PiiA: The Process Industry of the Future-Data-Driven and Sustainable - Autumn 2022

A call for proposals within the strategic innovation program Processindustriell IT and Automation (PiiA) for autumn 2022.

PiiA is part of Vinnova's, the Energy Agency's and Forma's joint effort on strategic innovation programs. The aim of the investment in strategic innovation programs is to create the conditions for international competitiveness and sustainable solutions to global societal challenges.

PiiA works to inspire process industries and their suppliers to do more with their data; by making data available in the process industry's value chains in a reliable and business-like manner. Work takes place in broad cooperation between companies, industry representatives, research institutes and universities/ university colleges

For more information on the PiiA program

PiiA's program plan and report series provide additional background to the program and are relevant references for new projects project. The documents are available on PiiA's website

The strategic innovation program Processindustriell IT and Automation (PiiA) offers funding for feasibility studies or research, development and innovation projects (FUI project) with a focus on data analysis in process industrial value chains.

The purpose of the call is to increase the sustainability and competitiveness of Swedish process industry, and their suppliers, by increasing the use of new technology and advanced data analysis in process industrial value chains, both within and between companies.

By process industry we mean processes with continuous flows. We welcome applications from all branches of the process industry, e.g. the forestry, mining, steel, chemical, food or pharmaceutical industries. PiiA's focus area is not discrete manufacturing in the manufacturing industry.

The call is aimed at consortia consisting of companies, universities, university colleges, research institutes and other relevant actors (legal entities) for the project.

We welcome consortia that include smaller companies with cutting-edge expertise that complement larger actors.

Foreign actors are welcome to participate in project, however not as coordinators. Funding is only granted to Swedish organisations. Swedish organizations also mean foreign organizations that have a branch or place of business in Sweden. Costs in the project must be linked to the branch's or operating location's activities.

We finance project that address real needs in the process industry.

Project must be of strategic importance for participating companies and research groups and lead to sustainable growth and a strengthened market position for Sweden within the process industry.

The projects are expected to address challenges linked to how industrial data can be used to ensure that Swedish process industry and its technology suppliers maintain and develop their competitiveness.

The following two types of project are financed in this call for proposals

The financing is expected to actively support the process industry's digital and green transition.

Vinnova is tasked with promoting sustainable growth by improving the conditions for innovation. Improved conditions for innovation strengthen the capacity to reach the goals for sustainable development in Agenda 2030. Through our efforts, we contribute to the global commitment to reach the goals.

Our work to contribute to the goals of Agenda 2030

Inom Agenda 2030, Vinnova has particularly singled out climate and gender equality as two central sustainability perspectives to which our funded investments should contribute positively. Project financed by Vinnova are therefore expected to take special account of the climate and gender equality aspects.

Sweden is a world-leading industrial nation. Digitization changes the way industrial companies develop, manufacture and reach the market and requires that IT and production systems digitally approach each other with enabling technology that goes by the name IndTech. Begreppet IndTech is a collective name for technologies implemented to make industry smart and delivered by hundreds of small and medium-sized technology suppliers who develop technologies for industrial digitalisation for the world market.

In industry, the lifespan of technology is often determined by the availability of service and spare parts or major rebuilding needs. In practice, this means that existing structures may have a long life left, but at the same time gradually need to be supplemented with open digital solutions and standards.

Cooperation, pooling of forces and innovation will be decisive for reaching the goals in Agenda 2030. With this call for proposals, we want to get more people to develop their innovative capacity in collaboration and create new solutions that contribute to the goals, within the framework of the priorities of the call.

PiiA focuses on the Swedish process industry and includes both process industry companies and process industry suppliers. By process industry we mean processes with continuous flows. We welcome applications from various branches of the process industry, such as the forestry, mining, steel, chemical, food or pharmaceutical industries.

Discrete manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing industry, is not included in PiiA's focus area.

The call is aimed at consortia that contain at least one company, as well as other actors relevant to the project such as universities, university colleges, research institutes etc. All project parties must be legal entities. Foreign parties are also welcome to participate in project, but not as coordinators.

The joint project must have a positive impact on the parties in the project, which must form a well-balanced consortium in which one or a few of the following actors must be included:

• Process industry that has identified an opportunity to radically improve its competitiveness by applying, for its field, new knowledge or new technology in a new way.
• Supplier company or so-called IndTech company that has identified a new market need, that is looking for a product or service with a new business model that responds to this need, where the product/service differs significantly from what is already on the market.
• Research groupthat sees the challenge as part of an important research problem that requires new knowledge, or that sees opportunities for new application of research-based knowledge.

The parties in a project consortium are jointly expected to have:

• Identified one or more key challenges associated with an existing or future process industry problem.
• An idea for a solution to these challenges (technology and/or business model).
• Orientation towards a growth-driving and innovative digitalisation of the process industry and its suppliers.
• An ambition to jointly develop and make this solution available within the industry or as a cross-industry solution.

funding Activities for which funding can be sought

The following two types of project are financed through the call:

• Feasibility study
  The study lasts a maximum of 9 months and consists of at least two parties, of which at least one company. The study aims to investigate and test concepts and serves as preparation for an FUI project.
• FUI project
  The project lasts for a maximum of 36 months and consists of at least three parties, of which at least two must be companies. The project is expected to indicate potential in the application and/or value creation of new technologies and, if possible, to validate/demonstrate its results in a relevant environment.

Planned budget for the call is SEK 15 million and we intend to finance 2–6 FUI project and 3–8 feasibility studies.

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.

State support for economic activities (companies)

Rules for which costs are eligible for support

For a cost to be eligible for support, it must be actual, auditable and incurred within the project period.

Individual project parties'eligible costs can be fully or partially covered by

funding from Vinnova. The part covered by Vinnova's funding constitutes the so-called support level and is expressed as a percentage.

In this call for proposals, the project as a whole can receive funding from Vinnova with a maximum of 50 percent of the total eligible costs.

The maximum support level is determined per beneficiary and different rules apply to different types of organizations, activities and projects project

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

• The consortium consists of
• at least two parties of which at least one company for feasibility studies
• at least three parties, of which at least two companies for FUI project
• The project parties are legal entities
• The coordinator is a Swedish organization
• Participant seeking funding is a Swedish organization. Swedish organizations also mean foreign organizations that have a branch or place of business in Sweden.
• project For projects with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as participants, the company must have:

at least one full-time employee.

User guide on the definition of SME company (vinnova.se)

• The project has not started before the proposal is submitted
• Proposal is written in Swedish or English

proposal The following mandatory attachments (in PDF format) must be attached to the proposal:

• Project description.

project description for FUI projects must include a maximum of 11 pages, and for feasibility studies 7, vertical A4 pages with single-column 12-point black text, and be written according to a template.

• Project report, including a page with contact details, must be written according to the template. The text must be able to be distributed and published freely and must therefore not contain confidential or other sensitive information.
• CV attachment in A4. It must contain relevant CVs for the project manager and all key personnel. Varje CV must be a maximum of 1 A4 page with 12-point text and follow the structure in the template.
• SME appendix(maximum one page per participating SME small and medium-sized enterprise) according to template if such enterprises are included in proposal.

Only requested pages and attachments will be assessed. References to web pages, previous project descriptions or final reports will not be considered.

OBS! Om's proposal is based on an ongoing feasibility study or other ongoing project, these should be planned to be completed before the new project is planned to start.

At the same time as the proposal is sent to Vinnova, the appendix Project Report must also be sent to PiiA via e-mail info@sip-piia.se.

What is assessed?

Proposal must be in line with the call aim and objective stated in section

What does PiiA want to achieve with the funding

and is assessed according to the criteria below.

Potential for the process industry and its suppliers (for feasibility studies, the potential of subsequent FUI projects project is assessed)

• Relevance:The project must contribute to PiiA's overall objective and the specific objective that exist for the call.
• Innovation and business concept:Clear innovation and great potential for future business through the introduction of new technology, new processes and business models in process industrial applications.
• Applications: Clearly described areas of application and benefit to the process industry and its suppliers.
• Effects: The project's potential to contribute to the benefit of many actors in the process industry and among its customers and suppliers.
• Global goals in Agenda 2030: The project potential to contribute positively to the global goals in Agenda 2030, as well as minimize the negative effects and demonstrate the effects with relevant metrics.

Introduction to Agenda 2030, Statistikmyndigheten SCB

Analysis of synergies and goal conflicts in Sweden's voluntary review of the work with Agenda 2030

Actors

• Cooperation:That the project's parties cooperate in the project and that the project is well anchored in participating organizations.
• Competences: That the project's parties have access to competence, cooperation partners and networks needed to develop the project's idea/solution. It also includes relevant sustainability competence. [recommended to specify type of sustainability competence]
• Relevance:At least one participant must be active in the process industry
• Finances:That the project's parties have the financial conditions to be able to carry out the project.
• Gender equality:How well the project team is composed, as well as the distribution of power and influence between women and men.

Feasibility

• Objective: Clear project objectives, which for example include demonstrators or proof that a solution or technology works.
• Planning: That the budget, plan and approach for the implementation of the project are credible and relevant in relation to the project's objective, for example that personnel costs and other costs are reasonable.
• Work packages: Clearly described work packages.
• Dissemination of results: Clear description of how the project results are to be disseminated to other actors.
• Risk Management: How well the project team is aware of and manages risks.
• Sustainability perspective: How well the project plan integrated relevant sustainability perspectives for the entire value chain. This refers to Agenda 2030 with a particular focus on climate and gender equality.

How do we judge?

Proposal will be assessed in competition with other applications received when the announcement closes on November 23, 2022 at 14:00. The assessment is based on the electronic proposal submitted to Vinnova via Vinnova's eservices portal.

Schematically, the decision process looks like this:

• Proposal submitted via Vinnovas Intressentportal.
• The applications that meet the formal requirements are assessed by specially appointed evaluator from relevant areas and industries against specified assessment criteria. The evaluators are appointed by Vinnova and work under confidentiality and confidentiality. This results in a recommendation for funding and in a ranking of the applications.
• Representatives of the strategic innovation program PiiA are given the opportunity to submit an opinion on the assessors' recommendation.
• Vinnova makes decisions about which project are to be financed.
• The decision is communicated to the applicant and the management of the strategic innovation program PiiA is informed of the outcome.

About our decisions

How much each party in the project is granted in funding appears in the decision. Funding will be granted with the support of regulation (2015:208) on state support for research and development as well as innovation and art. 25 of Commission Regulation (EU) No. 651/2014 (GBER) to industrial research or feasibility studies.

Organizations that carry out non-economic activities can be granted funding that does not constitute state aid when they participate in their non-economic activities.

The basis for support appears in the decision and also governs which costs are eligible for support.

Vinnova's decision to grant or reject a proposal cannot be appealed.

Term for granted funding

For granted funding, our general terms and conditions for funding apply. The terms contain, among other things, rules on project agreements, conditions for payment, follow-up, reporting and utilization of results.

Our rules and term for funding

Think about the order

Begin each section with what is most important for your recipient to know: What does he need to know first in order to absorb the rest?

A good question to ask is: If the reader doesn't read all the way to the end, what can they miss? The answer to that question should come first.

Daring Air - Make many pieces

A thought - a paragraph. A compact text is difficult to read and perceived as complicated. By making a new paragraph after 3–5 lines, the text becomes easier to read.

Keep sentences short

Long sentences are difficult to read, especially for dyslexics. A sentence should never be longer than 2 lines.

This is how you get shorter sentences:

• Set point.
• Remove unnecessary words: Radically innovative new products - innovative products.
• Change nouns in -ing into verbs: Carry out development – develop, carry out research – research, carry out an education – educate
• Remove unnecessary extensions of words: Objective - objective, cost budget - budget, development process - development

Be specific

Vague words, words that can mean everything and nothing, are easily misunderstood and easily fall into the category of platitudes. Words like organizational solutionopen up for the reader to choose what is meant. By using more concrete, clear words, you reduce the risk of misunderstandings and are perceived as more serious.

Some examples:

Office infrastructure – office premises or premises and office equipment, depending on what you mean.

Individual mobility - opportunity for people to try another industry

Application-oriented solutions - the solution must be able to be applied practically

Vinnova develops system innovation for a sustainable future

In 2021, Vinnova participated in and financed a project, Kick Start Hållbarhet, which was coordinated by IUC (Sverige Industriella Utvecklings Centra)

Om IUC Sverige | IUC Sverige

Projektets aim and objective was to inspire a green transition in 10–12 industrial companies using examples, expertise, methods and systematics. Starting from the 17 global sustainability goals, helped Kick Start Hållbarhet break down the goals into company-related activities, comprehensible and concrete for the individual company. The participating companies were given a process to start future-proofing the operations and help to identify the most important driving forces for sustainability work.

Kick Start Hållbarhet has been positive and evaluation and interviews testify that the companies have gained new knowledge and seen new opportunities for sustainable development. Several companies made ambitious and concrete plans during the process and three months later some project have been launched.

Materials and links from this project have been collected here as inspiration.

KICKSTART HÅLLBARHET – KONKRET HÅLLBARHET FÖR INDUSTRIN (kickstarthallbarhet.se)