Swedish participation in framework program-funded materials research

Innovative and advanced materials are an important research and innovation field for Sweden. There are several prominent Swedish research environments in the area. Within the country there is also a prominent manufacturing industry, whose competitiveness often rests on the use of advanced materials. A continued development in advanced materials and their use is expected to provide significant funding for dealing with the challenges of our time, such as energy transition, digitalisation and defense capabilities.

The EU's framework program for research and innovation is central to the international connection of Swedish research and innovation system. This report reports on the analysis and follow-up of Swedish participation in framework program-funded materials research and is a supplement to the 2023 Horisont Europa-årsbok.

In previous reports, Vinnova has shown that Swedish participation in the technology- and challenge-oriented parts of the EU's framework program is declining. This report points to the materials research field going the same way. This despite the fact that Sweden continues to have a prominent position in the research field.

The report also includes a case study that highlights how important the framework programs are for Sweden. It describes how the Swedish strategic innovation program SIO Grafen could become an engine for the mobilization of the Swedish graphene ecosystem. This was to a significant extent a consequence of close cooperation with EU efforts in the field of graphene research.