Impact Innovation: Designing the places of the future for attractive, accessible and sustainable communities

The call for proposals is carried out within the program ShiftSweden, part of Impact Innovation which is an initiative of the Swedish Energy Agency, Formas and Vinnova. ShiftSweden's mission is to transform Sweden, fossil-free and resource-conscious, into attractive and accessible living environments for everyone. The program's ambition is to show how the conversion can take place in 100 locations over 10 years.

The purpose of this the call for proposals is to stimulate the ability to imagine different futures, to challenge and generate discussions, and to shape the future's sustainable change in social construction and mobility.

ShiftSweden believes that three major shifts in civil engineering and mobility are needed for a changeover to be possible:

• From resource-demanding linear community building processes to sustainable and value-creating circular business models.
• From unsustainable transportation to a new freedom reform with competitive alternatives to individual car travel.
• From community planning in downspouts to an integrated ecosystem for the built environment and mobility.

The projects can choose to focus on one or both shifts within civil engineering and mobility. They must also include the third shift about an integrated ecosystem. The shifts are described in detail in section 2.

ShiftSweden invites project to make the future more tangible through exploratory methods. By using foresight-oriented methods, the projects must produce different types of future visions. Feel free to think the 2040s. How might such a place look and function? What is it like to live in? The future visions must include an embodied part, for example a future prototype or a scenario that describes and brings the imagined future to life. The chosen foresight method must follow signals and driving forces in social construction and mobility.

The future visions must be linked to one or more places. A place can be many things, for example a street, a square, a block or a village. Places are often physical, but they can also be virtual. In addition, they can be permanent, temporary or movable.

The call for proposals is aimed at cross-disciplinary collaboration projects with competences in methods for foresight, mobility and community building. The actor constellation must consist of at least two project parties, of which at least one has competence in methods for foresight and experience in working with future-oriented processes.

Funding can be granted with up to SEK 1,200,000 per project. The total budget for the call for proposals is approximately SEK 12 million.

Granted project must participate in ShiftSweden's organized program activities, among other things in two digital reflection and communication efforts and in a final results conference in Stockholm, in September 2025.

How might the future in the 2040s look and function? The future can take place in different contexts, in different places, both in and outside cities. What futures do we want to exist and how can we avoid futures we don't want to create?

With this investment, ShiftSweden wants to stimulate and develop the ability to look up and imagine different conceivable futures. Futures that can contribute to the mission of transforming Sweden, fossil-free and resource-conscious, into attractive and accessible living environments for everyone.

In order for such a transition to take place, new perspectives, working methods and solutions are needed in the sectors of community building and mobility. I Sverige Today, the civil engineering sector, including transportation accounts for a significant part of Sweden's carbon dioxide emissions, energy use, resource and land use.

The future visions must create interest, commitment and participation among different types of social actors from, for example, individuals and households, to business actors and organizations within the public sector.

Foresight is a tool that can help us understand what lies ahead and that helps us actively work to shape the future - and not just let it happen.

In foresight work, signals and analyzes are used as a starting point to identify changed behaviour, new business models, new services or other things that are about to emerge. Based on what is most important for the change we are facing, areas are then selected where in-depth scenarios are created. A signal of a possible change is something that is already happening today, and can be a clue for the future. The next step is to ask yourself questions like: “What kind of change does this signal represent? What direction does it take us in?” and "What trend, driving force or larger phenomenon is pushing us in that direction?". Signal plus drive equals foresight.

Read more about foresight

ShiftSweden welcomes a diversity of project proposals characterized by creative visionary futures:

• The future visions can be developed based on various methods in foresight, for example scenarios, three horizons framework, prototypes and speculative design or some other method anchored in foresight. They can be embodied in different ways, for example physically, digitally, as an experience or an environment. Various project proposals and methods within foresight are welcomed. Read more about speculative design here
• The future visions must be linked to one or more places, which can be physical, virtual, mobile or temporary. The places form the basis of our habitats. Experiences and interactions make a place significant for people's well-being, safety and accessibility. A place, whether physical or virtual, can also be understood and defined based on who owns, manages and uses it. But also through the legislation that regulates use and future change.
  Note that the projects' future visions do not need to be limited by today's laws and regulations.
• The projects can work with a future that is desirable but must also identify and relate to challenges that may arise along the way. The projects can also choose to portray a less desirable future that makes visible aspects that we must be able to handle or work to avoid completely. We like to see project that can challenge and provoke through the future visions that are developed. The visions must be developed based on contemporary signals and driving forces. The interesting thing is how these can then be interpreted and extended to the future. Imaginative and visionary ideas are welcomed to make tomorrow's values, norms and practices visible and possible.
• The projects must clearly describe and motivate the selected target group for the future vision. This can be anything from individuals and households, to organizations, companies, authorities, innovators, researchers, influencers.
• The projects must be based on ShiftSweden's mission and present future visions within at least two of the program's three shifts described below.

ShiftSweden's three shifts

ShiftSweden wants to create commitment and dialogue about what the attractive and accessible living environments of the future can look like and how the sustainable transition should take place. The program's mission is to transform Sweden, fossil-free and resource-conscious, into attractive and accessible living environments for everyone.

Three major shifts in civil engineering and mobility are needed for a changeover to be possible:

1. From resource-demanding linear community building processes to sustainable and value-creating circular business models.
2. From unsustainable transportation to a new freedom reform with competitive alternatives to individual car travel.
3. From community planning in downspouts to an integrated ecosystem for the built environment and mobility.

The projects can choose to focus on one or both of the shifts within civil engineering and mobility, shifts 1 and 2, and must always contain aspects that additionally develop how the sectors are integrated into a common ecosystem, shift 3. The three shifts are described below.

From resource-demanding linear community building processes to sustainable and value-creating circular business models

In order to create sustainable attractive places and habitats, smarter ways of working with inclusion and participation in construction and planning processes need to be developed. The focus of the conversion needs to be shifted from individual buildings and facilities to entire neighborhoods or neighborhoods. It places new eligibility requirements on society's joint value creation. The life between the houses, the ecosystems, inclusion, security and health are becoming more important to take into account.

The built environment faces the challenge of changing in a short time from a system where resources are wasted to a sustainable use of resources. To go from building new, from new materials, in new places, to starting with considering the need and whether it can be met without building something new. Is it possible to rebuild, adapt or renovate? When demolishing, is it possible to reuse and recycle building materials? If the need to build new remains, then how should one build and design for long-term use, with the least environmental and climate impact? Circular business models also need to consider resource and waste management and more efficient use of vehicles and machinery.

In the shift from a linear to a circular civil engineering sector, business logic, practices, regulations, norms and values will need to be challenged and developed.

From unsustainable transportation to a new freedom reform with competitive alternatives to individual car travel

Road transport today accounts for a large part of climate emissions and land use in urban areas. The car was originally seen as a path to greater freedom and welfare, but today is also a source of climate emissions, negative health aspects, congestion and lack of space in cities. With the car-borne society came sparser settlements, long commuting distances and complex travel chains. It has created accessibility for many, but not for all.

The changeover to freedom from fossil fuels therefore needs to be rooted in a changed understanding of what the transports are for, and how they are experienced. The focus should be people's access to work, education, care, service, leisure activities, experiences and social contacts. The journey is often a way to get there. But accessibility is also affected by how society is planned - where functions such as schools or commerce are located. Digital solutions and smart logistics systems can mean that we don't have to travel as much and that transportation can be more resource efficient.

There are many solutions that can enable a new freedom reform for sustainable accessibility. For example, increased opportunities to choose walking and cycling, electric scooters, pools with electric cars, carpooling, public transport, local logistics, remote work and new concepts that integrate different services. But they must be combined and developed to create accessibility for different groups in society.

In order to reach a sustainable future, social actors need to offer attractive and competitive solutions to individual car travel that encourage people to reflect on their behavior and to create new ones.

From community planning in downspouts to an integrated ecosystem for the built environment and mobility

Integrating housing and mobility is crucial to creating attractive and accessible living environments for all. Attempts have been made to integrate land use planning, built environment and mobility. But it remains a weak point in planning and development processes in practice.

I Sverige's responsibilities are divided vertically between national, regional and local, and horizontally between different sectors. The built environment and mobility ecosystems are based on different institutional frameworks and relationships between private and public domains.

Going forward, actors and perspectives need to be better integrated, both vertically and horizontally, in order to free up new ways of thinking and doing.

The future is not straightforward

It is impossible to predict where we will be in the 2040s. But society will look different to what it does today. Although signals and driving forces that exist today are the starting point for foresight, "something" from the future is demanded. And this something can be a desirable future but also an undesirable future, or something in between. Only if you take into account that we live in a changing world.

The global challenges are great, at the same time that societal development is accelerating. The transition to a fossil-free, sustainable society requires more than just investment in technical solutions, streamlining the vehicle fleet and the construction industry, or new products and services. It requires new innovative ways of working, collaborations and competitive solutions.

Never before has development been so fast and, for example, 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, policy and regulations such as environmental zones and emission rights that affect how we travel. At the same time, in times of recession and crisis, it is noticeable how it affects different parts of society and the investments that need to be made for the transition. The construction industry, for example, has been hit hard with consequences such as an increased housing shortage and reduced employment. Crises can lead to both expected and unexpected changes for both households and organizations, which can also create room for adjustment.

On top of that, we face a series of societal challenges that are big and worrying – climate crisis, war, security political concerns, ideological shifts, pandemics and increased surveillance. Together they affect people's daily lives, privacy and security, create gaps and exclusion, health challenges and global concerns.

Going forward, climate adaptation will affect how we travel and live, perhaps we will receive climate refugees or migrants within the EU due to a changed climate. Something that has already affected us in many different ways is the covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic made us change our behavior, whether we wanted to or not. It changed the way we travel, work and live. Remote work gave many people the opportunity to work from home. And "away from home" could be in the home or, for example, on the farm. At the same time, it could also lead to isolation and involuntary exclusion.

Therefore, we welcome creative visionary ideas about the future that do not assume that tomorrow will be much like today, but more likely radically different.

Focus on climate and gender equality in all our investments

Impact Innovation is Sweden's innovation investment for the 2030s and is tasked with accelerating a sustainable transition for global competitiveness and societal benefit. Impact Innovation is an initiative of the Energy Agency, Formas and Vinnova. A strategic and long-term gathering of forces.

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 particularly singled out 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.

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 aspects that are relevant to the project's problem area, solutions and utilization. In this the call for proposals that aspect is also assessed. From a foresight perspective, it is interesting to ask "whose future is it that we are creating a story around? Whose is it, and whose isn't it?”.

Our work to contribute to the goals of Agenda 2030

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

The call for proposals is aimed at cross-disciplinary collaboration projects with competences in methods for foresight, mobility and community building. The constellation of actors must consist of at least two parties, of which at least one has competence in methods for foresight with experience of working with future-oriented processes.

ShiftSweden welcomes a broad inclusion of different competences and objective- and actor groups. Both broader perspectives on the entire mission with many stakeholder groups and more focused perspectives with specific objective- and stakeholder groups are welcome to apply.

The actors can advantageously have a connection to or control over a place. A design of 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, signal intelligence, environmental or trend analysis and scenario development.
• has the ability to create engagement and conversations about the future and can facilitate conversations with different target groups.
• has knowledge and experience from the ecosystems surrounding the built environment and mobility.
• has the ability to design and shape prototypes.
• has the creative ability to explore how the future can be visualized to create interest, engagement, inclusion and encourage change.
• have access to a place where the future scenario can take place or control over an issue affected by the future vision.

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 or research organisations.

The project's results will be used as part of the program's strategic work and to create a movement for transition towards a sustainable future.

International 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.

The financing is primarily planned to include the creation and development of a future scenario, a future prototype, or the results of another chosen method within foresight.

Examples of activities for which funding can be sought are:

• to develop, test, present and evaluate the vision of the future based on the selected foresight method and based on how the result should be shaped.
• signal intelligence, trend analysis and environmental monitoring
• dialogue with target groups
• adaptations of the environment or the creation of new environments to present and showcase the results.
• communication efforts.

Granted project must participate in two digital reflection and communication initiatives organized by ShiftSweden's program office, as well as a closing results conference in Stockholm in September 2025. Applicant must allocate project funds for these activities when developing 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. For example with film, blog, website or other communicative efforts.

The project must maintain a continuous dialogue with ShiftSweden's program office and project support throughout the duration of the project.

Vinnova's funding is covered by rules on state support. 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 how much funding the project can receive, and how much each participating participant can receive.

How much funding can the project get?

Maximum funding per project is SEK 1,200,000. The budget for the call for proposals is approximately SEK 12 million.

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

You can find the table of support levels here

Each participant is responsible for ensuring that funding received does not exceed the aid intensity permitted according to the rules for state support.

Support grounds and 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. See support levels in the link above.
• De minimis in accordance with Section 2 of Vinnova's aid scheme and the de minimis regulation.
  NOTE. 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 support in accordance with Section 5 Ordinance (2015:208) on support for research and development and innovation. 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 that seeks non-state support is ultimately responsible for the assessment that it does not conduct economic activities.

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.

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.

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. Indirect costs may constitute a maximum of 30 percent of personnel costs

For more detailed information on which costs we can finance, see our instruction on eligible costs.

What eligibility requirements apply to costs we finance?

For a cost to be eligible, it must be necessary for the activities of the project. Project costs must also be properly accounted for and reported separately from the organization's other costs. An organization may also not take up someone else's costs as its own.

For more detailed information on which eligibility requirements, limitations and exceptions apply, see our instruction 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.

• Project parties are legal entities. We do not grant funding to individual companies. Project parties receiving grants must have a Swedish organization number with a branch or place of business in Sweden. Only costs incurred in the branch's or establishment's activities 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 methods for foresight and experience in working with future-oriented processes.
• 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. Alternatively, the attached CV must contain the same requested information as in the call's CV template.
• The project parties seeking support of minor importance/de minimis must submit a correctly completed certificate of support of minor importance to Vinnova in connection with proposal.
• Applications must be received no later than 2:00 p.m. 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.

Formal eligibility requirements regarding creditworthiness:

• All project parties must be creditworthy. We do not grant funding to organizations that are insolvent or undergoing liquidation or corporate restructuring. We also do not grant funding to organizations that have unpaid debts or payment notices at the Swedish Enforcement Agency.
• Project parties that are limited liability companies must have half or more than half of the share capital intact. We do not grant funding to limited companies where half of the capital has been used up.
• We take credit information on project parties that are not public and do not grant funding to organizations that receive the lowest credit rating C.
• The project parties seeking funding for personnel costs must be registered as employers with the Swedish Tax Agency before we grant funding.

What do we assess?

Proposal must be in line with the call's objective and aim stated in sections 1 and 2 and will be assessed according to the criteria below.

Potential (weighted 40 percent)

• How well the project captures signals and driving forces that have potential to be of importance to ShiftSweden's mission and, based on the selected shifts, bring to life a vision of the future and design via a foresight method.
• How relevant the intended effect and results are to ShiftSweden's mission.
• How relevant is the designated "place" for one or more of the shifts and ShiftSweden's mission.
• Potential to challenge today's ideas about the future in relation to ShiftSweden's mission, and inspire engagement and dialogue.
• How accessible the design is to selected target groups in terms of choice of location and demonstration. By the embodiment is meant the prototype, scenario or other based on the selected foresight method.
• Potential for lessons learned and results to be taken on and spread after projectis completed.
• How well the project is judged to contribute to increased gender equality.

Actors (weighted 30 percent)

• The knowledge and competence of the project constellation is appropriate based on selected shifts in the mobility and community building system.
• The project constellation's knowledge and competence in methods for foresight and experience in working with future-oriented processes.
• The cooperation, organization and collective competence of the project constellation is appropriate for the implementation of the project.
• How well composed the project team is in terms of gender distribution. As well as how well power and influence is distributed evenly between the sexes in the project team.

Feasibility (weighted 30 percent)

• How well the project plan and budget meet the effort's aim and objective.
• The project's ability to carry out communication efforts, document implementation and capture and disseminate project results.
• Conditions to implement the project within the time frames.
• The involvement of target groups relevant to the project.
• How well aspects relating to gender equality have been integrated into the project plan and into the project's solutions.

How do we judge?

Applications received that meet the formal requirements are evaluated in competition by internal and external evaluator. The applications are assessed according to the assessment criteria.

Vinnova reserves the right to apply a portfolio perspective when selecting applications that are granted.

When Vinnova has assessed all applications, we send a decision in which we either grant or reject your proposal. In the decision, we state how much funding each party in the project is granted. Vinnova's 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 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 you, if you are several parties, 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

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

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

A special term for this the call for proposals is that granted project must participate in two digital reflection and communication efforts as well as a final results conference organized by the ShiftSweden program office in Stockholm in September 2025. Applicant must allocate project funds for these activities when preparing the project budget.

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.

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.

If you submit a proposal on the same day as the call for proposals closes, it may take a few hours before you receive a confirmation. 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 Vinnova asks 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