Electronic components & systems - research and innovation projects 2024

A call for proposals within the strategic innovation program Smarter electronics system

The strategic innovation program Smarter electronics system is part of Vinnova's, the Energy Agency's and Forma's joint effort in strategic innovation areas. The purpose of the investment is to create conditions for Swedish industry's international competitiveness and sustainable solutions to global societal challenges.

Smarter electronic systems work for Sweden to be a world-leading industrial country in all areas where we depend on electronic systems. The work takes place in broad cooperation between companies, industry representatives, research institutes and universities.

For more information on the program

Smarter electronics systems offer funding for research and innovation projects. Through collaboration, the projects will develop innovative solutions that are expected to lead to increased knowledge and competitiveness within the application area Built-in intelligent systems.

aim of the call is to finance projectwhich develops electronic systems based on industrial needs regarding manufacturability, robustness or energy efficiency and which also strengthens the competitiveness of Swedish companies.

It can be new products, services, processes or other quality or value-creating solutions that meet the needs and demand of end users or owners of needs.

The call for proposals is aimed at consortia with at least two organizations where companies, universities, university college, research institutes and other relevant actors can be included. At least one company must be part of the consortium. The participants must complement each other in a coherent part of a value chain.

Funding for the project: A maximum of SEK 4 million and a maximum of 50 percent of the project's total eligible costs.

Funding for participants: Maximum SEK 2.5 million per participant.

Project duration: Maximum 24 months.

Preliminary budget for the call for proposals is SEK 23.4 million

The project proposals must contribute to the overall impact goals of the program:

• To contribute to sustainable growth for Sweden and Swedish industry.
• To strengthen international competitiveness.
• To contribute to sustainable solutions for the global challenges of the future, such as eligibility requirements for energy conservation, long-term sustainable environment and care for a growing and increasingly aging population.

The call for proposals is expected to result in new knowledge being developed that can be implemented in Swedish companies' future products, processes or services. The ideas in the projects must be innovative with potential to develop into innovations.

The project must be ranked according to technological maturity level according to the scale for Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), see further the assessment criteria in section 7. For definition of TRL, see further the appendix "TRL definition for Smarter electronic system FoI project 2024.

Expected time to market introduction of finished product, process or service must be within three years after completion of project, but may vary depending on industry and application area.

The received project proposals must have objective of solving one or more needs owner's challenge or problem within the application area Built-in intelligent systems. The project must be based on industrial needs and requirements. The development within the project must take into account at least one of the industrial needs of manufacturability, robustness and energy efficiency.

Intelligence in built-in systems refers to systems that actively react to events and deliver conclusions in the form of decision support or that the system itself acts. In the most advanced form of intelligence, the system is self-learning and changes its conclusions over time based on past experiences (AI).

Electronic systems can be enablers to solve the transition to a sustainable society. At the same time, they consume energy, which is why the energy supply and energy efficiency of the electronic systems are important issues to address. By addressing the electronics system's robustness and manufacturability early in a development project, the total time to market for products with a long lifespan is usually shortened, which benefits competitiveness.

The project proposals must also demonstrate a connection and cooperation between actors involved within a coherent value chain.

Vinnova is tasked with promoting sustainable growth and community development. Through 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.

Read more about our work to contribute to the goals of Agenda 2030

In 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.

One aspect that Vinnova follows up and assesses is whether both women and men share in the grant in an equal way, participate in and have influence over the project. Special consideration of Agenda 2030 target 5.5 - Ensure women's full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all decision-making levels in political, economic and public life. See also section 7, assessment criteria.

Another aspect involves analyzing and deciding whether there are gender or gender aspects that are relevant in connection with the project's problem area, solutions and utilization. This question is mandatory for all applicant and can be found under the heading " Project tasks". In this call for proposals the question is not the basis for assessment.

Results from research and innovation that are made freely available increase the opportunity for more people to contribute to solutions to societal challenges. The call for proposals should contribute to making more results freely available to everyone and scientific publication should take place with open access.

The call for proposals is aimed at consortia with at least two participants which may include companies, universities, university college, research institutes and other relevant actors. At least one company must be part of the consortium. All participating parties can be companies. It is considered positive if more than two project parties participate. It is also considered positive if a company is coordinator, see definition of coordinator in Vinnova's general terms and conditions.

Se Vinnovas general terms and conditions

Participants must complement each other in some part of a coherent value chain. By value chain we mean all the steps that gradually refine an idea from raw materials and components to a final product, i.e. a finished good or service offered on a market.

Activities for which funding can be applied for

It is possible to apply for funding for activities that are part of research and innovation projects where electronic systems contribute to innovation within the application area Built-in intelligent systems. These must be activities aimed at acquiring new knowledge and new skills to develop new or significantly improved products, processes or services. It can include everything from the creation of components that make up parts of complex systems to pilot operations.

In order for actors who plan to apply in this call for proposals to find new potential partners more easily, the program has built up extensive contact networks within the program's leading and effort areas:

• Antenna, microwave and terahertz systems.
• Photonics.
• Sensors and embedded systems.
• Micro- and nanoelectronics.
• Printed electronics.
• Power electronics.
• Construction method.
• Reliability.

Read more and find contact details on the programme's website

Examples of eligible activities:

• Investigation of technical and design conditions.
• Development of prototypes or demonstration versions of products or services. 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.
• Investigation of market conditions, for example identifying customers, customer needs, possible partners and competitors.

We do not finance:

• Routine or recurring changes to existing products, services, manufacturing methods or manufacturing processes.
• Training efforts, courses, marketing, sales, ongoing operations, quality assurance, certification, investment in equipment and tools as well as intellectual property strategies and protection.

Eligible costs

The program's funding of project 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.

What is meant by eligible costs can be seen from Vinnova's term and Instruction on eligible costs. Vinnova's general terms and conditions apply to this call for proposals.

It states, among other things, that in order for a cost to be eligible for support, it must:

• Be factual and verifiable.
• Have originated with Participant.
• Have arisen during the project period.
• Be established in accordance with Projektpart's usual accounting principles and good accounting practice.

Personnel costs must be real and must therefore not consist of unpaid working hours.

Read more about government support on our website
See our general terms and conditions

Vinnova's funding per project can amount to a maximum of SEK 4 million, and can amount to a maximum of 50 percent of the project's total eligible costs.

For each individual participant, Vinnova can provide funding with a maximum of SEK 2.5 million. In addition, the following applies:

Funding from Vinnova to companies and others that conduct economic activities is governed by the rules on government support.

For more information, see rules on government support

In this call for proposals funding is given to industrial research or experimental development according to Article 25 of the EU Block Exemption Regulation (GBER).

In this call for proposals companies can receive funding with a maximum of what the rules on state aid allow, but never higher than 50 percent. The company must be able to cover other eligible costs with its own existing funding, which must appear in the form of turnover or available capital.

Public funding for the implementation of other project, as well as own funding for the implementation of such other project, cannot be used to cover project costs in this call for proposals.

A credit report will be taken on all participating small and medium-sized companies. Supplementary financial documentation, such as a current balance sheet and profit and loss report, may be requested from companies during the assessment process to ensure that the company has the ability to cover its own funding in the project.

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

Non-state aid is granted to parties that do not carry out economic activities, usually universities, university college and research institutes. Such support can be granted with up to 100 percent of the party's eligible costs.

Maximum project time is 24 months.

Prerequisites for proposal to be assessed

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

• The project must have at least two project parties, of which at least one is a company. The participating project parties must be legal entities. For companies, the company form must be limited liability company or trading company.
• The coordinator and participant seeking funding must be a Swedish legal person in Sweden. In this respect, a foreign organization that has a branch or place of business in Sweden is equated with a Swedish legal person. The costs in the project must be attributable to the branch's or establishment's activities.
• All project parties must be listed as parties with their own budget in Vinnova's application form. It is not enough to only indicate project parties in the project description, in the appendix 'project abstract' or as co-financiers in the application form.
• Proposal must contain and follow all instructions regarding templates and appendices according to section 9.
• Proposal must be written in Swedish or English.
• If a project application in this call for proposals is based in whole or in part on a feasibility study financed within Smarter electronic systems, this must be completed no later than February 29, 2024, and a final report to Vinnova no later than March 15, 2024.

When the application period has expired, proposal can only be completed at the request of Vinnova.

What is assessed?

The project must fulfill the purpose of the call for proposals, see section 2.

The assessment takes place using the following criteria:

Potential

• Potential to contribute to the call's overall aim and objective by:
  - Contribute to sustainable growth for Sweden and Swedish industry.
  - Strengthen international competitiveness.
  - Contribute to sustainable solutions for future global challenges such as eligibility requirements for energy conservation, long-term sustainable environment and care for a growing and increasingly aging population.
  - Contribute positively to the global goals in Agenda 2030.
  - Contribute to circular material flows, recycling methods, and circular business models.
  - Contribute to innovation and renewal of the application area Built-in intelligent systems, as well as how well proposal describes that the development within the project takes place with regard to at least one of the industrial needs manufacturability, robustness and energy efficiency.
• The potential for the results to be utilized in products, processes or services within three years after the end of the project and introduced on the relevant market. If a longer time is expected, depending on the industry and area of application, a credible justification must be given.
• How well proposal accounts for the current TRL before the start of the project and how credibly it is reported that the TRL level will increase by at least one step and reach at least TRL 5 within the project period. Start from a maximum of TRL 6.
• How well and credibly the competitive situation is described.

Actors

• Relevant competence and credible ability of the project team, for example project manager and other key people.
• That there is a clear plan for how the project results will be useful after the project ends, and the credibility of the project parties when it comes to implementing the plan for commercialization.
• How well the project is balanced with respect to activities and budgeted costs between the project parties.
• How well the cooperation between the project parties in a coherent value chain appears in the project plan.
• How well the team's key personnel are composed with regard to gender distribution, as well as the distribution of resources, power and influence between women and men.
• It is assessed positively if a company is coordinator.
• It is considered positive if more than one company participates as participant and that these clearly complement each other in a coherent value chain.

Feasibility

• The realism of the project plan. How well planned activities will be able to be carried out during the project period and contribute to achieving the expected result.
• How well the project structure contributes to strengthened collaboration between actors within and outside the project constellation.
• How well the project structure contributes to the utilization and dissemination of the results.
• How well risks are described and managed in the implementation of the project.
• How well equality aspects have been integrated into the project description.
  
  

How does the assessment process work?

Proposal is assessed in competition with other received applications and the assessment is based on the electronic proposal submitted via Vinnova's e-services.

Schematically, the decision process looks like this:

1. Proposal are submitted via Vinnova's e-services.
2. The applications that meet the formal requirements will be assessed against specified assessment criteria by specially appointed evaluator appointed by Vinnova. This results in a recommendation for funding and a ranking of the applications.
3. If necessary, Vinnova conducts interviews with representatives of applicant project consortia.
4. Vinnova makes decisions about which project are to be financed.
5. Decision is notified to applicant.

This is how you apply

To apply for funding, you fill in a web-based form in Vinnova's e-service for applications, which you can find via the button Apply here.

There you also upload the following attachments:

• Project description according to the template for the project application which is taken from the call's webpage. The description must include a maximum of 11 vertical A4 pages with single-column, 12-point black text. References to information on web pages and the like will not be taken into account in assessment.
• Project abstract (one page at most) and contact details for all project parties' contact persons (an additional page), according to the template on the call's website. The project abstract must be able to be distributed and published freely and must therefore not contain confidential or other sensitive information. The project abstract must be written in English and TRL levels at the start of the project as well as planned TRL at the end of the project must be stated. In direct connection with submitting proposal to Vinnova, the appendix with the project abstract and contact information for all project parties' contact persons must also be sent to the program office for Smarter electronic systems via e-mail to anna.wibom@smartareelektroniksystem.se
• The CV attachment must contain relevant CVs for the project manager and all key people in the project team. For these, name, age, gender, title or function, e-mail and telephone number must be entered. Varje CV must be on a maximum of 3 A4 pages with 12-point text. Any template may be used.
• The small and medium-sized companies annex (maximum one page per participating SME) according to the template on the call's webpage, if such companies are included in proposal. Please note that if the coordinator is an SME, they must also fill in this appendix.

All of the above attachments are mandatory, except for the SME information in the event that no small or medium-sized enterprises are included in the project. The attachments must be in pdf format.

Please note that applications will only be assessed if the applicant complies with the requirements for the maximum number of pages and uses the templates as above. No other attachments may also be attached to proposal.

Keep in mind that it takes time to make a proposal. You can start filling in information, save and continue at a later time. When proposal is ready, you mark it as done. You can fully unlock proposal and make changes at any time, right up until the last application date.

Please mark proposal well in advance before the call for proposals closes.

When the call for proposals has closed and proposal has been registered with Vinnova, a confirmation will be sent out by e-mail to you who are responsible for the user account, project manager and company signatory or head of department. It may take a few hours before you receive the email.

If you have not received a confirmation by e-mail within 24 hours after the call for proposals has closed, please contact us.

When the application period has expired, proposal can only be completed at the request of Vinnova.