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Impact Innovation Start/Scale: An offer to small and medium-sized enterprises

This offer within Vinnovas, Energimyndighetens och Formas joint venture Impact Innovation aims at startups and scaleups, with innovation projects that have a strong connection to one of Impact Innovation´s programmes. You can find the programs on the Impact Innovations website: www.impactinnovation.se/en/programmes/

This web page has been machine translated. If there are any uncertainties, please refer to the Swedish text.

The offer in brief

What can you apply for?

Project proposals that contribute clear values to one of Impact Innovation´s programmes. The project proposals must relate to development projects and not to feasibility studies or routine business or product development projects.

Who can apply?

Small and medium-sized enterprises with 3-249 full-time employees who have submitted at least two annual reports.

How much can you apply for?

Funding can be granted with a maximum of one million SEK per project. The grant may correspond to a maximum of 80% of the project´s eligible costs for small enterprises, and 50% for medium-sized enterprises.

Link to information meeting March 21

Click here to come to the information meeting on March 21 at 13-14.

Material from the information meeting can be read under the heading "Download templates for attachments".

Important dates

    • Call text for the offer

    Tip: To create a PDF with all the information about the offer click Ctrl+P and select PDF to save the content.

    • Who can apply?

      This the offer is aimed at Swedish small and medium-sized companies with innovation projects that have a strong connection to Impact Innovations's innovation program.
      Read more about the innovation programs here

      Applicant companies need to meet the following formal criteria:

      • The company is a limited company with a Swedish corporate identity number and activities in Sweden.
      • The company has a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 249 full-time employees.
      • The company has submitted at least two annual reports to the Swedish Companies Registration Office

      What can you apply for?

      The project proposals must clearly address the conversion goals (missions) that are the focus of Impact Innovations's five innovation programs that will be launched in 2024. Behind the investment are the authorities Vinnova, the Energy Agency and Formas.

      Read more on the Impact Innovations website

      The project proposals must contain activities that develop innovative solutions and validate and verify commercial potential.

      The call for proposals does not offer funding for routine product and business development activities.

      How much can you apply for?

      Vinnova's funding can amount to a maximum of SEK 1 million per project.

      • Small companies with 3 to 49 full-time employees, calculated in accordance with the SME definition, have the opportunity to apply for up to 80 percent of their eligible costs in funding.
      • Medium-sized companieswith 50 to 249 full-time employees, calculated in accordance with the SME definition, have the opportunity to apply for up to 50 percent funding of their eligible costs.

      The SME definition mentioned above can be read in its entirety in the document "How the EU defines small and medium-sized enterprises"

      Who can apply?

      This the offer is aimed at Swedish small and medium-sized companies with innovation projects that have a strong connection to Impact Innovations's innovation program.
      Read more about the innovation programs here

      Applicant companies need to meet the following formal criteria:

      • The company is a limited company with a Swedish corporate identity number and activities in Sweden.
      • The company has a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 249 full-time employees.
      • The company has submitted at least two annual reports to the Swedish Companies Registration Office

      What can you apply for?

      The project proposals must clearly address the conversion goals (missions) that are the focus of Impact Innovations's five innovation programs that will be launched in 2024. Behind the investment are the authorities Vinnova, the Energy Agency and Formas.

      Read more on the Impact Innovations website

      The project proposals must contain activities that develop innovative solutions and validate and verify commercial potential.

      The call for proposals does not offer funding for routine product and business development activities.

      How much can you apply for?

      Vinnova's funding can amount to a maximum of SEK 1 million per project.

      • Small companies with 3 to 49 full-time employees, calculated in accordance with the SME definition, have the opportunity to apply for up to 80 percent of their eligible costs in funding.
      • Medium-sized companieswith 50 to 249 full-time employees, calculated in accordance with the SME definition, have the opportunity to apply for up to 50 percent funding of their eligible costs.

      The SME definition mentioned above can be read in its entirety in the document "How the EU defines small and medium-sized enterprises"

    • Impact Innovation is the next generation's strategic innovation program that will accelerate the transition to a sustainable society. Behind the initiative are the Energy Agency, Formas and Vinnova.

      The call for proposals Impact Innovation Start/Scale is aimed at small and medium-sized companies that want to start and run project with a high degree of innovation in early development stages, where other funding is difficult to obtain.

      The project proposals must clearly address the challenge objectives that are the focus of the first five programs within Impact Innovation.

      In the short term, we want the call for proposals to contribute to:

      • that innovations are developed in small and medium-sized companies with a clear connection to Impact Innovation that can create measurable and positive results that contribute to the programs' challenge goals.
      • an increased ability of SMEs to build business, both nationally and with international connection, by verifying business potential and that there is a market for their innovations and validating their business models.
      • an increased awareness among small and medium-sized companies in how to work with and develop the business based on sustainability as competitive factors in their businesses for competitiveness.

      In the long term, we want the call for proposals to contribute to:

      • that more small and medium-sized companies are created that have developed their business acumen, grow and are profitable in international competition, whose innovations are aimed at contribute to the challenge goals of the Impact Innovation programs.
      • to foster dynamic ecosystems around the Impact Innovation programs that engage SMEs that contribute to renewal and innovation.
      • a sustainable and equal business that strengthens Sweden's competitiveness through innovations that contribute to the sustainability goals in Agenda 2030.

      Vinnova is tasked with promoting sustainable growth and community development. Genom 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 specifically identified 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.

      Vinnova works for equal social development and an inclusive innovation ecosystem. Therefore, we follow up and assess whether both women and men equally share in the grant, participate in and have influence over the project.

      We also want to increase the participation of actors who have not applied for international funding before.

      Applicant should also have an established and publicly published gender equality action plan (GEP) in accordance with Horisont Europas regulations. It is an eligibility requirements if the company is to seek a follow-on investment in Horisont Europa.

      Read Horisont Europas's action plan for gender equality

      Impact Innovation is the next generation's strategic innovation program that will accelerate the transition to a sustainable society. Behind the initiative are the Energy Agency, Formas and Vinnova.

      The call for proposals Impact Innovation Start/Scale is aimed at small and medium-sized companies that want to start and run project with a high degree of innovation in early development stages, where other funding is difficult to obtain.

      The project proposals must clearly address the challenge objectives that are the focus of the first five programs within Impact Innovation.

      In the short term, we want the call for proposals to contribute to:

      • that innovations are developed in small and medium-sized companies with a clear connection to Impact Innovation that can create measurable and positive results that contribute to the programs' challenge goals.
      • an increased ability of SMEs to build business, both nationally and with international connection, by verifying business potential and that there is a market for their innovations and validating their business models.
      • an increased awareness among small and medium-sized companies in how to work with and develop the business based on sustainability as competitive factors in their businesses for competitiveness.

      In the long term, we want the call for proposals to contribute to:

      • that more small and medium-sized companies are created that have developed their business acumen, grow and are profitable in international competition, whose innovations are aimed at contribute to the challenge goals of the Impact Innovation programs.
      • to foster dynamic ecosystems around the Impact Innovation programs that engage SMEs that contribute to renewal and innovation.
      • a sustainable and equal business that strengthens Sweden's competitiveness through innovations that contribute to the sustainability goals in Agenda 2030.

      Vinnova is tasked with promoting sustainable growth and community development. Genom 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 specifically identified 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.

      Vinnova works for equal social development and an inclusive innovation ecosystem. Therefore, we follow up and assess whether both women and men equally share in the grant, participate in and have influence over the project.

      We also want to increase the participation of actors who have not applied for international funding before.

      Applicant should also have an established and publicly published gender equality action plan (GEP) in accordance with Horisont Europas regulations. It is an eligibility requirements if the company is to seek a follow-on investment in Horisont Europa.

      Read Horisont Europas's action plan for gender equality

    • The call for proposals is aimed at small and medium-sized companies that develop innovations that have a high potential to contribute to speeding up the transition to a sustainable society within the challenge goals addressed by the Impact Innovationsprogram starting in 2024.

      Project parties are allowed in this call for proposals, but may not share in the contribution. Only the coordinator may receive Vinnova's funding.

      Applicant companies must also meet all the formal eligibility requirements stated in section 6.

      The call for proposals is aimed at small and medium-sized companies that develop innovations that have a high potential to contribute to speeding up the transition to a sustainable society within the challenge goals addressed by the Impact Innovationsprogram starting in 2024.

      Project parties are allowed in this call for proposals, but may not share in the contribution. Only the coordinator may receive Vinnova's funding.

      Applicant companies must also meet all the formal eligibility requirements stated in section 6.

    • Activities for which funding can be applied for

      The activities you seek funding for must be development activities. It can be, for example, developing new knowledge, validating and verifying new business models, developing a first working prototype, or carrying out demonstration, pilot work, or testing and validation of new or improved innovations.

      The call for proposals does not finance feasibility studies or activities that involve routine or recurring changes to existing innovations or other ongoing activities. This means activities that can be expected to be part of ordinary product or business development.

      Eligible costs

      Our funding 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 these may be covered by funding.

      Read more about government support on our website

      Here you will find our general terms and conditions for funding and information on which costs are eligible for support

      Please note that tax costs such as VAT are not eligible. Vinnova does not finance tax costs.

      Patent fees to PRV are also not eligible for support.

      Activities for which funding can be applied for

      The activities you seek funding for must be development activities. It can be, for example, developing new knowledge, validating and verifying new business models, developing a first working prototype, or carrying out demonstration, pilot work, or testing and validation of new or improved innovations.

      The call for proposals does not finance feasibility studies or activities that involve routine or recurring changes to existing innovations or other ongoing activities. This means activities that can be expected to be part of ordinary product or business development.

      Eligible costs

      Our funding 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 these may be covered by funding.

      Read more about government support on our website

      Here you will find our general terms and conditions for funding and information on which costs are eligible for support

      Please note that tax costs such as VAT are not eligible. Vinnova does not finance tax costs.

      Patent fees to PRV are also not eligible for support.

    • Our funding takes place through funding and is described here

      Companies in this the call for proposals can apply for a maximum of SEK 1 million in funding from Vinnova. The proportion of applicant company's costs that can be financed by Vinnova depends on the company's size in terms of number of full-time employees.

      • Small business with 3 to 49 full-time employees
        Maximum aid intensity 80 percent, eligibility requirements on own funding 20 percent.
      • Medium-sized company with 50 to 249 full-time employees
        Maximum aid intensity 50 percent, eligibility requirements on own funding 50 percent.

      Project parties are allowed in this call for proposals, but may not share in the contribution. Only the coordinator may receive Vinnova's funding.

      An explanation of the terms "small business" and "medium-sized business" can be found in the document "How the EU defines small and medium-sized businesses" on Vinnova's page on government support.

      Our funding takes place through funding and is described here

      Companies in this the call for proposals can apply for a maximum of SEK 1 million in funding from Vinnova. The proportion of applicant company's costs that can be financed by Vinnova depends on the company's size in terms of number of full-time employees.

      • Small business with 3 to 49 full-time employees
        Maximum aid intensity 80 percent, eligibility requirements on own funding 20 percent.
      • Medium-sized company with 50 to 249 full-time employees
        Maximum aid intensity 50 percent, eligibility requirements on own funding 50 percent.

      Project parties are allowed in this call for proposals, but may not share in the contribution. Only the coordinator may receive Vinnova's funding.

      An explanation of the terms "small business" and "medium-sized business" can be found in the document "How the EU defines small and medium-sized businesses" on Vinnova's page on government support.

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

      about the company

      • The company is a limited liability company with a Swedish corporate identity number that conducts economic activities in Sweden.
      • The company has between 3 and 249 full-time employees at the time of application on April 23. Full-time employee means a person who works full-time in the company. If two people work part-time in the company, this counts as one full-time employee.
      • The company has submitted at least two annual reports to the Swedish Companies Registration Office.
      • The company's most recently registered annual report must show that net sales or equity correspond to at least half of the requested sum.
      • The company is registered for F tax, employer contribution and is VAT registered.
      • The company has no payment notes, such as a debt balance to the Swedish Enforcement Agency or other legal notes in its credit report.
      • The company does not seek funding for several different project in the call for proposals Impact Innovation Start/Scale.
      • The company does not have or is not seeking funding for the same project from Vinnova or other public actors.

      About the project

      • The operations in the project must be carried out at the company's Swedish place of business and the project costs must be borne by the place of business.
      • The project manager must be an employee or signatory in applicant company and be named in proposal.

      All formal eligibility requirements must be met by the last application date of April 23, 2024.It is not possible to update or supplement proposal after the call for proposals has closed.

      Other prerequisites

      In addition to the formal requirements above, the following also apply:

      • Project start no earlier than 18 June, no later than 1 August 2024.
      • Planned project time may be a maximum of 12 months.

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

      about the company

      • The company is a limited liability company with a Swedish corporate identity number that conducts economic activities in Sweden.
      • The company has between 3 and 249 full-time employees at the time of application on April 23. Full-time employee means a person who works full-time in the company. If two people work part-time in the company, this counts as one full-time employee.
      • The company has submitted at least two annual reports to the Swedish Companies Registration Office.
      • The company's most recently registered annual report must show that net sales or equity correspond to at least half of the requested sum.
      • The company is registered for F tax, employer contribution and is VAT registered.
      • The company has no payment notes, such as a debt balance to the Swedish Enforcement Agency or other legal notes in its credit report.
      • The company does not seek funding for several different project in the call for proposals Impact Innovation Start/Scale.
      • The company does not have or is not seeking funding for the same project from Vinnova or other public actors.

      About the project

      • The operations in the project must be carried out at the company's Swedish place of business and the project costs must be borne by the place of business.
      • The project manager must be an employee or signatory in applicant company and be named in proposal.

      All formal eligibility requirements must be met by the last application date of April 23, 2024.It is not possible to update or supplement proposal after the call for proposals has closed.

      Other prerequisites

      In addition to the formal requirements above, the following also apply:

      • Project start no earlier than 18 June, no later than 1 August 2024.
      • Planned project time may be a maximum of 12 months.

    • What do we assess?

      Potential
      • How well the business idea and innovation meet Impact Innovation-programmens's challenge goals to create positive and measurable societal changes.
      • The extent to which the innovation is innovative or significantly better than existing businesses or innovations in the field.
      • To what extent the business idea has a scalable business model and is internationally competitive.
      • The project's potential to contribute to increased gender equality.
      Implementation
      • To what extent the budget, plan and approach for the project's implementation are credible and relevant in relation to the project's objective.
      • The credibility of the company's plan for continued funding and commercialization.
      • The justification for why funding from Vinnova is needed for the project to be implemented.
      • How well relevant gender equality perspectives have been integrated into the project plan.
      Team
      • The team's competence, experience and ability to carry out the project according to the set project goals and Impact Innovation-programmens challenge goals.
      • The extent to which the team has access to the skills and experience, as well as relevant partners and networks needed to develop the business idea and innovation into a successful deal.
      • How well the project team is composed with respect to gender distribution, including the distribution of power and influence between women and men.

      How do we judge?

      All applications that meet all formal eligibility requirementsare assessed in competition with each other. Utlysningen Impact Innovation Start/Scale is similar to a competition where the applications deemed to best meet our criteria are granted funds, as long as our budget is sufficient.

      Each proposal is assessed and graded by at least three specially appointed evaluator who are experts in the subject area relevant to proposal.

      If applicant company has an ongoing project at Vinnova, the company's capacity to run several project in parallel is assessed.

      Vinnova's formal decision is based on the assessors' score and statements.
      In addition to an individual assessment of each proposal, we strive in this the call for proposals to achieve a spread of the directions of the granted projects.

      If necessary, Vinnova may call project to an interview.

      What do we assess?

      Potential
      • How well the business idea and innovation meet Impact Innovation-programmens's challenge goals to create positive and measurable societal changes.
      • The extent to which the innovation is innovative or significantly better than existing businesses or innovations in the field.
      • To what extent the business idea has a scalable business model and is internationally competitive.
      • The project's potential to contribute to increased gender equality.
      Implementation
      • To what extent the budget, plan and approach for the project's implementation are credible and relevant in relation to the project's objective.
      • The credibility of the company's plan for continued funding and commercialization.
      • The justification for why funding from Vinnova is needed for the project to be implemented.
      • How well relevant gender equality perspectives have been integrated into the project plan.
      Team
      • The team's competence, experience and ability to carry out the project according to the set project goals and Impact Innovation-programmens challenge goals.
      • The extent to which the team has access to the skills and experience, as well as relevant partners and networks needed to develop the business idea and innovation into a successful deal.
      • How well the project team is composed with respect to gender distribution, including the distribution of power and influence between women and men.

      How do we judge?

      All applications that meet all formal eligibility requirementsare assessed in competition with each other. Utlysningen Impact Innovation Start/Scale is similar to a competition where the applications deemed to best meet our criteria are granted funds, as long as our budget is sufficient.

      Each proposal is assessed and graded by at least three specially appointed evaluator who are experts in the subject area relevant to proposal.

      If applicant company has an ongoing project at Vinnova, the company's capacity to run several project in parallel is assessed.

      Vinnova's formal decision is based on the assessors' score and statements.
      In addition to an individual assessment of each proposal, we strive in this the call for proposals to achieve a spread of the directions of the granted projects.

      If necessary, Vinnova may call project to an interview.

    • About our decisions

      How much each party in the project is granted in funding is shown in the decision.

      Funding will be granted with support from Support of minor importance (de minimis) and Article 25

      The basis for support appears in the decision and also governs which costs are eligible for support.

      Our decision to grant or reject a proposal cannot be appealed.

      Term for granted funding

      For granted funding, our general terms and conditions for fundingapply. The terms contain, among other things, rules about project agreements, conditions for payment, follow-up, reporting and utilization of results. Scientific publication must take place with open access in accordance with Vinnova's general terms and conditions.

      The following special conditions apply to this call for proposals:

      • Companies that have been granted funding must participate in activities arranged by Impact innovation's program office. Costs for such participation are an eligible cost.

      If you do not follow our term, you may be liable for a refund. This also applies if you have been granted funding incorrectly or with too high an amount.

      Current term can be found on our website, along with help to understand and comply with the terms

      About our decisions

      How much each party in the project is granted in funding is shown in the decision.

      Funding will be granted with support from Support of minor importance (de minimis) and Article 25

      The basis for support appears in the decision and also governs which costs are eligible for support.

      Our decision to grant or reject a proposal cannot be appealed.

      Term for granted funding

      For granted funding, our general terms and conditions for fundingapply. The terms contain, among other things, rules about project agreements, conditions for payment, follow-up, reporting and utilization of results. Scientific publication must take place with open access in accordance with Vinnova's general terms and conditions.

      The following special conditions apply to this call for proposals:

      • Companies that have been granted funding must participate in activities arranged by Impact innovation's program office. Costs for such participation are an eligible cost.

      If you do not follow our term, you may be liable for a refund. This also applies if you have been granted funding incorrectly or with too high an amount.

      Current term can be found on our website, along with help to understand and comply with the terms

    • 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.

      Project description and associated CV are made in the word template that can be found on the announcement page. It is mandatory to use the template.

      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 unlock proposal and make changes 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, completion of proposalcan only take place upon request from us.

      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.

      Project description and associated CV are made in the word template that can be found on the announcement page. It is mandatory to use the template.

      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 unlock proposal and make changes 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, completion of proposalcan only take place upon request from us.

    • Updated version 2024-03-27
      Additions in sections 3 and 5:

      Project parties are allowed in this call for proposals, but may not share in the contribution. Only the coordinator may receive Vinnova's funding.

      Updated version 2024-03-27
      Additions in sections 3 and 5:

      Project parties are allowed in this call for proposals, but may not share in the contribution. Only the coordinator may receive Vinnova's funding.

    The offer is part of the Impact Innovation venture

    The call for proposals is part of the Impact Innovation initiative that the Energy Agency, Formas and Vinnova are behind. Read more: www.impactinnovation.se

    impactinnovation.se

    How to apply

    To apply for funding, you need to log in and complete an application form in our eServices portal. The application form contains questions about your project, the participants taking part in the project and your budget. 

    Download attachment templates

    Here you can download templates for the attachments you need to attach in proposal, for example CV template or project description template.

    Please allow enough time

    Please keep in mind that it takes time to complete an application. Filling in the templates can take several days, since they're based on analyses you need to do. Therefore, start the application well in advance. You can start filling in your details, then save and continue at a later time.

    When you've completed your application, please mark it as done ("klar"). You can unlock and make changes to your application at any time until the call closes. If you unlock your application, you must mark it as done ("klarmarkera") if you want the application registered when the call closes. 

    This happens when the call for proposals is closed

    When your proposal has been registered, we email a confirmation to the person responsible for the user account as well as to the project manager and the signatory. This may take a few hours after the call for proposals closes. If you have not received a confirmation within 24 hours after the call for proposals closes, please contact us.

    When the call for proposals is closed, you cannot change or fill in any new information. Then you can only supplement your proposal if we ask for it.

    Who can read your proposal?

    Applications submitted to us become public documents. But we do not disclose information about the business, inventions or research results if it can be assumed that someone will suffer financial damage if the information is shown.

    This means that we must hand over the documents if someone requests them. But we keep confidential the information that we judge could mean financial damage if it is disclosed.

    This is how we handle public documents and confidentiality

    Any questions?

    If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

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    +46 8 473 32 99

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