Sustainable Port - System Demonstrator

System demonstrator

A call for proposals in the area of Sustainable Mobility

This the call for proposals offers funding of full-scale project in the form of system demonstrators for increased sustainability in port operations. The offer is aimed at actor constellations that have concrete industrial needs and proposals for solutions for a more sustainable port. A sustainable port refers to aspects such as reduced environmental impact, improved social conditions, strengthened resilience and security, and strengthened competitiveness.

The offer applies to project with a project duration of up to 3 years and a funding of a maximum of SEK 5 million, which must be co-financed to an equal extent. The total budget for this call for proposals is approximately SEK 20 million.

The port forms a central node in the global flows of goods and people. I Sverige has almost all goods in or out of the country at one time or another by sea. The port is, as a multimodal logistics node, a meeting place for different modes of transport which are dependent on each other. There are also a number of functions and actors that must function in an effective interaction, such as reloading and storage functions. In order for this complex system to be able to function rationally, resource-efficiently and socially and environmentally sustainable, it is required that the following system perspectives work together: technology, business opportunities, regulations and policies, behaviors and culture as well as physical or digital infrastructure.

Project parties must be legal entities, for example Swedish companies, universities and university colleges, research institutes or public organisations. At least three project parties must participate in the projects, of which at least two are Swedish companies and at least one must be a Swedish port.

The following results:are expected from the projects

• Shown how the solution contributes to a sustainable port.
• How the solution is rooted in the five system perspectives: technology, business opportunities, regulations and policies, behaviors and culture as well as physical and digital infrastructure.
• Relevant actors have been involved.
• A plan for utilization and dissemination of the results.

Table 1 describes what characterizes a system demonstrator.

Focus on climate and gender equality in all our investments

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

In Inom Agenda 2030, Vinnova has specifically identified 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.

One aspect that Vinnova follows up and assesses is whether both women and men take part in the grant in an equal way, participate in and have influence over the project.

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

Our work to contribute to the goals of Agenda 2030

Equal innovation - what it means for you who seek 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 should contribute to making more results freely available to everyone. Therefore, all scientific publication must take place with open access in accordance with Vinnova's instructions:

Rules for funding and instructions for open access

The offer is aimed at a project consortium consisting of at least three parties, of which two Swedish companies and at least one Swedish port, who jointly create a system demonstrator that contributes to a sustainable port. We expect a broad engagement with needs owners that reflects the five system dimensions.

The project parties must be legal entities, for example companies, research institutes, university colleges, universities and institutes of higher education, regions or other public organisations.

By "Swedish company" here is meant a Swedish-registered company, such as a limited liability company, trading company or limited partnership, or a foreign company that has a branch or place of business in Sweden and where the costs in the project are attributable to activitiesof the branch or place of business. Please note that the organization must be a legal entity, individual companies are not accepted. In this call for proposals, research institutes, regardless of organizational form, are not considered companies.

Foreign organizations are welcome to participate in the projects. For questions about funding and co-financing, see section 5.

The types of project activities that can be funding must be of the nature of Experimental development, see section 5.

Eligible costs

Only eligible project costs are eligible for funding from Vinnova, see the file "Instructions for term on eligible costs" on the website: Vinnova's general terms and conditions for funding

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

• Be factual and verifiable.
• Have arisen with the project party during the project period.
• Be reasonable and have arisen solely for the implementation of the project.
• Be determined in accordance with the applicant's usual accounting
  principles and good accounting practice.
• Be in accordance with the project party's internal policies and guidelines.

Our funding is covered by rules on government support. The rules govern both what kind of costs and what proportion of the costs we can finance. This is determined for each organization individually. We therefore distinguish how much funding the project can receive, and how much each participating participant can receive.

How much funding can the project receive?

Funding can amount to a maximum of SEK 5 million per project and up to 50 percent of the project's total eligible costs. The total budget for this call for proposals is approximately SEK 20 million. Funded project can have a project duration of up to 3 years.

How much funding each participating participant can receive depends mainly on:

• Which activities the party will carry out in the project.
• Party size and activities.

In this the call for proposals we provide support for experimental development.

Experimental development can be simply described as combining, shaping and using existing knowledge to produce new or improved products, processes or services. It may include prototyping, demonstration, piloting, testing and validation of new or improved products, processes or services in environments that correspond to realistic operating conditions. For a complete definition, see the file "Support bases and support levels for funding" which can be found here: Government support for economic activities

What percentage of the costs we can finance - that is, the maximum level of support - depends on the size of the organization and the type of activity.

Funding can also be granted as support of minor importance (de minimis support) according to Regulation (EU) No. 1407/2013. Such support can be granted with up to 100 percent of the eligible costs.

You can find more information here

What costs can we finance?

Our funding may only go to 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 an external actor
• 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. Indirect costs may constitute a maximum of 30 percent of personnel costs.

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

Non-economic activities

Organizations that participate with their non-economic activities are not covered by the rules on state aid and can be granted funding with up to 100 percent of their eligible costs. Such organizations are, for example, universities and university colleges, research institutes and public organisations.

Each participant is responsible for ensuring that funding received does not exceed the aid intensity permitted according to the rules for government support.

Foreign organizations are welcome to participate in the projects and completed work that results in eligible costs can then be included in the co-financing. In order to be granted funding, however, it is required that the organization has a branch or place of business in Sweden and that the costs in the project are attributable to activitiesof the branch or place of business.

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, proposal will be rejected with reference to formal eligibility requirements not being met. No other justification will be given.

These eligibility requirements are:

• The project parties are legal entities
• The constellation must consist of at least three project parties, of which at least two are Swedish companies and at least one is a Swedish port. See section 3 for the definition of Swedish companies.
• The project manager is employed by one of the project parties.
• Proposal is written in Swedish or English.
• Organizations with economic activities that seek funding according to the regulation on support of minor importance must attach a completed form for support of minor importance that can be found on the website: State support for economic activities
• Proposal must be prepared according to the instructions that follow from section 9.
• Funding is not granted to organizations that are insolvent or that
  is undergoing liquidation or company restructuring, or who has unpaid debts or payment notices with the Swedish Enforcement Agency.
• If the organization is a limited company, half or more of the share capital must not be used up.
• We take credit information on all applicant who are not public actors, and funding is not granted to organizations with the lowest credit rating C.

Please note that an organization seeking funding for personnel costs must be registered as an employer with the Tax Agency at the latest when the grant decision is made.

Note that an individual company or trader is not a legal person. Different workplaces in an organization, such as different departments at a university, count as a participant as it is a legal person.

What do we assess?

The project proposals must be in line with aim and objective of the call for proposals and are assessed based on the following criteria:

Potential

• potential of the proposed project to contribute to a sustainable port as described in section 2.
• How scalable is the proposed solution and does proposal provide a credible quantitative description of its effect?
• To what degree is the goal formulation clear and how do the actors gather around it?
• How are the five system perspectives described in proposal and is it clear that they form part of the system?
• The project's novelty value in relation to existing solutions and larger investments in the area.
• The project's potential to contribute to increased gender equality.
• How well the project is judged to contribute positively to the global goals in Agenda 2030, and how well it is judged to minimize the negative effects.

Actors

• Involvement of relevant actors including need owners.
• Commitment of all participating parties.
• The project manager's competence and ability.
• To what extent does the project group have access to relevant competence in sustainability.
• How well composed the project team is in terms of gender distribution and how well power and influence are evenly distributed between the genders in the project team.

Feasibility

• The realism, credibility and expediency of the project plan and budget.
• Competence and ability of the constellation of actors in relation to project goals and implementation.
• How well equality aspects have been integrated into the project plan where relevant.

How do we judge?

The assessment is based on the electronic proposal submitted to Vinnova via the e-service. See section 9. Proposal is assessed in competition with other received applications.

Schematically, the process looks like this:

1. The applications that meet the requirements according to section 6 will be assessed according to assessment criteria in section 7 by specially appointed evaluator and expert employees at Vinnova. This results in a ranking of the applications and a recommendation for decision.
2. Vinnova makes decisions about which project are to be financed.
3. Decision is notified to applicant.

When we have assessed all applications, we will send a decision in which we either grant or reject your proposal. In the decision, we state how much funding each 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. See our general terms and conditions and get help understanding and fulfilling them

The terms include this:

• That you must sign a special document in which you agree to carry out the project.
• That you must report your costs and results to us regularly during the project.
• That you, if you are several parties, must agree on what applies to the project in a project agreement, see the file "Agreement guide" on the website: Vinnova's general terms and conditions for funding
• How the results will be used, and how any scientific publication will take place

We can also decide to add supplementary special conditions for individual project. In that case, they appear in the decision.

For all project granted funding in this the call for proposals the following special conditions also apply:

• The project must be represented by at least one participant at the program seminars and conferences that Vinnova convenes during the project period. The cost of such participation is eligible.

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.

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

If you submit a proposal on the same day as 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 after the call for proposals closes, please contact us.

When the call for proposals is closed, you cannot change anything in proposal. Then you can only supplement if we ask for it.

Who can read your proposal?

Applications submitted to us become public documents. This means that we must disclose them if they are requested. However, we keep confidential information that we believe could mean financial damage if disclosed, for example information about the business, inventions or research results.

This is how we handle public documents and confidentiality