This the call for proposals within the Swedish Energy Agency's, Formas' and Vinnova's joint effort Impact Innovation is linked to the program's needs for so-called strategic project.
The purpose of the strategic projects within Impact Innovation is to finance precision efforts, with defined activities or results that are needed to reach stated objective and sub-goals. And with expected importance for adaptability and benefit.
What characterizes a strategic project within Impact Innovation?
Strategic project within Impact Innovation:
- Responds to needs that the program office has identified in collaboration with the actors in the program.
- Used for activities that lead to designated objective, or bridge critical knowledge or development gaps. The result is therefore beneficial for the entire program and mission.
- Has a smaller target group of possible actors than a traditional call for proposals.
- The purpose is addressed by one or a few project and is therefore not suitable for a traditional call for proposals. It is positive when actors find each other and create a consortium for the task.
- Project must consist of research, development and innovation activities.
What are the programs within Impact Innovation?
Net Zero Industry
Development of a resource-efficient and resilient industry with international competitiveness.
Mission: Extreme resource efficiency and resilience in industry.
Program Statement: Focus on extreme resource efficiency and resilience in industry. The transition goals include a 75 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption.
More information about Net Zero Industri and contact persons
Swedish Metals & Minerals
Swedish Metals & Minerals Samarbeten for a safe supply of metals and minerals within the boundaries of the planet.
Mission: Ensure a sustainable and resilient metal and mineral supply.
Program statement: Increase and secure access to metals and minerals, while reducing the planetary footprint of extraction and production. Metals and minerals that are extracted, or recycled, must generate as much useful function and as little waste as possible. The program will work for collaboration in the value chain nationally and internationally, design business models, policy proposals and social innovation that pave the way for solutions required to fulfill the mission.
More information about Swedish Metals & Minerals and contact persons
Water Wise Societies – sustainable water for all by 2050
System transition for sustainable water management – for people, society, business and the environment.
Mission: Sustainable water for all by 2050.
Program statement: Bring about a system change for the management of water resources and related infrastructure. The goal is a future where water is available in the right quantity and quality and provides good conditions for people, the environment, ecosystems, industries and society at large. Despite a changing climate.
More information about Water Wise Societies and contact persons
SustainGov
Community management for a democratic, powerful and fair transition for all.
Mission: Transformation of the public sector.
Program statement: Contribute to a sustainable transition being made in a democratic, legal and effective way. The basic idea is that a reformed public sector is central to achieving sustainability within the planet's borders, health and well-being for all inhabitants.
More information about SustainGov and contact persons
Shift Sweden
Transition to fossil-free and resource-conscious societies, attractive and accessible to all.
Mission: Transform, fossil-free and resource-conscious, into attractive living environments for everyone.
Program statement: Bringing together the construction and transport sectors to mobilize actors around three shifts – integrating the built environment and mobility into an ecosystem, creating new values through circular business models, and creating competitive alternatives to individual car travel. The program will show how such a transition can take place in urban, semi-urban and peripheral environments all over Sweden in a fossil-free and resource-conscious way.
More information about ShiftSweden and contact persons
What is important in Impact Innovation?
Every offer to implement a strategic project is unique, but below are listed some points that are generally important for the Impact Innovation venture as a whole. With the exception of the last point, the information below should be seen as background information, not something that applies to all strategic project.
Read the information under each offer to find out specific eligibility requirements.
The importance of a systems perspective
Problems with a clear solution are not the focus of Impact Innovation. The challenges of the programs are difficult to grasp, changing over time, difficult to describe fully or visibly self-contradictory. It is therefore important to have a systems perspective: that is, to look at the whole and not just the parts and downpipes, but its interconnections. The system perspective is a prerequisite for social impact.
The importance of foresight
To be able to make the decisions required for system change, tools are needed that can help us try to imagine what lies ahead. Foresight can prepare for possible events in the future, how to deal with them and create a basis for strategic decisions. Interesting images of the future or future scenarios can, for example, relate to changed behaviour, new business models or new services and technologies.
The importance of active participation, user involvement and policy development
To be able to influence the entirety of a system, actors who have different perspectives and who work in different sectors, industries and parts of the value chain need to be involved. The actors need to participate actively with both powers and responsibilities. Not only the creators and enablers are needed, but also users must be involved early. This is to be sure that the right solutions are developed, but also to create sustainable financing models over time and management structures for the solutions. In this way, they can be scaled up, spread and utilized for maximum effect in the system.
In addition, active work is required to remove any obstacles to the introduction of the solutions with the help of policy development to, for example, adapt laws and regulations. This means that it is important to involve, for example, system administrators and developers, problem owners, suppliers and users already in the formulation of the challenge.
The importance of having internationalisation as a starting point
The Impact Innovation programs have a strong international perspective, this in order to be able to contribute to their missions and milestones. Solutions or contexts may exist internationally, or future new solutions may create international interest or competitiveness and the need to connect with international actors. The programs within Impact Innovation therefore work with an international perspective and an active monitoring of the world around them.
The importance of sustainable system change
Impact Innovation will contribute to global competitiveness through transformation for sustainable development. Through our efforts, we contribute to the global commitment to reach the goals in Agenda 2030. In order to achieve sustainable system change, it is important that project in the design of new solutions handle goal conflicts and minimize the risk of unintended negative effects.
One aspect that Impact Innovation follows up and assesses is whether both women and men equally share in the contribution, participate in and have influence over the project, see section 7 and criterion for Actors.
Another aspect involves analyzing and deciding whether there are gender aspects that are relevant to the project's problem area, solutions and utilization. This question is mandatory for all applicant and can be found under the heading " Project tasks". When the question is the basis for assessment, it is clear from the description of the respective offer.,
Equal innovation - what it means for you who seek funding from us