6G - National collaboration projects in research and innovation

Wireless communication plays a crucial role in society and communication networks have become a central part of critical infrastructure. With increasing eligibility requirements for wireless technology, continued research efforts are also required that strengthen collaboration both nationally and internationally, which 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. 6G systems include various technology areas, 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 also 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 sixth-generation wireless communication systems (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 infrastructure. The investment totals SEK 390 million and the assignment is due for final reporting in March 2027.

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

This call for proposals focuses on research and innovation projects and feasibility studies.

The purpose of the project being funded is to strengthen the position of Swedish research and innovation in wireless communication systems and increase the competitiveness of Swedish companies in the area.

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. It 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 encompasses various areas, including:

• Technology and network infrastructure
  - Extremely low latency/Lag tolerant latency
  - Network optimization based on AI/ML (Artificiell Intelligens / Machine Learning)
  - Platform for wireless services
  - Intermittent connection and communication
  - Edge/Fog computing at scale
  - Shared infrastructure with virtualized layers
  - Spectrum sharing
  - WiFi interoperability between vendors and standards
  - Open interface
  - Sub-THz-band
  - Backhaul development with increased cell density
  - Non-terrestrial (satellite) networks
• Standards, policies and regulations
• Ecosystems and economic models
• Applications and services

The listed technology areas have been identified as important focus areas for the development of the 6G network ecosystem.

Read 6G Global Roadmap Taxonomy Report which you can find on this page (purdue.edu)

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

• Increase research and innovation collaboration in the 6G area between Swedish universities, research institutes and companies.
• Strengthen skills development and secure national skills supply in the long term.
• Meet the need for synergies between 6G investments and other areas required for a strong 6G system.
• Contribute to accelerated development and application of 6G in Sweden.
• Contribute to 6G Sverige as an established R&I collaboration platform.

National Research School is not included in the call for proposals

Vinnova and the Swedish Research Council want to return to the issue of a national research school within 6G later in 2024. Support can then be sought in a targeted call for proposals.

Civil-military synergies

Vinnova has a government assignment together with the Swedish Armed Forces with the aim of building an innovation program to exploit civil-military synergies in research and development. The assignment will contribute to increasing military innovation capacity, strengthening the competitiveness of Swedish companies and increasing international connectivity.

Read about the government mission

Project with dual use potential that are granted funding in this call for proposals, and which have indicated in their proposal that the knowledge and technology lies at the interface between civil and military innovation, may be given the opportunity for additional funding from the innovation program for civil-military synergies. The projects will be invited to a separate application procedure and a separate assessment which will have no impact on the assessment of the proposal made in this call for proposals.

Focus on climate and gender equality in all our initiatives

Vinnova is tasked with promoting sustainable growth and social development. Genom Agenda By 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 at least two project partners, a university or university college and a company. This ensures that the project is scientifically and industrially anchored. We are addressing you who come from industry, business, academia and institutes.

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 linked to the activities at the branch or establishment.

It is possible to apply for funding for activities that are part of research and development 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, which aims to acquire new knowledge and new skills to develop new products, processes or services.
• Analysis of the potential of research and development projects aimed at supporting the decision-making process to ensure the project is a success.
• Evaluation that maps strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and risks of research and development projects.

We do not fund routine or recurring changes to existing products, services, manufacturing methods or 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 between 12 and 36 months.

Our funding is subject to state aid rules. The rules govern both the types of costs and the proportion of costs that we can finance. This is determined for each organisation individually. 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 60 million for this call for proposals.

How much funding can the project receive?

Vinnova's funding can amount to between 2 and 15 million SEK per project and can maximum amount to 70 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.
• Party size and activities.

In this the call for proposals we provide support for industrial research, experimental development or feasibility studies.
For complete definitions, see funding bases and levels.

The proportion of the costs we can finance – that is, 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. I Experimentell development 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.

What costs can we finance?

Our funding can only go towards 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 a third party.
• 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.

For more detailed information about which costs we can finance, see our 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 separated from the organization's other costs. An organization may not claim someone else's costs as its own.

For more detailed information about which eligibility requirements, limitations and exceptions apply, see our instructions for 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 process your proposal.

Prerequisites for us to assess proposal:

• The consortium consists of at least two project partners, including at least one Swedish university or university college and at least one company.
• 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.

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 and utilize the results.
• How well the project is assessed to contribute to increased gender equality.
• How well the project is assessed to contribute positively to the global goals of Agenda 2030, with particular focus on energy and resource efficiency.

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 project partners' ability 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 like this:

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.

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 happens 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 the following:

• That you will sign a special document in which you agree to carry out the project.
• That you report your costs and results to us regularly during the project.
• If you are multiple parties, you 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

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 need 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.

Once your proposal has been registered, we will send a confirmation to the person responsible for the user account as well as to the project manager and the signatory.

If you submit proposal on the same day 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 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