Medtech4Health: Competence Enhancement in Small Businesses 2025

In this call for proposals a micro or small company* operating in Sweden can apply for funding to hire external expertise for a limited period. The external expertise will make it possible to develop and prepare new innovative medical technology products, services or solutions for the market. The aim is to strengthen the company and its competitiveness in the global market. Another aim is that knowledge and experience from the external expert is transferred to the employees in the company and in this way strengthens the company in the long term.

*Micro or small enterprises are defined as enterprises with fewer than 50 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 10 million. The annual turnover, balance sheet total and number of employees of partner or affiliated enterprises may need to be included.

On Vinnova's website Rules for funding you will also find a User Guide on the EU's definition of small and medium-sized enterprises

The project will work on a new innovative medical technology solution that can radically improve clinical outcomes and streamline healthcare or care.

In this round of the call for proposals we look favorably on project that focus on market preparation activities and health economic analyses.

The maximum amount that can be applied for is SEK 200,000. The project may last for a maximum of 12 months.

The call for proposals is open during the period January 14, 2025 through August 28, 2025. Vinnova will read applications marked as ready at 2:00 PM on March 6, 2025 and at 2:00 PM on August 28, 2025. See above under Important dates what applies to the call for proposals.

Collaboration, pooling of resources and innovation will be crucial to achieving the goals of sustainable development according to the global sustainability goals. With this call for proposals Medtech4Health wants to strengthen the competence of micro and small enterprises operating in Sweden and that develop or market new innovative medical technology products, services or solutions. By strengthening the competence, their opportunity to develop successfully and compete in the global market can increase. This is an important part of Medtech4Health's long-term objective.

Medtech4Health strives to actively contribute to a long-term sustainable society and promote increased gender equality within Swedish medical technology. This will characterize the composition of the project's actors, as well as the project's ability to handle sex or gender aspects that are relevant to the project's problem area, solutions and utilization. There is therefore a mandatory question to answer under the heading Project tasks. In this call for proposals the question forms the basis for assessment under the potential criterion. See section 7 for more information.

The project is also expected to contribute to the climate transition with a focus on:

• reduced greenhouse gas emissions
• reduced emissions of environmental pollutants
• increased circularity and resource efficiency

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

Agenda 2030 as a driver for innovation

The projects are expected to use one or more of the relevant support tools that have been developed within Medtech4Health. These are available at www.medtecharena.se.

Making scientific publications and results available

When results from research and innovation are made freely available, more people can contribute to solving societal challenges. This the call for proposals will help make results available to everyone. Therefore, all scientific publishing should be open access.

In this call for proposals a company operating in Sweden can apply for funding. Companies applying for funding must be classified as a micro or small enterprise according to the EU definition and be a legal entity in Sweden. In this respect, a Swedish legal entity is considered to be a foreign organization that has a registered branch or establishment in Sweden.

To be granted funding in the call for proposals the company must submit a model declaration of status as an SME, stating that the company is a micro or small enterprise. You can find a template for the model declaration further down the page.

The company will work on the development, production and/or marketing of new innovative medical devices aimed at solving clinically verified needs. It can be a physical product, service or solution. The goal should be to commercialize and utilize these, and eventually grow in an international market. The company should have a need to strengthen its competence in a clearly defined area of need in the long term.

The project manager must be employed in an operational role in the company seeking funding.

Activities for which funding can be applied for

In the call for proposals up to 50 percent of the cost of hiring an external expert can be financed. The expert must have a competence that the company currently lacks, and which enables the development, implementation or market preparation activities of a new innovative medical device product, service or solution on a national or international market. The amount applied for refers to consulting costs for the external expert, and which must be clearly independent of the applicant company and the product idea to which proposal relates.

It must be clear how the requested skills meet an actual need in the applicant company. The skills are strengthened through the purchase of services for market-based compensation.

The project application should contain clear activities that show how the knowledge and experience provided by the external expert can be transferred and retained in the company in the longer term.

The skill requirement may, for example, consist of:

• Clinical expertise, for example, healthcare staff with specialist knowledge
• Regulatory expertise regarding FDA, MDR, IVDR or other
• Academic researchers with technical, medical or other expertise
• Medical technology expertise
• Expertise from patient organizations regarding product use or product development
• Expertise regarding clinical trials and test beds
• Expertise in health economics
• Purchasing expertise within region or municipality
• Expertise with knowledge of specific market
• Expertise with competence in IT-related security issues
• Expertise in compensation models in Sweden or in other countries

We do not finance:

• Resource augmentation to implement routine or recurring changes to existing goods, manufacturing methods, manufacturing processes, services or other ongoing operations.
• Services of an ongoing or periodic nature. The services must also not be included in the company's ordinary operating expenses, such as routine tax advice, regular legal advice or advertising costs.
• Support for export-related activities, that is, support that is directly linked to exported quantities, to the establishment and operation of a distribution network, or to other ongoing costs linked to export activities.
• Veterinary medicine ideas.
• General technology solutions, such as IT solutions for language translation or digital communication.
• Competencies that the company has already received funding for in previous calls for proposals.

About pharmaceuticals and biotechnology

We do not finance the development of pharmaceuticals or biotechnology projects. However, pharmaceuticals and biochemical components may be part of the current project concept where medical technology is used for, for example, dosing, diagnostics or injections. There may also be project where implants are surface-treated with pharmaceuticals to prevent complications. For any combination products or solutions, the biochemical or pharmaceutical part must be fully developed and verified.

What costs can be financed?

Vinnova's funding is covered by state aid rules. The rules govern what types of costs we can finance. These are called eligible costs.

In this call for proposals we can only finance costs for consulting services from external parties.

By outsider, in this the call for proposals we mean that the person who will perform the consulting service must not be an employee of the project party. Nor must they be an employee of the project party's group company, associated company or in a company that is under the controlling influence of a person close to the project party.

Med Intresseföretag refers to any of the following cases:

• The fact that participant exercises significant influence over the operational and financial management and ownership of the legal entity constitutes part of a lasting relationship between the project party and the legal entity.
• That participant holds at least 20 percent of the votes for all shares in the legal entity and that it is not apparent from the circumstances that this does not constitute significant influence.
• That the project party's group company or participant together with one or more group companies together holds at least 20 percent of the votes for all shares in the legal person and it is not apparent from the circumstances that this does not constitute significant influence.

Related parties include, among other things, owners, board members, managing director or other senior executives of the project party or its group companies, or spouses, cohabitants, partners, children and siblings of such persons.

The services must not be ongoing or recurring. Nor must they be part of the company's regular activities, such as routine tax advice, regular legal advice, or advertising costs.

In this the call for proposals this type of cost is eligible:

• Cost of consulting services from an external party.

For more detailed information about which costs Vinnova can finance, see Instructions for eligible costs

To enable the transfer of expertise from the consultant to the company's staff, the company is expected to have personnel costs or other project-related costs. These costs may be financed by the company itself, and they should not be included in the budget in the application form or reported to Vinnova.

What eligibility requirements apply to costs financed by Vinnova?

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 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

Eligibility requirements on capital

To be granted funding in the call for proposals the company must demonstrate that it has capital equivalent to at least the entire co-financing available at the time of application. This must be proven by a bank statement or a certificate from an authorized accountant or accounting consultant that clearly confirms that the capital is the company's own funds and that it is available in cash. For example, if the amount applied for from Vinnova is SEK 200,000, the company must have available capital of at least SEK 200,000.

Please note that necessary documentation must be attached to proposal to prove that the financial requirement is met.

The state aid rules govern the proportion of costs that Vinnova can finance. This is determined individually for each organization.

How much funding can the project partner receive?

In this the call for proposals we are funding services from external consultants to small and medium-sized businesses.

We can finance up to 50 percent of a company's consulting costs up to SEK 200,000.

We grant funding in accordance with Article 18 of the EU Commission's General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER).

For example, if the consulting service costs SEK 400,000, the company can apply for SEK 200,000 in funding and be responsible for the other SEK 200,000 in cash.

See the image below of what a correctly completed budget in the application form might look like. Crossed out columns should be left blank.

In order for Vinnova 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 for applicant company

• The coordinating project party must be a Swedish legal entity and conduct activities in Sweden. Natural persons or individual companies cannot participate as coordinating participant.
• The company must be classified as a micro or small enterprise according to the model declaration on SME status. See section 3 for more information.
• The company must meet the capital requirement at the time of application. See section 4 for more information.
• At the time of application, the company must not have any ongoing funding from previous rounds of the call for proposals. The status of ongoing funding is verified in Vinnova's project database.
• The coordinating project party should be the company seeking funding for consulting services from an external actor.

Eligibility requirements for project

• The project must start no later than 3 months after the reading date.
• The project duration may be a maximum of 12 months.
• Only costs for consultancy services from external actors may be budgeted in the application form, and these should be stated under the cost category Consulting costs, licenses, etc. No other costs or cost categories may be included in the budget. See section 5 for examples.

Eligibility requirements on proposal

• Proposal must be written in Swedish or English.
• Proposal must contain all requested attachments and none in addition to these.
• Proposal should include CVs for the project manager and external expert(s). CVs for other key people in the team should also be attached.
• Proposal must follow the instructions given in section 9.

What is assessed?

Potential

• To what extent is the proposed financing considered to strengthen the company's long-term competence?
• To what extent the project and the company can contribute to sustainable growth in Sweden.
• To what extent does the project and the company contribute to strengthening the international competitiveness of Swedish medical technology.
• The extent to which the product, service or solution is assessed to create specific benefit for the patient, individual or relative and within healthcare or social care.
• To what extent does the project contribute to increased gender equality within the Swedish medical technology sector.
• How well the project is assessed to contribute to the climate transition with a focus on:
  - reduced greenhouse gas emissions
  - reduced emissions of environmental pollutants
  - increased circularity and resource efficiency

Actors

• How well the team is composed in terms of relevant skills and ability to assimilate and manage the knowledge from the external expert.
• How well the project takes into account patient or user feedback where relevant.
• How well the project team is composed in terms of gender distribution, and how well power and influence are distributed between women and men in the project team.

Feasibility

• To what extent planned activities contribute to the company's development and that the budget, objective, activities and overall plan are credible.
• To what extent are specified activities that enable the transfer of knowledge included in the plan and are relevant.
• How well gender equality has been integrated into the project plan.
• How well climate aspects have been integrated into the project plan.

How are applications assessed?

Proposal are assessed in competition with other applications submitted to the call for proposals.

1. Proposal are made in Vinnova's e-services.
2. All applications that meet the formal requirements are assessed by a composite group of specially appointed and Vinnova-appointed evaluator.
3. The individual assessments are compiled and result in a recommendation to Vinnova.
4. Vinnova makes decisions about which project will be financed.
5. Decision will be notified to applicant.

Vinnova also assesses organizations' finances

Innan Vinnova decides on funding a comprehensive assessment is also made of the organizational and financial status of those who receive funding. Vinnova uses information from credit reports, currently from Dun & Bradstreet.

For Vinnova to grant funding, the following applies:

• Organizations must not be insolvent, undergoing liquidation or corporate restructuring. They must also not have unpaid debts with the Swedish Enforcement Authority.
• Limited liability companies must not have used up half or more of their share capital.
• If requested, SMEs must 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 Vinnova has assessed all applications, a decision will be sent where proposal is either approved or rejected. The decision states how much funding each party in the project will be granted. The decision cannot be appealed.

What happens if you are granted funding?

If your proposal is approved, you must follow Vinnova's general terms and conditions for funding. The terms and conditions include the following:

• That you will sign a special document in which you approve your participation and commit to carrying out the project.
• That you should report how things are going, your costs and achieved results to Vinnova regularly during the project period.
• How the results will be used and how scientific publication will take place.

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

Since the call for proposals is part of a strategic innovation program, these special conditions also apply:

• When you apply, you must send a summary of the project, a so-called project report, to Medtech4Health. The project report must not contain confidential or sensitive information.
• At least one participant will represent the project at Medtech4Health conferences and other activities.
• When information or results from the project are shared, it should be stated that the work was carried out within the strategic innovation program Medtech4Health, a joint effort by Vinnova, Formas and the Swedish Energy Agency.
• When you submit your final report to Vinnova, you must also send a summary of the project results to Medtech4Health. These must not contain confidential or sensitive information.

You also need to follow the special conditions that apply to this the call for proposals:

• The following term replaces § 6.1 fourth paragraph of the general terms and conditions for funding: Eligible costs are the costs of consulting services provided by external consultants.
• The services concerned must also not be of a continuous or periodic nature and they must not be included in the company's ordinary operating costs, such as routine tax advice, regular legal advice or advertising costs.

We may also decide to add supplementary special conditions for individual project. In such cases, they will be stated in the decision.

You also need to follow these instructions that apply to this the call for proposals:

• In connection with the start and final report, the project will also complete a short online survey for Medtech4Health.
  - https://sv.surveymonkey.com/r/startenkat
  - https://sv.surveymonkey.com/r/slutenkat
• Annual follow-up survey from Medtech4Health must be answered.

Could you have to pay back funding?

If you do not follow Vinnova's term, you may be required to repay the loan. 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. Vinnova will then send an email confirmation to the person responsible for the user account, the project manager and the signatory. If you have not received a confirmation within 24 hours of the call for proposals closing, please contact Vinnova.

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 Vinnova become public documents. This means that Vinnova must disclose them if requested. Men Vinnova keeps confidential information that could cause financial damage to the individual if disclosed. This could, for example, include information about business and operational conditions, inventions or research results.

Documents you send to Medtech4Health are not covered by Vinnova's confidentiality regulations. Therefore, they should not contain confidential or sensitive information.

How Vinnova handles public documents and confidentiality