Support to small and medium-sized enterprises for testing and evaluating technology solutions that contribute to defense innovation

This offer is aimed at small and medium-sized companies that want to conduct tests and evaluate their technology solutions at the sub-component, component, sub-system, system, platform and system-of-system level against military needs, military capabilities or military eligibility requirements.

The purpose of the call for proposals is to make technology infrastructures more financially accessible to small and medium-sized companies in order to strengthen the companies' ability to move forward in their technology development and gain understanding of how or demonstrate that the technology can have a military benefit.

In this call for proposals by technology infrastructure we mean facilities, equipment, capacities and support services needed to develop, test and validate technology solutions and create the conditions for scaling up technology towards higher technical maturity. The call for proposals has a broad approach regarding which technology infrastructures may be considered. For example, support can be obtained for a subset of the application fee for “From Innovation to Battlefield Demonstration Week” (Battle Week), a programme where industry is offered to solve sharp military problems and demonstrate their solutions in a realistic environment.

In order for companies to be able to apply for this call for proposals the company must develop a technology solution that clearly addresses a military need with relevance to Sweden's defense capability or military capability.

Project can be granted funding of up to SEK 500,000 and the project may last a maximum of 12 months and must begin no later than November 20th.

Sweden's security policy situation remains serious. In order to better defend Sweden and its allies, there is a need to constantly develop, adapt and strengthen military capabilities. Civilian actors, by virtue of their ability to technological innovation, have an important role to play in contributing in a groundbreaking way to solving military needs and security-related challenges. Small and medium-sized companies often face large costs in investigating whether their technology solutions can solve military problems or meet military eligibility requirements. Access to technology infrastructures for testing and evaluation is thus becoming a limiting factor for many companies. The purpose of the call for proposals is to finance the use of, and thereby make available, technology infrastructures for small and medium-sized companies for testing and evaluating the military relevance of technology solutions. In this way, companies can also benefit from the capabilities of technology infrastructures, and the methods, analyses and knowledge available to them.

A successful proposal should be able to demonstrate:

• which assessed military need the technology solution can help solve
• which functions or features you want to test and evaluate
• which assessed future military application is intended
• how the project can strengthen the company's continued development

Technology solutions that contribute to better defending Sweden and NATO will be prioritized:

• Long-range combat – to deter adversaries, engage skilled adversaries in depth, and contribute to the alliance's overall capability
• Control of the Baltic Sea over time – where the sea and air situation is crucial for mobility, reinforcements and supplies
• An improved and sustained situational awareness – through ground, air and space-based sensors
• Air and missile defense, including protection against drones, throughout NATO's operational area – both for the protection of its own units and to strengthen the resilience of the northern flank
• A robust logistics network – with logistics and infrastructure that can receive and support allied forces for an extended period of time
• Protection of fixed critical infrastructure

Read more about the priority areas in the Swedish Armed Forces' considerations for future military defense, which was submitted by the Swedish Armed Forces to the government in November 2025, Swedish Armed Forces' considerations for future military defense.

Government assignment for civil-military synergies

The call for proposals is a joint effort by Vinnova and the Swedish Armed Forces and is funded by the Swedish Armed Forces within the framework of a government assignment for civil-military synergies. The aim is, among other things, to create increased conditions for cross-sectoral collaboration with the intention that groundbreaking technology, developed for the civilian area, will be increasingly utilized through innovations in the defense area.

Read more about the government mission for Civil-Military Synergies

Read more about strategic direction for Defense Innovation

Contribute to a sustainable system transition

Both Vinnova and the Swedish Armed Forces are tasked with promoting sustainable growth and social development. Therefore, there is also a focus on sustainability and gender equality.

Gender equality as a tool for innovative social development

The core values of the Armed Forces - The Armed Forces

Gender equality and equity - The Swedish Armed Forces

The call for proposals is aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises that want to use technology infrastructure to test and evaluate technology solutions. Only one applicant organisation per project can be granted funding within this call for proposals. The applicant for funding must be classified as a small or medium-sized enterprise according to the EU definition and must be a Swedish legal entity. In this respect, a Swedish legal entity is considered to be a foreign organisation that has a branch or establishment in Sweden. The costs in the project must be attributable to activities of the branch or establishment.

The company must be beneficiary and contact between the company and the technology infrastructure must be established before proposal is submitted. A quote from the technology infrastructure stating the cost of carrying out testing and evaluation and that the technology infrastructure undertakes to perform the service within 12 months from the start of the project must be attached proposal. Alternatively, the company must have received a place on “From Innovation to Battlefield. Demonstration Week”, which in such cases must be confirmed in proposal.

In this the call for proposals we are funding small and medium-sized companies' use of technology infrastructures for testing and evaluation or participation in “From Innovation to Battlefield Demonstration Week”.

By technology infrastructure we mean facilities, equipment, capabilities and support services needed to develop, test, validate and scale technology towards higher technical maturity.

This call for proposals aims to, for funded project:

• evaluate potential of technology solutions that contribute to defense innovation and strengthen Sweden's defense capability and/or military capability

• verify functional and performance requirements for military application
• adapt products and methods to defense equipment standards

• evaluate production and development critical properties

We only fund costs directly associated with testing and evaluation, such as technology infrastructure preparation, implementation, and the infrastructure's subsequent analysis of test results. Funding may only be used to purchase access to technology infrastructure.

We do not fundbasic research or tests for development work that does not have a potential military application.

What costs can we finance?

Our funding is subject to state aid rules. The rules govern what types of costs we can finance. These are called eligible costs.

In this the call for proposals, only this type of cost is eligible:

Consulting and licensing costs:Consulting services for the use of infrastructure, which is purchased or used under license from a third party.

No other costs are eligible.

For more detailed information about which costs we can finance, see

What eligibility requirements apply to costs we finance?

For a cost to be eligible, it must be:

• necessary for the activities in the project
• booked correctly and separately from the organisation's other costs

An organisation may also not claim someone else's costs as its own.

For more detailed information on which eligibility requirements, limitations and exclusions apply, see our general terms and conditions.

The state aid rules also govern how much of the costs we can finance. This is determined individually for each organisation. We therefore differentiate between how much funding the project can receive, and how much each participant can receive.

How much funding can the project receive?

Maximum SEK 500,000 per project.

How much funding can a participant receive?

How much funding each 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 de minimis support ( support of minor importance).

Support of minor importance to companies.

In this the call for proposals we can provide de minimis support, also known as support of minor importance. We can finance up to 100 percent of a project party's costs.

An organisation can receive a maximum of 300,000 euros over a three-year period in this form of support, regardless of the funder and project. This means that if the same organisation has received support of lesser importance in other project from other funders in the past, it will affect how large the support can be in this the call for proposals.

Submit a certificate of de minimis support when you submit proposal. This is required for us to be able to grant this support.

Certificate of de minimis support

In order for us to assess your proposal it must meet certain formal eligibility requirements. If the requirements are not met, we will reject proposal immediately.

Eligibility requirements for proposal to be assessed

• Participant seeking funding is a small or medium-sized enterprise, see User Guide on the definition of SME.

• The coordinating party must be a Swedish legal entity and conduct activities in Sweden. In this respect, a Swedish legal entity is considered to be a foreign organisation that has a branch or establishment in Sweden.
• Applicant participant has an established contact with a technology infrastructure and has obtained a quote from the technology infrastructure at the latest at the time of application. The quote must indicate that the requested services can be implemented within a 12-month period after the project start.
• For "From Innovation to Battlefield Demonstration Week”, applicant must attach notice of place allocation.
• Proposal is written in Swedish or English.
• The project manager is employed by applicant company.
• Only mandatory attachments should be attached, see section 9.

Applications that meet our eligibility requirements will proceed to assessment. In the assessment, we look at how much potential your technology solution has to help solve a military need or problem, how realistic the project proposal is and what infrastructure will implement the project.

What do we assess?

Proposal must be in line with aim and objective of the call and are assessed according to the criteria below.

Potential (50%)

• How great potential the project proposal has to achieve its objective of contributing to solving a specified and defined military need
• That the technology is mature enough for meaningful testing and evaluation
• How the use of the technology infrastructure for testing and evaluation is assessed to create improved conditions for achieving the project goals
• What improvement or development potential can the technology solution provide in relation to existing solutions or identified needs where a solution is currently lacking?

Actors (25%)

• How well the project manager and other key people are assessed to be able to lead and implement the project
• How credible is the company's plan for processing test results and continued development?
• How good the company is considered to be for further developing the technology solution towards a military application
• To what extent have relevant defense stakeholders been involved or consulted to strengthen the military relevance of the project?
• How well the project team is composed in terms of gender distribution, and how well power and influence are distributed between women and men in the project

Feasibility (25%)

• How well the project plan and budget are assessed to be able to realize the project proposal
• How credible is the project plan's risk analysis and action plan for how risks are to be managed?

• How relevant and capable is the selected infrastructure to implement requested services within the specified timeframe?
• How the project intends to address or prevent technical, security, operational or ethical risks that may limit future military application

How do we assess?

Once we have received the applications, we review them. We screen out any applications that are incomplete or that do not meet our formal eligibility requirements.

Applications that are correct and complete are distributed among different evaluator and assessed in competition with each other. The evaluators are appointed by Vinnova based on their expertise in the field. Each proposal is assessed by at least three evaluator, of which at least one evaluator comes from a defense authority.

Once the evaluators have reviewed the applications, we have an assessment meeting where the evaluators recommend which applications should be granted. Based on the evaluators' recommendations, Vinnova and the Swedish Armed Forces agree on which project should proceed to a decision on funding.

How does it affect an organization's financial status?

Before we decide on funding we also make a comprehensive assessment of the organizational and financial status of those receiving funding. We use information that we receive from credit reports, currently from Dun & Bradstreet.

In order for us to grant funding the following applies:

• Organisations must not be insolvent, or undergoing liquidation or corporate restructuring. They must also not have any significant unpaid debts with the Swedish Enforcement Authority.
• Organisations may not cover project costs in this the call for proposals with public funding or own funds intended for other project.
• Limited liability companies must not have used up half or more of their share capital.
• If requested, SMEs must be able to demonstrate that they have the financial capacity to carry out the project according to their budget in proposal.

Once we have assessed all applications, we will send you a decision either granting or rejecting your proposal. Since applications are assessed competitively, you may be rejected even though you meet all eligibility requirements and criteria.

In the decision we state how large a proportion of the costs we will cover for each organisation.

You cannot appeal our decision, but you are welcome to apply to us again at another time.

What happens if you are granted funding?

If we grant your proposal, you must follow our general terms and conditions for funding. The terms include, among other things:

• That you will sign a special document in which you approve your participation and commit to carrying out the project.
• That you report how things are going, your costs and achieved results to us regularly during the project period.

View our general terms and conditions and get help understanding and fulfilling them

We may also decide to add supplementary special conditions for individual project. In that case, they will be stated in the decision.

Could you have to pay back funding?

If you have received more money than you are entitled to or if you do not follow our term, you may be liable for repayment.

When the call for proposals closes, your proposal will be registered as. We will then send an email confirmation to the person responsible for the user account, as well as to the project manager and the signatory. If you have not received a confirmation within 24 hours of the call for proposals closing, please contact us.

Once the call for proposals is closed, you cannot change anything in proposal. You can only supplement if we ask you to.

Who can read your proposal?

Your proposal will be read by employees at Vinnova and the evaluator participating in this the call for proposals. Everyone works under a duty of confidentiality.

Applications submitted to us become public documents. This means that we must disclose them if requested. However, we keep certain types of information confidential if disclosure could be expected to cause financial harm to the individual. This applies to information about business and operational conditions, inventions or research results.

How we handle public documents and confidentiality