Challenge Driven Innovation - Stage 1 initiation, autumn 2018

Challenge Driven Innovation (CDI) is a programme for projects which through widespread collaboration seeks to find solutions to address the major global challenges facing societies today. It looks at challenges such as the climate crisis and the transition to renewable energy, sustainable consumption and production, but also good health for everyone, and reduced inequality and social vulnerability.

Our point of departure are the global sustainability development goals of Agenda 2030 and we are looking for those of you who have novel solutions with international appeal and great potential to contribute to equal and sustainable development.

Funding in three stages

In CDI, projects can receive funding in three stages: initiation, collaboration project and implementation. To enable projects to work in the long term to solve complex societal challenges, we grant larger sums in stages 2 and 3.

• In Stage 1 initiation focus ison developing your idea and planning how it will be realized and utilised. In the first stage, the project can apply for a maximum SEK 500,000.
• In Stage 2 collaboration project, collaboration between the actors and solutions or partial solutions is developed and tested. In the second stage, the project can apply for a maximum SEK 10 million.
• In Stage 3 implementation is about testing the solutions in a real environment and implementing and disseminating the results. In the third and final stage, the project can apply for a maximum SEK 20 million.

In order to apply to the next stage, the project must have been completed and approved in the previous stage. New projects begin in stage 1. Each stage opens up for applications once in the spring and once in the autumn.

Challenge Driven Innovation (CDI) is targeted at organisations from all sectors that are willing and able to collaborate in order to quickly develop innovative solutions on a system level.

If your project has the following characteristics, we would be very interested to receive your application to CDI.

The solution:

• addresses societal challenges which are clearly rooted in Agenda 2030
• can make a real contribution to achieving the sustainability goals of Agenda 2030
• is novel and needs-based
• has the potential to generate growth and has international appeal.

The constellation:

• is based on active collaboration between different actor types (e.g., industry, research, public services, civil society) and includes all the actors that need to be involved in order for your project to be successful, such as users
• has a project team (key persons), the composition of which has been determined with consideration for gender distribution and the distribution of power and influence among women and men.

The project work:

• has a system approach; i.e., it looks at the full picture of the different parts that are needed to solve the societal challenge
• includes work to identify and remove obstacles to the introduction, dissemination or use of the new solution, with the help of different types of advocacy and policy work
• engages and involves those directly affected by your solution, e.g. customers or users
• is based on a project plan in which the activities are linked to desired results and long-term effects for all three stages of the funding
• has an approach characterised by equality and formulates the solution taking into account an equality perspective.

These characteristics form the basis of our assessment criteria. In this way, we can determine right from the application to Stage 1 whether or not the project is suitable for CDI. You can read our requirements and assessment criteria in their entirety in our call for proposals document.