Medtech4Health: Skills enhancement in small businesses 2023

This is a call for proposals within the strategic innovation program Medtech4Health. In this call for proposals a micro or small business operating in Sweden can apply funding to hire external expertise for a limited period. This is to develop and market new medical technology products or services, which thus increases the possibility of developing successfully and competing on the global market.

Micro or small companies mean companies that have fewer than 50 employees and whose annual turnover or total assets are no more than EUR 10 million.

Se EU's definition of SMEs

The aim is that the knowledge and experience that the external expert brings should be transferred to the employees of the company and thus strengthen the company in the long term. The project will work on developing an innovative medical technology solution that can radically improve the clinical outcome, make care more efficient. The intention must be for the product, service or solution to be implemented and put to good use as well as have the possibility of scaling in an international market.

In this round of the call for proposals project focused on market establishment and internationalisation will be given higher priority in relation to other project.

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 2 May 2023 through 23 November 2023. Reading of clearly marked applications takes place at 14:00 on the relevant dates.

Cooperation, pooling of forces and innovation will be crucial to achieving the goals of sustainable development according to the global sustainability goals.

Read more about the global goals

With this call for proposals Medtech4Health wants to strengthen the competence of micro and small companies that operate in Sweden and that develop and market new medical technology products or services. With this offer, their opportunity to develop successfully and compete in the global market can increase. This is an important part of Medtech4Health's long-term objective.

The overall long-term goals of Medtech4Health are that medical technology innovations should contribute to the following:

• Increased awareness and knowledge in health, care and care about the benefits of medical technology.
• More sustainable medical technology innovations made useful in health, care and care.
• Increased competitiveness of medical technology companies operating in Sweden.
• Swedish small and medium-sized companies stay and grow in the Swedish market.

Medtech4Health wants to actively work for a long-term sustainable society and wants to contribute to increased gender equality in Swedish technology. This must therefore permeate the constellation of actors and the project's ability to address any gender and gender aspects that are relevant linked 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". In this call for proposals the question is the basis for assessment under the potential criterion in section 6.

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

The project will also contribute to sustainable economic growth and community development. This can only occur if it does not entail negative consequences for ecological or social sustainability, which is why this must be described.

Anyone seeking funding must be classified as a micro or small business according to the EU's definition and be a legal person in Sweden. In this respect, a foreign organization that has a registered branch or place of business in Sweden is equated with a Swedish legal person.

Micro or small companies mean companies that have fewer than 50 employees and whose annual turnover or total assets are no more than EUR 10 million.

Se EU's definition of small and medium-sized enterprises

The company will work with the development, production and marketing of innovative medical technology products. It can be a physical product, service or process aimed at solving clinical needs. The goal is to commercialize and utilize these, as well as eventually grow on an international market.

The company must have a long-term need to strengthen its competence within a clearly defined area of need. The project manager must be employed by the company applying for funding.

Eligibility requirements on turnover or capital

In order to be granted funding in the call for proposals the company must have an annual turnover according to the latest annual report of at least SEK 300,000, or alternatively show that it has capital that corresponds to the co-financing available in cash. If this is not evident from the latest published annual report and can therefore be seen online, you need to attach an auditor's certificate, certificate from an accounting consultant or an account statement in proposal.

Activities for which funding can be applied for

In the call for proposals the cost of hiring an external expert with skills that the company lacks is financed. Competence that enables the development and implementation of an innovative medical technology product, service or solution on a national or an international market.

The requested amount refers to consulting costs for the external expert. The external expert must be clearly independent from the applicant company and from the product idea to which proposal relates. The strengthening of competence takes place through the purchase of services against market remuneration. The need to tie international expertise to the company can also be financed in the call for proposals.

The project application must contain activities that show how the knowledge and experience that the external expert brings can be transferred and retained in the company in the longer term.

The competence requirement can, for example, consist of:

• Clinical expertise. That is, staff in care and social care with specialist knowledge.
• Regulatory expertise regarding FDA, MDR or IVDR.
• Academic researchers with technical, medical or other skills.
• Medical technology expertise.
• Expertise from patient organizations regarding product use or product development.
• Expertise regarding clinical trials and testbeds.
• Competence in health economic effects.
• Purchasing expertise within county council, region or municipality.
• Expertise with knowledge of specific export market.
• Expertise with competence in IT-related security issues.

The funding does not refer to resource reinforcement to carry out routine or recurring changes to existing goods, manufacturing methods, manufacturing processes, services or other ongoing operations.

The call for proposals does not refer to the development of pharmaceuticals or biotechnology projects. Medicines and biochemical components can, however, be part of the current project concept where medical technology is used for, for example, dosing, diagnostics or injections. It can also be project where implants are surface-treated with drugs for the prevention of complications. For any combination products or solutions, the biochemical or pharmaceutical part must be fully developed and verified.

Veterinary ideas are not funded in this call for proposals. The call for proposals also does not refer to general technology solutions, for example IT solutions for language translation or digital communication.

Eligible costs

Our funding takes place through funding. Funding for organizations that carry out economic activities is covered by rules on state support. The rules govern, among other things, which types of costs and what proportion of them may be covered by funding.

Basic prerequisites for a cost to be eligible for support are that it must:

• borne by applicant company.
• be attributable to the project.
• have arisen during the project period.
• be determined in accordance with the company's usual accounting principles and good accounting practice.
• be in accordance with the company's internal policies and guidelines.

Read more about government support

Read more about general terms and conditions for funding and Instructions foreligible costs

The project can apply for funding with a maximum of SEK 200,000. The requested amount refers to compensation for the external expert who is engaged and must be reported under the cost category "Consulting costs" in the application form.

The support level is a maximum of 50 percent of the total project budget. This means that the company itself must finance the remaining project cost. This can take the form of wages or other project-related costs.

Internal costs at the applicant company cannot be covered with requested funds, but must be reported as co-financing.

Conditions for us to assess proposal

We will only assess applications that meet the following formal eligibility requirements:

• The company seeking funding must be classified as a micro or small business according to the definition and the applicant must be a legal person in Sweden.
• It must be stated that the company meets the requirement for annual turnover or capital. See section 2 for more information.
• Proposal must contain CVs from external experts as well as CVs from key employees who will receive the skills.
• Proposal must contain all mandatory attachments and these must be filled in correctly.
• No other attachments than those requested may be attached to proposal.
• The company may submit a maximum of two applications during the current year in the current the call for proposals.
• The project must start no later than two months after the decision has been announced.
• The company must not have any ongoing funding in the call for proposals.

What do we assess?

Assessment of proposal is done according to how well the project contributes to the call's aim and objective. The ambition in this year's round is to give greater focus to companies that are closer to implementation and internationalisation. Assessment takes place according to the following criteria, and to what extent the project is judged to achieve these.

Potential

• To what extent the proposed financing is deemed to strengthen the long-term competence of the company.
• To what extent the project and the company can contribute to sustainable growth in Sweden.
• To what extent 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 deemed to create specific benefit for the patient, individual or family member and in healthcare.
• To what extent the project and the company contribute to the global sustainability goals.
• The project's funding for increased gender equality within the Swedish medical technology sector.
  
  

Actors

• The composition of the team with regard to clinical, academic and industrial competence, how views from patients or users are handled and the team's ability to carry out the project according to plan.
• The team's ability to absorb and manage the knowledge transfer from the external expert.
• The composition of the team with regard to gender distribution, and the equal distribution of power and influence between women and men.

Feasibility

• To what extent planned activities contribute to the company's development and that the budget, objective and plan are credible.
• Activities that enable the transfer of knowledge are included in the plan.
• Relevant gender equality aspects are included in the plan.
• Relevant sustainability aspects are included in the plan.
  
  

How do we judge?

Proposal is assessed in competition with other received applications for the call for proposals.

• Proposal are made in Vinnova's e-services.
• All applications that meet the formal requirements are assessed by a composite group of specially appointed and appointed by Vinnova evaluator, as well as Vinnova's internal evaluator.
• The evaluators discuss the results of the individually performed assessments and agree on a recommendation to Vinnova.
• Vinnova makes decisions about which project are to be financed.
• Decision is notified to applicant.

Then you apply

To apply for funding you fill in a web-based form in Vinnova's e-service for applications. There you also upload the following attachments:

• Project description
  The project description must be written in the template that is downloaded from the call's webpage. It may include a maximum of 5 vertical A4 pages written in the Arial font, at least 11 point text.
• CV attachment
  The CV attachment is downloaded from the call's website. It may include a maximum of one A4 page with Arial font, at least 11 point text per person. It must consist of CVs for the project manager, the people to be employed in the project and other key people in the team.
• Certificate of annual turnover or capital if necessary
  An auditor's certificate, certificate from an accounting consultant or an account statement applies as a certificate.

Templates for the attachments can be found on this website.

If any of these attachments are not filled in correctly, are missing entirely, or other attachments are included, proposal may be rejected for formal reasons.

Keep in mind that it takes time to make a proposal.

You can start filling in information, save and continue at a later time. When proposal is ready, you mark it as done. You can fully unlock proposal and make changes at any time, right up until the last application date. Please mark proposal well in advance before the call for proposals closes.

When the call for proposals has closed and proposal has been registered with Vinnova, a confirmation will be sent out by e-mail to you who are responsible for the user account, project manager, company signatory or head of department. It may take a few hours before you receive the email.

If you have not received a confirmation by e-mail within 24 hours after the call for proposals has closed, please contact us.

When the application period has expired, proposal can only be completed upon request from us.