European collaborations for sustainable food systems - call for proposals within the partnership FutureFoodS 2024

This the offer is aimed at Swedish actors seeking funding for transnational research and innovation collaborations within the European partnership FutureFoodS. The purpose is to promote international cooperation to change to more sustainable food systems.

The call for proposals is entitled "Transforming Food Systems - reshaping food system interactions, fostering food innovations and empowering sustainable food choices". Project that are granted must have a systems perspective and address one of the following three thematic areas:

1. The path towards sustainable and resilient as well as resilient food systems
2. New foods – Promote innovations in food design, processing and distribution through reorientation of supply and demand
3. Strengthen sustainable food choices – Enabling food environments and dietary changes.

Please note that the call for proposals does not focus on primary production or nutrition- and lifestyle-related diseases.

The information on this website is supplementary information for Swedish actors. Read the international the call text carefully to get complete information about aim, thematic areas, what can be financed, formal eligibility requirements on applicant and instructions for submitting proposal. In the event that the information on this website and the international the call text differ, the international the call text applies: https://www.futurefoodspartnership.eu/funding-opportunities

The call for proposals is a collaboration between research and innovation financiers in 19 countries. A consortium that seeks funding in the call for proposals needs to consist of at least three project parties that are authorized to seek funding from participating financiers in at least three different countries. The projects must last at least one year and a maximum of three years.

Actors seek funding from their national financiers. Swedish participation in the call for proposals is made possible through cooperation between Vinnova and Formas. The Swedish the actors in a project can together apply for a maximum of 300,000 euros in funding. If a Swedish actor acts as coordinator for the entire transnational consortium, the project can apply for up to 450,000 euros in funding for Swedish actors. In total, Vinnova and Formas have set aside 2.7 million euros for Swedish actors in this call for proposals.

Proposal are submitted to the Secretariat, i.e. the International Program Office of FutureFoodS, via this website: FutureFoodS: Call1

Assessment of proposal takes place through the secretariat. The call for proposals is a two-stage process where only project that advance from stage one are invited to submit proposal to stage two.

Vinnova wants to contribute to more sustainable food systems through increased collaboration between Swedish and international actors. Proposal must address one of the following thematic areas:

1. The path towards sustainable and resilient and resilient food systems

This theme focuses on developing new ways of organizing and improving our food systems using, for example, market solutions, new business models, policy measures and experimental methods. The goal is to make the food system more sustainable from all three dimensions of sustainability, such as economic profitability, environmental considerations and the well-being of society.

Funded project must work in particular to strengthen cooperation and network building between different actors in the food system and the food sector in order to adopt new, innovative solutions that can transform the sector.

2. Novel Foods – Fostering innovations in food design, processing and distribution through reorientation of supply and demand

Diversification of food supply and demand has potential to address several challenges. For example, unhealthy eating habits, environmental and climate impacts and dependence on imports of food and inputs.

This theme aims to create new methods for conceiving, designing, manufacturing and distributing new types of food. Foods based on various raw materials such as plants, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds, algae, edible fungi, microorganisms and cell cultures. In this area, local and traditional foods that have been forgotten, called "forgotten foods", but which can enrich our diet with nutritional and ecological benefits, can also be explored.

3. Strengthen sustainable food choices – Enabling food environments and dietary changes

Changing to more sustainable food choices requires changing norms, attitudes and habits. It is important to understand how food environments affect us. Food environments are about the contexts that influence our choices when we buy and consume food, as well as about the factors that facilitate or prevent us from choosing sustainable eating habits. This theme focuses on overcoming obstacles to choosing more sustainable eating habits.

The goal is to make it easier for consumers to make informed, sustainable food choices. By redesigning both digital and physical places where food is sold and consumed, people's eating habits can be influenced to become safer, more nutritious, environmentally friendly, affordable, accessible, fair, culturally accepted and good.

Please note that this is only an extract from the thematic descriptions and only gives an indication of what is included in the call for proposals. More detailed descriptions and examples can be found in the international the call text. To the extent that the descriptions differ, it is the international the call text that applies.

Regardless of the thematic area, the following applies to all applications:

• Focus on post-harvest challenges. From raw materials to eating habits. Please note that primary production such as cultivation of raw materials including seafood, agricultural production and other specific aspects related to this are not the focus of this the call for proposals. The call for proposals also does not focus on nutrition- and lifestyle-related diseases.
• Adopting a System Perspective, which refers to all parts such as environment, people, inputs, processes, infrastructure, power relations, markets, trade. Also activities and operations related to production, processing, distribution, marketing, preparation and consumption of food as well as other food services and waste management and recycling. A systems approach also takes into account the interaction between these parts.

The call for proposals also has four additional guiding principles that are also part of the evaluation of the applications:

• Transformative perspective, where the projects must be solution- and impact-oriented. An "impact plan" that includes a problem and context analysis must be included.
• Inter- and transdisciplinarity where applicant must bring together relevant disciplines for the project, for example life science with social science and humanities.
• Multi-actor collaboration to engage actors from different sectors and decision-making levels in all parts of the research and innovation process, i.e. design, implementation and follow-up. Quadruple helix collaborations are encouraged.
• All three dimensions of sustainability should be considered but do not need to be addressed to the same extent. It should be clearly stated how the project contributes to conversion to sustainable food systems.

It is important that applicant reads the full description of the call's aim, guiding principles and thematic areas in the international the call text.

Contribute to a sustainable system transition

Vinnova is tasked with promoting sustainable growth and system change. In order to carry out sustainable system change, we have chosen to start from the UN's global sustainability goals, defined in Agenda 2030. There, Vinnova prioritizes two perspectives in particular: gender equality and climate change.

In this the call for proposals assessment of applications takes place through the secretariat, the international program office for FutureFoodS. Vinnova does not make its own assessment of these perspectives. Vinnova can, however, ask for information about how your project contributes to these perspectives for follow-up purposes.

It can be about the following aspects:

• if women and men participate equally in the project, share in the contribution and have influence and power over the project
• how well the project analyzes and takes a position on whether there are gender or gender aspects that are relevant to the project's problem formulation, solutions and effects
• how well the project contributes to climate change with a focus on opportunities and challenges within the food system.

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

Agenda 2030 as a driving force for innovation

Companies, universities, research institutes, authorities as well as private and public organizations can receive funding from Swedish financiers in this call for proposals. Funding can only be paid out to legal entities with a Swedish corporate identity number.

Funding is only given to Swedish actors who apply as part of an international consortium according to the eligibility requirements set in the international the call text.

Please note that participating countries and funders may have different rules for who can apply for funding.

For full formal eligibility requirements on applicant it is important to read the international the call text. There you will also find contact information for the secretariat, the international program office for FutureFoodS, who can answer questions about formal eligibility requirements and the focus of the call.

What costs can we finance?

Our funding is covered by rules on state aid. The rules govern what kinds of costs we can finance. These are called eligible costs.

In this the call for proposals these types of costs are eligible:

• Personnel costs: Salaries, social security contributions and other personnel costs
• 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. Consulting costs should not exceed 10-20 percent of a project party's budget.
• 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. Universities and university colleges may budget for indirect costs according to their usual full cost principle. For other organizations, indirect costs may constitute no more than 30 percent of personnel costs, unless special rules apply, which is, for example, the case for state-funded research institutions. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the correct level of indirect costs is applied.

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

What eligibility requirements apply to costs we finance?

For a cost to be eligible, it must be necessary for the activities 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 eligible costs

Costs must be stated in euros in proposal to the secretariat. When proposal is then submitted to Vinnova or Formas, costs must be stated in Swedish kronor. Use the exchange rate, euros to Swedish kronor, from the date the call for proposals closed for proposal in stage one. The exchange rate to be used must come from Sveriges Riksbank

The rules on state aid also govern what proportion of the costs we can finance. This is determined individually for each actor. We therefore distinguish between how much funding the project can receive, and how much each participating actor can receive.

How much funding can the project receive?

The Swedish the actors in a project can together apply for a maximum of 300,000 euros in funding. If a Swedish actor acts as coordinator for the entire transnational consortium, the project can apply for up to 450,000 euros in funding for Swedish actors. In total, Vinnova and Formas have set aside 2.7 million euros for Swedish actors in this call for proposals.

The project's total budget and funding is dependent on the number of project parties, who these parties are and their national guidelines. In order to achieve balanced consortia, there is a rule regarding the maximum total work input, the number of person-months, for all parties from one and the same country. It must not exceed 60 percent of the total work input (number of person-months) for all parties in all countries. See the international the call text for all details and formal eligibility requirements.

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.

Research and development – Article 25

In this the call for proposals we provide support for basic research, industrial research and experimental development.

• Basic research is experimental or theoretical work that primarily aims to acquire new knowledge about the fundamental causes of phenomena and observable facts. Basic research is not aimed at any direct commercial application or use.
• Industrial research can be simply described as seeking new knowledge through planned research or critical analysis in order to develop or significantly improve products, processes or services.
• Experimental development lineg can be simply described as combining, shaping and using existing knowledge to produce new or improved products, processes or services.

For full definition, see Support bases and support levels for funding

What percentage of the costs can we finance?

The organization's size and type of activity determine what percentage of the costs we can finance, i.e. the maximum level of support.

Bonus grounds

If the project is covered by one of these bonus bases, we can finance a higher percentage of the costs according to the table:

• Actual cooperation: Some level of cooperation between small and large companies, between companies in two different European countries or between research organizations and companies
• Dissemination of results: Extensive dissemination through, for example, conferences or open databases.
• Other bonus basis

For full information on these bonus bases, see Support bases and support levels for funding

We grant funding in accordance with Article 25 of the European Commission's General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER).

Support for process innovation and organizational innovation - Article 29

In this the call for proposals we finance the introduction of new methods through so-called process innovation or organizational innovation.

• Process innovation can be simply described as introducing a new or significantly better method of production or delivery. The method may involve new technology, equipment or software, or new digital solutions.
• Organizational innovation can be simply described as introducing a new method for organizing a company or a workplace. The method may involve new digital technology or new digital solutions.

For full definitions of these terms, see Support bases and support levels for funding

For small and medium-sized companies, we can finance a maximum of 50 percent of each project party's eligible costs.

For larger companies, we can finance up to 15 percent of eligible costs. It assumes that:

• the company cooperates with a small or medium-sized company
• the smaller company finances at least 30 percent of the total project costs.

We grant funding in accordance with Article 29 of the European Commission's General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER).

De minimis support ( support of minor importance)
In this the call for proposals we can also provide de minimis support, also called support of minor importance. 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 received support of less importance in other project from other funders before, it affects how big the support can be in this the call for proposals.

Submit a certificate of de-minimum support when you submit proposal to Vinnova. It is required for us to be able to grant this support.

Certificates of de minimis support can be found on this page

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

Not state aid
In this the call for proposals we also provide support to organizations that do not conduct economic activities. This means that they do not offer a service or product in a market. This usually includes universities and university colleges, research institutes and other organizations.

We can finance up to 100 percent of such an organization's costs.

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

An organization that offers any kind of service or product on a market is considered to be conducting economic activities and cannot be granted this form of support. It does not matter how the organization is financed, whether it is public or private, or whether it has a profit motive. It also does not matter what legal form the business takes. For example, if it is a limited 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.

See the international the call text for information on formal eligibility requirements including national guidelines, appendix to international the call text. See "We also assess financial status" under section 7.

What do we assess?

In this call for proposals the assessment takes place according to the criteria described in the international the call text.

How do we judge?

Assessment of proposal takes place through the secretariat, the international program office for FutureFoodS. An external international panel of experts reviews the applications and draws up a ranking list. The assessment takes place in competition between received applications. Decisions about funding are based on the ranking list and the financiers' available budget.

We also assess financial status

Before the secretariat distributes applications to the external international expert panel for review, Vinnova and Formas check the organizational and financial status of those applying for funding. We use information we receive from credit reports, currently from Dun & Bradstreet.

In order for us to grant funding, this applies:

• Organizations seeking funding for personnel costs must be registered as employers with the Swedish Tax Agency.
• Organizations must not be insolvent, undergo liquidation or corporate restructuring. They must also not have unpaid debts with the Swedish Enforcement Agency.
• Limited companies must not have used up half or more of their share capital.

The Secretariat, the international program office of FutureFoodS, communicates the decision to the coordinator of the entire transnational consortium.

Swedish actors in project that are granted funding are then contacted by Vinnova or Formas to send in supplementary information about proposal. This information includes, among other things, a short project description, a description of the Swedish grant and budget specifications for Swedish applicant. More information is given in the invitation.

Which will be the financing authority for a project is decided by Vinnova and Formas based on, among other things, the nature of the project and the financiers' budget.

For project that are granted funding, a decision is sent out which, among other things, states how much funding each Swedish 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 include this:

• That you must sign a special document in which you approve your participation and undertake to carry out the project.
• That you report how things are going, your costs and achieved results to us regularly during the project period.

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

We can also decide to add supplementary special conditions for individual project. In that case, they appear in the decision.
You also need to follow the special conditions that apply to the call for proposals, see the international the call text.

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 too high an amount.

This is how the application process works

Proposal for stage one are submitted to the Secretariat, the international program office of FutureFoodS, via this website: FutureFoodS: Call1

Swedish applicant must then fill in a form for Vinnova. This makes it easier for Vinnova and Formas to check whether proposal meets the national term in order to be financed. If the international consortium contains more than one Swedish actor, they themselves may appoint who will act as "Swedish coordinator" vis-à-vis Vinnova and Formas for the Swedish participation.

After assessment of the applications in step one, the secretariat notifies the decision to the coordinator for the entire transnational consortium. Only project that progress from stage one will be invited to submit proposal for stage two.

proposal for stage two are also sent to the secretariat. In step two, a new assessment process takes place and then the secretariat communicates the decision to the coordinator of the entire transnational consortium.
Swedish applicant who have been granted funding are invited to send in supplementary information about proposal to Vinnova or Formas. See "What happens when we have decided on your proposal?" under section 8.

The following dates apply to the call for proposals:

2024-11-06 Opening date

2024-11-12 At 10:30-12:00 CET Nationellt information meeting

2024-11-21 At 11:00-13:00 CET Internationellt information meeting

2025-01-15 At 13:00 CET Sista application date stage 1 to the secretariat via the international platform FutureFoodS: Call1

2025-01-22 At 14:00 CET Sista application date step 1 to Vinnova

2025-06-18 Last day to inform about major changes in project (see international the call text)

2025-07-09 At 13:00 CET Sista application date step 2 to the secretariat via the international platform FutureFoodS: Call1

At the end of October 2025, a funding decision will be announced.

During November 2025, Swedish applicant who have been granted funding are invited to send in supplementary information about proposal to Vinnova or Formas.

Project start: 1 November 2025 at the earliest and 31 March 2026 at the latest.

Funding of Swedish participation takes place from January 2026 at the earliest.

Start proposal in good time

Keep in mind that it takes time to make a proposal. Completing templates can take several days, as it is based on analyzes you have to do and information that needs to be collected from several parties.

Be careful to read the national guidelines for Swedish participation in the call text. It can also be good to take note of the guidelines that apply to your international project partners. It is particularly important for you who take on the role of coordinator for a transnational project.

2025-01-09

Clarification under section 4 - What do we finance?:

Consulting costs should not exceed 10-20 percent of a project party's budget.

Universities and university colleges may budget for indirect costs according to their usual full cost principle. For other organizations, indirect costs may constitute no more than 30 percent of personnel costs, unless special rules apply, which is, for example, the case for state-funded research institutions. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the correct level of indirect costs is applied.

2024-11-19

Added table for maximum aid intensity under section 5