have to be formal parties in the project. In order for organizations and businesses to receive funding, however, they must be a formal participant, that is, be included in proposal as a grant applicant.

For general formal eligibility requirements regarding actors, see section 6.

Foreign actors are welcome to participate in project on the following term:

• A foreign actor cannot be coordinator.

In order for foreign actors to be granted funding it is required that they have a Swedish organization number and that the costs for participation in the project are worked out in a Swedish branch or place of business.

How much can you apply for?

The grant can amount to a maximum of SEK 1,700,000, and to a maximum of 100 percent of the project's total eligible costs.

In this the offer we grant funding both to organizations that do not conduct economic activities and to organizations that conduct economic activities as described in section 5.

Desired competence and ability

Project parties:

Coordinator must work with research-based knowledge with associated scientific methodology and a habit of carrying out competence-enhancing efforts and experience in cross-disciplinary work.

Coordinator for the strategic project must demonstrate good knowledge of SustainGov and the ability to integrate the work of the feasibility study with the program office. This is to further mobilize the sector, identify knowledge gaps, compare with international efforts and make suggestions for future open calls for proposals.

Coordinator must have experience and the ability to, together with participating actors identify, use and activate organizations, structures and processes within:

• public sector such as municipalities, regions, authorities, municipal coordination associations.
• private sector, both major and minor actors.
• the voluntary sector, such as membership and industry organisations, think tanks, study associations and network organisations.

Of particular importance is the ability to activate hybrid organizations and networks that accommodate actors in several sectors and that embrace several policy areas.

Key people:

The project requires a senior project manager (who works a minimum of 20% full-time equivalent in the project) and at least three analysts in the project group over 12 months. The project must associate a group of advisers who may be remunerated (a maximum of SEK 50,000 in total).

Expected results and deliveries

The preliminary study must answer the following questions:

• Which existing major capacity-building programme and modules concerning increased system understanding and system transformation/innovation are used today? What is their content and delivery method?
• What knowledge gaps regarding system transformation and innovation are common in the public sector and other actors within the same system?
• How can existing programme and modules be scaled up so that they can be used in several parts of the public sector and affected system actors? Are there international lessons to be learned?
• What are the appropriate indicators to assess quality, cost-effectiveness and innovation potential in different programme and modules?
• How should programme and modules be designed to ensure relevance and innovation potential within the public sector and between the public sector and its beneficiaries?

Special conditions

• The project must be represented by at least one participant at conferences and other activities organized within SustainGov.
• The project must maintain a continuous dialogue with SustainGov's program office throughout the duration of the project.
• When informing about the project, regardless of channel, and at every publication of project results, it must be stated that: the work was carried out within SustainGov, a joint effort by Vinnova, Formas and the Swedish Energy Agency within the framework of Impact innovation.

Special instructions on proposal

The proposal must clearly state how the participating the actors are to be identified and what role they will have in the project.

More information and questions

For questions about the offer's background, aim and desired effects, contact the program office. It is also possible to contact Mariell Juhlin at mariell.juhlin@miun.se.

The last application date is November 18 at 14:00:00

What can you apply for?

Net Zero Industry is looking for actors who can plan and implement the strategic project "Large-scale industrial conversion to resource-efficient, resilient and competitive circular manufacturing".

The offer is about developing industrial examples of system shifts towards circular manufacturing methods on a large scale. The strategic project must be able to demonstrate large-scale implementation of circular manufacturing in parallel in at least three large Swedish companies in parallel.

The project shall contribute to the dissemination of knowledge and actively contribute to the development of Net Zero Industry's mission through information and knowledge sharing.

The purpose of the project is to create sustainable Swedish cutting-edge expertise by gathering relevant parties for a changeover to large-scale automated circular manufacturing. It is necessary to achieve Net Zero Industry's mission of reduced greenhouse gas emissions from resources used in manufacturing. Through new repair, remanufacturing and reuse processes, as well as supply chain improvements through reduced dependence on raw material suppliers and better control over supply chain disruptions, resource efficiency and resilience increase.

A basic condition is to understand how the system change is carried out in a way that strengthens competitiveness in various industries. The call for proposals is asking for project that can contribute to system understanding and that can show how the system shift takes place. By working in parallel within several large Swedish companies, Net Zero Industry wants to offer actors from different industries to follow the system change and gain knowledge of how to change the business model and operating model on a large scale in order to be able to make similar system changes in their own operations more quickly.

In order to manage the project, Net Zero Industry believes that a mission-oriented working method and a framework with several system dimensions are needed. In this context, a framework with the following five dimensions of change shall be used:

• new technical solutions
• functioning business or value models
• supporting infrastructure and production systems
• enabling policy and regulations
• permissive culture and values.

Right from the start, Net Zero Industry wants to develop the strategy and theory around mission-oriented working methods in parallel with the implementation of pilots with five system dimensions. It contributes to a better understanding of what works and what is difficult in practice in working methods.

Net Zero Industry plans a subsequent effort in the form of a targeted call for proposals after stage 1. Note that a grant of stage 1 does not guarantee funding in stage 2. Funding of stage 2 requires a new proposal. Before stage 2, an evaluation of stage 1 with a number of target gates will be carried out.

Recess

The industrial system, and the operational system in particular, needs to be more flexible and agile to meet the demands of resource efficiency and resilience. To implement such a change, digital systems/infrastructure and various technical methods and tools are required that can support the planning and implementation of more efficient and less sensitive reuse, repair and remanufacturing.

An industrial scale-up and large-scale application of circular manufacturing methods, as an essential part of the business model, requires an ecosystem of actors. These must develop many different capabilities in parallel and put them together into a sustainable industrial solution, which makes life extension safe and competitive. The need is an overall solution that simultaneously develops inspection, quality control, certification, repair, remanufacturing, materials, tool selection, business models and more. The offer addresses that system shift.

The offer also aims to understand how the system shift should take place both within the aviation and automotive industries, where obstacles and risks arise, how goal conflicts are resolved and how new value chains are built up in a resource-efficient, resilient and competitive manner.

A further aim is to increase the Swedish research volume in the area because the industrial transition requires new cutting-edge expertise in circular business models and manufacturing methods. The research must also contribute to the content of education, which can ensure a long-term supply of skills in the relevant areas.

When will the project be implemented?

The project financed in stage 1 are expected to have an implementation period of 24 months, starting no later than December 2024.

Stage 2 is tentatively planned to run from November 2026 to November 2028.

Who can apply?

The offer is aimed at actor constellations consisting of at least five Swedish parties (legal entities), of which at least three are large companies with manufacturing in Sweden. At least one party must belong to a research institute or academy.

Foreign actors are welcome to participate in project on the following term:

• A foreign actor cannot be coordinator.
• In order for foreign actors to be granted funding it is required that they have a Swedish organization number and that the costs for participation in the project are worked out in a Swedish branch or place of business.

How much can you apply for?

The grant can amount to a maximum of 50 percent of the project's total eligible costs and a maximum of SEK 12 million.

In this the offer we grant funding both to organizations that do not conduct economic activities and to organizations that conduct economic activities as described in section 5. Maximum grant level is:

• 0 percent for large companies
• 50 percent for small and medium-sized enterprises
• 100 percent for research actors.

For stage 2, Net Zero Industry has reserved a preliminary budget of a maximum of SEK 18 million in funding. Co-financing with 60 percent of the costs is required.

Desired competence and ability

The intended system shift must be industrially driven and linked to an industrial cluster that includes both long-term competence building and test and demonstration activities. Consortia should include actors from research institutes and academia who can contribute to and influence research, education and skills development. It is an advantage if small and medium-sized companies are included in the project group, as well as if actors from other industries also participate.

Expected results and deliveries

Expected results of stage 1 and 2

• System understanding of how the system shift to industrially automated large-scale circular manufacturing of key components is carried out with primarily Swedish actors
• Funding for the development and concretization of Net Zero Industry's Impact Plan and thus better conditions for achieving the mission
• Clear approach on how to achieve a 75 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, compared to 2024 for key components manufactured using circular manufacturing methods while strengthening Swedish competitiveness.

Expected results of stage 1

• Description of how industrial repair and remanufacturing systems should be designed to reach net zero emissions.
• Description of industrial methods that need to be further developed in order to be able to reduce, reuse, repair, remanufacture, upgrade and recycle resources to a greater degree in order to switch to circular production.
• Description of how a rapid large-scale industrial implementation with real and significant impact is carried out.
• Competence, basis and dialogue that contribute to developing and concretizing Net Zero Industry's Impact Plan and thereby improving the conditions for achieving the mission
• Account of the potential to contribute to the program's mission from an LCA perspective.

Contents of public report

• How the project results can contribute to the system change, including knowledge of obstacles, risks, alternatives, scenarios, schedule, critical goal gates and opportunities to succeed with the industrial system changeover.
• How the development of necessary new competence areas around, among other things, materials, tools, process and aftermarket should be connected to a change in the industrial system.
• How well the five system perspectives work, as well as whether new actors need to be linked to the consortium in order to improve the possibilities of acting meaningfully within relevant system dimensions.
• Which questions should be addressed in stage 2 and in supplementary project.
• How research, development and teaching should be developed within designated competence areas to support the system shift.
• How new value chains should be developed to support the system shift.
• How emissions of greenhouse gases are to be reduced by 75 percent by 2035 compared to 2024 from an LCA perspective while simultaneously strengthening Swedish competitiveness.
• How to conduct a mission-oriented working method in the project as well as an anchored plan for a long-term and sustainable funding of the industrial system change after the completion of stage 2.

In order to improve the conditions for the above-mentioned result targets to be achieved and taken care of within the project, the granted project will:

• are invited to seminars on, among other things, mission-oriented working methods and system dimensions.
• receive information deemed to be of relevance to the implementation.
• dialogue processes are offered for individual adaptation of any subsequent intervention.

Special formal eligibility requirements and term

• The constellation of actors must consist of at least five Swedish parties.

• At least three parties must be large companies, one of which has manufacturing in Sweden.

• At least one party must be a research institute or academy.

Special conditions:

• The project must be represented by at least one participant at the conferences and other activities organized within Net Zero Industry.
• The project must maintain a continuous dialogue with Net Zero Industry's program office and project support throughout the duration of the project.
• When informing about the project, regardless of channel, and at every publication of project results, it must be stated that: the work was carried out within Net Zero Industry, a joint effort by Vinnova, Formas and the Swedish Energy Agency within the framework of Impact innovation.

We can also decide to add supplementary special conditions for individual project. In that case, they appear in the decision.

More information and questions

For questions about the offer's background, aim and desired effects, contact the program office. It is also possible to contact Cecilia Ramberg, Calls & projects coordinator, at cecilia.ramberg@ri.se.