Impact Innovation: Preparatory project for a reformed public sector in 2026

SustainGov wants to strengthen the public sector's ability to handle complex societal challenges.

This the call for proposals is aimed at public sector stakeholders - municipalities, regions and government agencies - who, together with other societal actors, want to tackle a challenge from a holistic perspective. The challenge must be linked to one of SustainGov's focus areas and have a clear end target group.

The project will develop proposals for a solution that can be implemented in the business. The solution must have potential to contribute to a strengthened ability to collaborate across organizational boundaries and create lasting change for the residents and users who are directly affected by the solution.

You can apply for up to SEK 500,000 for a preparatory project that may last a maximum of six months and will start on October 1, 2026. We expect to finance approximately 10 project per focus area.

This call for proposals is carried out within the framework of the SustainGov program, part of Impact Innovation – an initiative of the Swedish Energy Agency, Formas and Vinnova. The call for proposals aims to contribute to SustainGov's mission and program goals.

Addressing complex societal challenges requires actors to come together across organizational boundaries and explore the gaps. It is in these encounters that new perspectives, insights, and ways of working can emerge.

Preparatory projects within SustainGov are expected to mobilize actors, identify, analyze and begin to address systemic issues. The goal is to develop proposals for concrete solutions in operations to create lasting change from a holistic perspective.

When actors who normally do not collaborate are given a common overall picture, relationships and trust are strengthened. These are crucial prerequisites for changing working methods and governance in the long term. SustainGov's preparatory projects are designed to enable this and lay the foundation for more concrete joint action in the next step.

Expectations during the course of the project:

• To identify causes behind a complex societal challenge within one of SustainGov's focus areas linked to an end target group (See heading "3. SustainGov's mission and focus areas").
• To understand and illustrate how actors, structures, regulations, culture and practice are interconnected and influence each other.
• To strengthen the ability to collaborate across organizational boundaries and develop proposals for solutions that can be further developed into collaboration. Collaboration refers to when several actors coordinate their efforts to solve problems that no one can handle alone. It is not just about working together, but about sharing responsibility, risk and results.

Approved project must report in connection with their final report:

• A clear description of the system problems within the chosen area linked to a final target group.
• A clear description of how a transformation can be realized with a focus on addressing root causes and generating increased systemic effects.
• A concrete proposal for the next step needed to create lasting change from a holistic perspective and the constellation of actors required to ensure implementation with a systems perspective.

Part of a larger effort

The offer for the Preparatory Project is part of a larger effort with several calls for proposals. There is also the possibility to seek support for:

Implementation projects - test and further develop concrete solutions in operations, for example new ways of organizing, financing, governing and working within the public sector and between sectors.

Change alliances - long-term change in governance, structures, working methods and culture. Build joint capacity and reuse, further develop and disseminate solutions that contribute to lasting system transformation.

The three project types are planned to recur annually.

Learning and exchange of experience

SustainGov is actively working with its project portfolio to enable learning between project, program offices and other system actors. Granted project are expected to contribute to this learning process by actively participating in joint forums for the exchange of experience.

SustainGov will support the preparatory project during implementation to give it the conditions to succeed.

It may be relevant to have a targeted or open call for proposals, or alternatively an extension, of the project funded in this call for proposals.

Contribute to a sustainable system transition

Impact Innovation is Sweden's major innovation initiative to tackle the challenges of our time and the future. In collaborations between actors in the private, public and non-profit organisations, Impact Innovation meets real technical and societal needs with groundbreaking solutions. On the way to a sustainable and competitive Sweden, attractive to live in for everyone. Together we show what is possible, and are ahead internationally.

Impact Innovation will contribute to global competitiveness through transformation for sustainable development in line with the UN's global sustainability goals, defined in the 2030 Agenda.

An innovative force in a sustainable world

In this call for proposals we focus on two perspectives: gender equality and climate change. This means that gender equality and climate change should be integrated into both the composition of your project team and the intended outcome of your project.

Equal funding of innovations

Your project should integrate gender equality both in how your project team is composed and how you implement the project. This means that you need to:

• take into account the gender balance within the project team
• assess whether aspects of sex and gender are relevant to the design of the project, and if so, in what way.

By integrating different perspectives, more inclusive and relevant solutions are developed. This strengthens both the innovation capacity and the project's results.

Gender equality as a tool for innovative social development

SustainGov is a mission-driven programme within Impact Innovation that is a joint effort of the Swedish Energy Agency, Formas and Vinnova. SustainGov's mission is: to achieve a reformed public sector by 2035 that holistically promotes and facilitates health and well-being for all residents regardless of geography and socioeconomic status, and ensures society's sustainability transition within the limits of the planet.

A reformed public sector with a systems approach

SustainGov wants to strengthen the public sector as a proactive actor with the ability to handle complex societal challenges.

To achieve the program's mission, the public sector needs to move from simply doing things right to doing the right things. The following shifts are considered central to achieving SustainGov's mission:

From reactive to proactive – shift focus from only dealing with problems when they arise to anticipating and preventing them. This enables more sustainable and efficient use of resources.

From seeing the individual as a passive recipient to an active co-creator – recognizing individuals as active co-creators in the development of solutions to achieve more sustainable and relevant results.

From process and indicator-driven to impact-focused – shift focus from being process-driven and only measuring short-term results with simple indicators to assessing long-term effects that truly contribute to societal development.

From organization-oriented to individualized interaction – creating joint solutions that are based on the needs of individuals, rather than being tied to fixed organizational structures.

With these starting points, SustainGov intends to contribute to long-term shifts in how the public sector works and co-creates value for society and its inhabitants. Fundamentally, it is about a reformed public sector with a systems perspective.

Focus areas

SustainGov has four focus areas:

1. System-wide collaboration for complex care needs. Residents with complex care needs, which account for a large part of healthcare costs, are currently faced with fragmented systems and a lack of coordination. This creates quality deficiencies, inefficient use of resources and inequality. To meet the needs of the future, a renewed and collaborative public sector is required, where the individual's health and long-term well-being are at the center.
2. An inclusive society for all. Today, there are groups in society that face significant obstacles to fully participating in society. Structural problems, lack of a holistic perspective and lack of coordination between public actors to meet the actual needs of the individual exacerbate exclusion. A more inclusive society requires joint efforts from the public sector that address the fundamental causes of exclusion and strengthen individuals' opportunities for participation and co-creation.
3. Future-proof food supply for health and well-being. Sweden faces major challenges with a vulnerable food system, while climate change and unhealthy eating habits affect both the environment and public health. A future-proof food supply requires long-term solutions that strengthen preparedness, reduce environmental impact and ensure access to nutritious and affordable food for all. The public sector has a key role in the transition, but the work is hampered by fragmented governance and complex conflicts of objectives.
4. The social contract of the future – a renewed relationship between citizens and the public sector. To manage increasing eligibility requirements and complexity, the public sector needs to redefine its role and create stronger ties to citizens, business and civil society. A renewed social contract is based on active collaboration, where all actors contribute to common solutions and sustainable development. By strengthening trust and designing needs-driven services, we can ensure a public sector that is efficient, inclusive and equipped for complex challenges.

More information about SustainGov

For further information about SustainGov, the four focus areas and the efforts the program is implementing to achieve systemic changes in the public sector, see SustainGov's website. There is also a page with information about the project that have been granted in previous calls for proposals.

The preparatory project must be conducted jointly by at least two participants.

The coordinating participant must be a need owner in the public sector, such as municipality, municipality- and municipal association, region or state public authority.

We would like to see universities and publicly owned companies participate as participants but do not categorize them as need owners in this context. In addition, other relevant actors from civil society or business can participate as participants. It is also possible to participate in the role of other stakeholders, for example in a reference group or similar.

We have identified that the following types of actors can be crucial for successful implementation:

• Public sector stakeholders – Swedish municipalities, municipality- and municipal associations, regions, state agencies. These represent the organisation that is expected to implement a solution and thereby improve the system's results. In this context, universities and publicly owned companies are not included.
• Enablers in the public sector – normative or governing organisations and functions, for example administrative managers, lawyers, economists, management strategists who have the ability to interpret, adapt or change normative conditions.
• End target group, i.e. users or recipients – those affected by the solutions, for example users, clients, patients or customers.
• Perspective providers – for example, universities and institutes with expert knowledge, business and non-profit organisations that contribute new ways of thinking and with good knowledge of current challenges and how initiatives can be further developed in other contexts.
• Borderline – actors with a systems perspective and expertise in systems analysis, methodology, etc. that contribute to active action, implementation and system movement.

There may of course also be other people with relevant skills to succeed, such as the communicator, the innovation leader, or the designer.

This offer finances preparatory projects. The projects will mobilize actors, identify, analyze and begin to address systemic problems. The projects will also develop proposals for concrete solutions in operations to create lasting change from a holistic perspective. With these activities, the preparatory project is expected to lay the foundation for innovative, cross-sectoral and cross-organizational proposals for implementation and collaboration at a later stage.

Some examples of activities that may be included:

• Preparatory studies, external monitoring and system mapping to identify and analyze system problems within the chosen focus area.
• Foresight activities or development of solution concepts to concretize, describe and evaluate the value of a potential solution.
• Investigations of opportunities and obstacles in an upcoming implementation, or what resources are required for this.
• Mobilize and involve broader stakeholder constellations and the intended end target group in the work, for example in workshops.
• Time for learning and exchange of experience with other approved project.

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, these types of costs are eligible:

• Salary costs: Gross salary paid, employer contributions and other salary costs.
• Equipment, land and buildings: Costs for instruments, equipment and rent for premises other than regular business premises.
• Consulting and licensing costs: Costs for consulting services, knowledge and patents purchased or used under license from an external party. These costs may not exceed 20 percent of an organization's budget. In case of special needs, for example if the project requires specialist expertise, we can accept a higher percentage. This must be justified in proposal, and the justification is taken into account in our assessment.
• Other direct costs: Costs for, for example, materials, supplies and travel that are necessary to carry out the project.
• Indirect costs (overhead): Costs that are linked to the project but do not arise directly, such as premises and cleaning. Indirect costs may amount to a maximum of 30 percent of salary costs. Universities, university colleges, research organizations and government agencies may have higher permitted levels, depending on activities.

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

What eligibility requirements apply to costs we finance?

In order for your costs to be eligible for support, the following applies:

• They must be factual, reasonable and necessary for the activities in the project.
• They must be booked correctly and under a separate project code in the accounting. You may not cover project costs with other public funding or your own funds intended for other project.
• You may not claim someone else's expenses as your own.

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

state aid rules 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 a participating organisation can receive.

How much funding can the project receive?

The grant can amount to a maximum of SEK 500,000, and a maximum of 100 percent of the project's total eligible costs.

The project that are financed must have a project duration of a maximum of 6 months with a project start date of October 1, 2026.

How much funding can a participating organisation receive?

The amount of funding a participating organisation can receive depends primarily on:

• the organisation's size and activities
• which activities the organisation will carry out in the project.

Descriptions in the following sections about what support we can provide are simplified. For full information, see funding bases and levels.

Support to public organisations with non-economic activities, as well as to universities and university colleges

In this the call for proposals we provide support to organisations that do not engage in economic activities. This means that the organisation does not offer a service or product on a market. This includes state authorities, municipalities, regions and other public bodies in their public missions, as well as most often universities and university colleges, research institutes and other public organisations.

We can finance up to 100 percent of such an organization's costs.

How is it determined whether an organisation is engaged in economic activities?

An organisation that offers any kind of service or product on a market is considered to be conducting economic activities and cannot be granted this form of support. It does not matter how the organisation is financed: whether it is public or private, or whether it has a profit motive. It also does not matter what legal form the business has. For example, whether it is a limited liability company, a trading company, an economic association, a non-profit association or a foundation.

If you are unsure whether an organisation in your project is conducting economic activities, contact call manager. However, The organisation is responsible for assessing whether it is conducting economic activities.

Minor Support to businesses

Companies and organisations that carry out economic activities can receive de minimis support, also known as support of minor importance. We can finance up to 100 percent of an organization'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

Support for companies for research and development

Companies and organisations that conduct economic activities can also be granted funding with the Feasibility Study support basis. En Genomförbarhetsstudie can be simply described as an evaluation. It analyzes the following:

• Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks in an upcoming research and development project.
• What resources are required to carry out the project.
• How likely it is that the project will succeed.

How much of the costs can we finance?

The organisation's size and type of activity determine the proportion of costs that we can finance. This is called the maximum support level.

Maximum aid intensity at basis for support Feasibility study:

• Small business: 70%
• Medium-sized company 60%
• Large company 50%

An organisation that seeks support in its economic activities, and that has not attached a de minimis certificate, can be granted funding with the support basis Feasibility Study. The activities that the organisation will carry out in the project must then correspond to Feasibility Study as defined in art. 25, see Support grounds and support levels for funding.

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 on participants

• All participating organisations must be legal entities. Individuals or sole proprietorships cannot participate. Participant seeking funding must be Swedish legal entities. In this regard, a Swedish legal entity is considered to be a foreign organisation that has a branch or establishment in Sweden.
• The coordinating party must be a Swedish legal entity and conduct activities in Sweden.
• The coordinating party must be a Swedish municipality, association of municipalities, association of municipalities, region or state public authority. Universities and publicly owned companies (companies owned by the state, region and municipality) cannot be coordinating participant.
• At least two participants must participate in the project. This includes the coordinating party.
• The project manager must be employed by one of the project parties.

Eligibility requirements on the project

• The project may apply for a maximum of SEK 500,000.
• The project must start on October 1, 2026 and be completed by March 31, 2027.
• The project may not begin before you have submitted your proposal.

Eligibility requirements on proposal

• Proposal must be written in Swedish or English.
• Proposal should follow the instructions under the heading "10. How to apply?"
• Proposal must contain all requested attachments.

Applications that meet our eligibility requirements will proceed to assessment. In the assessment, we look at how relevant the project proposal is, how much potential your idea has, how realistic it is and who will implement the project.

What do we assess?

When assessing applications, we look at four main criteria:

• Relevance: We assess how relevant the project proposal is to SustainGov's mission and focus areas.
• Potential: We analyze what effects and what value we can expect from the project
• Actors: We assess the participants' competence and ability to implement the project and achieve the desired results and effects.
• Feasibility: We assess how realistic and credible the project plan is, both for implementing the project and for achieving the desired results.

Relevance

• How relevant the project proposal is to SustainGov's mission and focus areas (see heading "3. SustainGov's mission and focus areas").

Potential

• The project's potential to come up with proposals that can be implemented with relevance to one or more of SustainGov's focus areas.
• The extent to which the project includes a relevant systems view.
• How well the project proposal contributes to increased gender equality by integrating perspectives on sex and gender.

Actors

• To what extent do the project partners represent relevant actors.
• The extent to which the project manager and other key individuals have the competence and shared ability to implement the project.
• How well the financial contribution, participation, power and influence are distributed equally between women and men in the project team.

Feasibility

• The realism, credibility and appropriateness of the project plan and budget.
• How well proposal includes the end target group and cross-border actors.
• How well the need for consulting services and licenses is justified. This only applies if an organization's budget includes more than 20 percent consulting and license costs.

In addition to assessing the quality of each application, in this the call for proposals we aim to achieve a spread of the approved projects between SustainGov's focus areas. We expect to fund approximately 10 project per focus area.

How do we assess?

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

The applications that are correct and complete are distributed among different evaluator and assessed in competition with each other. The evaluators are appointed by us based on their expertise in the field. Each proposal is assessed by at least three evaluator.

Once the evaluators have reviewed the applications, we have an assessment meeting where the evaluators recommend which applications should be granted.

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 who receive funding.

We use information we receive from credit reports, currently from Dun & Bradstreet. We may also ask small and medium-sized businesses to demonstrate that they have the financial capacity to carry out the project.

In our assessment we check this:

• That organisations that are granted funding for payroll costs are registered as employers with the Swedish Tax Agency. If such registration does not exist when we make a decision, you must be able to show that a notification has been made. We do not approve retroactive registration.
• That organisations is not insolvent, or undergoing liquidation or corporate restructuring. You must also not have any significant unpaid debts with the Swedish Enforcement Authority.
• That the project manager is employed by one of the project parties.

• That a limited liability company has not used up half or more of its share capital.

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 during the project period.
• If you are several parties, you must have a written project agreement that regulates your mutual rights and obligations in the project. Since it can take time to develop and negotiate an agreement, we recommend that you start with this as soon as possible. The project parties must have entered into the project agreement no later than the day on which the first progress report is to be submitted to Vinnova. If a progress report is not to be submitted in the project, the project parties must have entered into the project agreement no later than the day for submission of the start report.

See our general terms and conditions

Special conditions

You also need to follow the special conditions that apply to this the call for proposals:

• The preparatory project shall allocate at least 20 hours to participation in joint forums for learning and exchange of experience within SustainGov. The project shall be represented by at least one participant at the conferences and other activities organized within the program, approximately one to two times per year. The costs of such participation are eligible for support.
• The project shall maintain a continuous dialogue with the SustainGov program office throughout the duration of the project.
• When providing information about the project and when publishing project results, it must be stated that the work was carried out within Impact Innovation-programmet SustainGov – an initiative of the Swedish Energy Agency, Formas and Vinnova.
• In connection with the final reporting of the project, a summary of the project results shall be sent to SustainGov's program office according to the template available at www.impactinnovation.se. This summary shall be freely available for distribution and publication on the website of the Swedish Energy Agency, Formas, Vinnova and Impact Innovations and the program office. The summary may not contain confidential or otherwise sensitive information.
• We may also decide to add supplementary special conditions for individual project. In such cases, 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.

General documents and confidentiality