6G - Research and innovation 2025

The development of the sixth generation wireless communication system (6G) has begun. The technology is expected to improve speed and data processing, seamless connectivity and significantly reduce latency. The 6G area includes various technologies, from software and artificial intelligence (AI) to semiconductors and radio communications. A faster wireless system is expected to lead to a range of new data-driven applications and enable increased productivity in many different areas and industries. A secure and robust digital infrastructure is of great importance for both business and society at large.

The government has tasked Vinnova and the Swedish Research Council with strengthening basic research, applied research and innovation in sixth-generation wireless communication systems (6G). The aim is to strengthen the position of Swedish research and innovation in wireless communication systems, increase the competitiveness of Swedish companies in the area and strengthen the conditions for Swedish research environments to participate in international research collaboration and gain access to international research infrastructure.

This call for proposals focuses on research and innovation projects and feasibility studies with the goal of developing enabling technologies that strengthen Sweden's capabilities in the 6G area, and develop next-generation wireless systems.

The call for proposals is aimed at consortia with several project partners where companies, universities, university college, research institutes and other relevant actors can be included. To ensure that the project is industrially and scientifically rooted, at least one company and one university or university college must be included.

Funding

• Feasibility study: Up to 9 months, with maximum funding of 1 million SEK per study.
• Research and innovation projects: Up to 24 months, with maximum funding of SEK 10 million per project.

Vinnova's funding can amount to a maximum of 50 percent of the project's total eligible costs.

The preliminary budget of the call is 40 million SEK.

Wireless communication plays a crucial role in society and communication networks have become a central part of the critical infrastructure. With increasing eligibility requirements for wireless technology, continued research efforts are also required that strengthen collaboration both nationally and internationally. This is crucial for, among other things, standardization and continuous development.

Development of 6G has begun, and the technology is expected to improve speed and data processing, seamless connectivity and significantly reduce latency. The 6G area includes various technologies, from software and artificial intelligence (AI) to semiconductors and radio communications. A faster wireless system is expected to lead to a range of new data-driven applications and enable increased productivity in many different areas and industries. A secure and robust digital infrastructure is of great importance for both business and society at large.

The government has commissioned Vinnova and the Swedish Research Council to strengthen basic research, applied research and innovation within 6G. The aim is to strengthen the position of Swedish research and innovation within wireless communication systems, increase the competitiveness of Swedish companies in the area and strengthen the conditions for Swedish research environments to participate in international research collaboration and gain access to international research and technology infrastructure. The investment comprises a total of SEK 390 million and the assignment is due for final reporting in March 2027. This call for proposals has a preliminary budget of SEK 40 million.

Read about the government mission: Research investment to contribute to the development of 6G

This call for proposals concerns support for research and innovation projects and feasibility studies in the 6G area.

The project being funded will strengthen the position of Swedish research and innovation in wireless communication systems and increase the competitiveness of Swedish companies in the field.

The goal is to develop enabling technologies that strengthen Sweden's capabilities in the 6G area, and develop next-generation wireless systems.

6G networks are expected to improve speed, data processing, seamless connectivity, and significantly reduce latency. They will also be able to provide basic services to all sectors, across different types of networks, and public or private deployment scenarios.

A 6G wireless system could encompass a variety of areas. In discussions with stakeholders at national and international level, we have identified these as particularly prioritized for industrial research:

• Use cases and applications
• Standards and regulation

Technology and network infrastructure are fundamental to creating value in various sectors of industry and society, and the following technology areas, especially beyond connectivity, should give Sweden long-term competitiveness:

• Security and privacy
• Reliability and resilience
• Energy efficiency
• Automation and AI/ML-based network optimization
• Software-based platforms for wireless services
• Edge/Fog computing at scale
• Shared infrastructure with virtualized layers
• Spectrum sharing
• IoT and components

With this the call for proposals Vinnova particularly wants to contribute to the goals:

• Increase research and innovation collaboration in the 6G area between companies, universities and research institutes.
• Contribute to accelerated development, use cases and application of 6G in Sweden.
• Strengthen skills development and secure national skills supply in the long term.
• Contribute to 6G Sverige as an established research and innovation collaboration platform.
• Enable Swedish actors to be leaders in global standardization and regulation.

Contribute to a sustainable system transformation

Vinnova is tasked with promoting sustainable growth and social development. Genom Agenda 2030, the world's countries have agreed on a global agreement and understanding of what characterizes sustainable development. Through our efforts, we contribute to the global commitment to achieving the goals.

Inom Agenda 2030, Vinnova has specifically identified climate and gender equality as two central sustainability perspectives that our funded initiatives will contribute positively to. Project funded by Vinnova are therefore expected to take special account of climate and gender equality aspects. Linked to the development of 6G, it is primarily increased energy efficiency and the lifespan of components that are a priority.

Our work to contribute to the goals of Agenda 2030

One aspect that Vinnova follows up and assesses is whether both women and men equally benefit from the grant, participate in and have influence over the project.

Another aspect involves analyzing and deciding whether there are sex or gender aspects that are relevant to the project's problem area, solutions and utilization.

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

Free access to scientific publications and results

Results from research and innovation that are made freely available increase the opportunity for more people to contribute to solutions to societal challenges. This the call for proposals will contribute to making more results freely available to everyone. Therefore, all scientific publishing should be open access.

The call for proposals is aimed at consortia consisting of several project partners, with at least one or more companies and at least one or more universities or university colleges. This ensures that the project is industrially and scientifically anchored.

• Feasibility study:
  Lasts for a maximum of 9 months and consists of at least two parties, a company and a university or university college.
• Research and innovation projects:
  Lasts for a maximum of 24 months and consists of at least three parties, two companies and a university or university college.

The participant seeking funding must be a Swedish legal entity. In this respect, a Swedish legal entity is considered to be a foreign organization that has a branch or establishment in Sweden. The costs of the project must be able to be linked to the activities at the branch or establishment.

You can apply for funding for activities that are part of feasibility studies and research and innovation projects with a focus that meets the call's aim according to section 2.

Examples of activities that are eligible for support:

• Investigation of technical and design conditions.
• Development of prototypes or demonstrators. This may also include pilot work, testing and validation.
• Research and development of production methods.
• Planning and conducting studies or tests to verify an innovation.
• The creation of components that form parts of complex systems.
• Research or critical analysis aimed at acquiring new knowledge and skills to develop new products, processes or services.
• Analysis of the potential of research and development projects aimed at supporting the decision-making process so that the project can be successful.
• Evaluation that maps strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and risks of research and development projects.

We do not fund routine or recurring changes to existing products, services, manufacturing methods and processes. Nor do we fund training, courses, marketing, sales, ongoing operations, quality assurance, certification, investment in equipment and tools, and intellectual property strategies and protection.

The duration of the projects can be up to 24 months.

What costs can we finance?

Our funding is subject to state aid rules. The rules govern what types 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 licensed from a third party. Costs for consulting services from third parties may not exceed 20 percent of a project party's budget.
• Other direct costs: For example, materials, supplies 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, such as regular premises and cleaning.
  Indirect costs may constitute a maximum of 30 percent of personnel costs. Universities, university colleges, and certain research organizations and government agencies have higher maximum limits depending on the type of activities.

For more detailed information about 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 in the project
• recorded correctly and separately from the organization's other costs.

An organization may also 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

The state aid rules govern how much of the costs we can finance. This is determined individually for each organization. We therefore differentiate between how much funding the project can receive, and how much each participant can receive.

The total grant budget is provisionally SEK 40 million for this call for proposals.

How much funding can the project receive?

Vinnova's funding can amount to between SEK 500,000 and SEK 10 million per project. The maximum amount of funding can be 50 percent of the project's total eligible costs.

How much funding can a participant receive?

How much funding each participant can receive depends mainly on:

• What activities the party will carry out in the project.
• Project type size and activities

In this the call for proposals we provide support for industrial research, experimental development or feasibility studies. For full definitions, see funding Rules

The proportion of the costs we can finance, i.e. the maximum level of support, depends on the size of the organization and type of activity.

Industrial research can be simply described as seeking new knowledge through planned research or critical analysis to develop or significantly improve products, processes or services, in contrast to experimental development which can be simply described as combining, shaping and using existing knowledge to produce new or improved products, processes or services.

Experimental development refers to the acquisition, combination, shaping and use of existing scientific, technical, business and other relevant knowledge and skills with the aim of developing new or improved products, processes or services, including digital products, processes or services, in any field or within any technology, industry or sector. This may also include activities aimed at the conceptual definition, planning and documentation of new products, processes or services.

Feasibility studies can be simply described as an evaluation and analysis of:

• strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks in an upcoming research and development project
• what resources are required to implement the project.
• how likely it is that the project will succeed.

Not state aid

In this the call for proposals we also provide support to organizations that do not engage in economic activities. This generally includes 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.

How do you determine whether an organization is engaged in 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 has – 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 is conducting economic activities, contact call manager. However, the organization is responsible for assessing whether it is conducting economic activities

In order for us 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.

Prerequisites for us to assess proposal

• Feasibility study:
  Lasts for a maximum of 9 months and consists of at least two parties, a company and a university or university college.
• Research and innovation project:
  Lasts for a maximum of 24 months and consists of at least three parties, two companies and a university a university college.
• All project parties must be legal entities. In this respect, a foreign organization that has a branch or establishment in Sweden is considered a Swedish legal entity and a Swedish company. The costs in the project must be attributable to activities of the branch or establishment.
• Funding is not granted to organizations that are insolvent or undergoing liquidation or corporate restructuring, or that have unpaid debts or payment notices with the Swedish Enforcement Authority.
• If the organization is a limited liability company, half or more of the share capital may not be used up.
• Vinnova takes credit information on all applicant who are not public actors, and funding is not granted to organizations with the lowest credit rating C.
• The organization applying for funding for personnel costs must be registered as an employer with the Swedish Tax Agency by the time the grant decision is made.
• Proposal must be written in Swedish or English.
• The project described in proposal must not have begun before proposal is submitted.
• Proposal must follow all instructions and contain all attachments according to section 9.

Eligibility requirements on organizational form of project parties

• All project partners must be legal entities. We do not grant funding to individual companies.
• The coordinating party must be a Swedish legal entity and conduct activities in Sweden.

Eligibility requirements for the project

• The project manager must be employed by one of the project parties.
• The project may not begin before proposal is submitted.

Eligibility requirements on proposal

• Proposal must be written in Swedish or English.
• Proposal should follow the instructions given in section 9
• Proposal must contain all requested attachments

What do we assess?

Proposal must be in line with the call's objective and aim stated in section 2, meet the requirements above and will be assessed according to the criteria below.

In addition to an individual assessment of each proposal, Vinnova may apply a portfolio perspective to achieve thematic distribution of the approved projects, regarding aspects such as technology area and size of project.

Potential

• The project's potential to contribute to the overall objectives of the call.
• The quality and relevance of the project based on the chosen focus area.
• The project's technical level related to the international research front.
• The project's potential to disseminate or utilize the results.
• How well the project is assessed to contribute positively to the global goals of Agenda 2030, with particular focus on energy and resource efficiency.
• How well the project is assessed to contribute to increased gender equality.

Actors

• The competence and ability of the actors to implement the project and achieve the project objectives with regard to the composition and competence of the project team.
• How well the consortium is anchored in Swedish academia and industry.
• The ability of the project partners to disseminate, utilize, and further develop the knowledge generated in the project, both within their own organizations and outside the consortium.
• To what extent the project team has access to relevant expertise in sustainability.
• How well the project team is composed in terms of gender distribution. As well as how well power and influence are distributed evenly between women and men in the project team.

Feasibility

• The realism of the project plan in relation to set objective, methods, activities and budget.
• The participation and relevance of the specified project partners in the project's various work packages and activities.
• How well the project design contributes to the utilization and dissemination of the results, both within the own organizations and outside the consortium.
• How well risks are described and managed in the project's implementation.
• How well aspects related to gender equality and climate have been integrated into the project plan.

How do we assess?

Project applications will be assessed in competition and the assessment is based on the electronic proposal submitted via Vinnova's e-services.

Schematically, the decision-making process looks as follows:

1. Proposal are submitted via Vinnova's e-services.
2. Applications that meet the formal requirements and the thematic fit of the call will be assessed based on the criteria stated above by Vinnova's appointed evaluator.
3. Selected project may be interviewed.
4. Vinnova makes decisions on which project will be funded and decisions are communicated to applicant.

We also assess financial status

Before deciding on funding, we also conduct a comprehensive assessment of the organizational and financial status of those receiving funding. We use information we obtain 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, 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.

Once we have assessed all applications, we will send you a decision either granting or rejecting your proposal. In the decision, we state how much funding each party in the project will be 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, among other things:

• That you will sign a special document in which you approve your participation and commit to carrying out the project
• That you report how things are going, your costs and achieved results to us regularly during the project period
• If you are multiple parties, you must agree on your mutual rights and obligations in the project in an agreement. It can take time to get a project agreement in place, so it is a good idea to get this in place before the project starts.
• 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

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

Other instructions:

• In the event that the project team is not gender balanced, the following instructions apply: In connection with the first progress report, a plan must be attached that explains how a better gender balance can be achieved during the project period, for example in recruitment or similar. This does not apply within 40/60 for women and men.

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

Could you have to pay back funding?

If you do not follow our term, you may be required to repay the amount. 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. We 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 us.

Once the call for proposals is closed, you cannot change anything in proposal. You can only supplement if we ask you to.

Who can read your proposal?

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

However, we do keep confidential information that we believe could cause financial harm to the individual if disclosed. This could include information about business and operational conditions, inventions or research results.

How we handle public documents and confidentiality