Develop and streamline working methods and tools within the innovation support system

The goal of the call for proposals is to strengthen Sweden's publicly funded innovation support system so that knowledge-intensive ideas can be developed, commercialized and lead to emerging companies with international competitiveness.

Project seeking support will strengthen the capacity of the national innovation support system by developing and testing new working methods and tools for business development, capital and competence supply in knowledge-intensive ideas and companies in the early stages. The offer also opens up the possibility of disseminating and introducing already developed working methods and tools that have proven to be effective in developing knowledge-intensive ideas towards commercialization and companies.

Proposal can be submitted from the publication of the call for proposals on March 19, 2026 until June 16, 2026. The budget for the call for proposals is at least SEK 10 million.

The aim is to strengthen Sweden's competitiveness by developing new effective methods, processes and tools that can be used to develop knowledge-intensive ideas and companies in the early stages.

project that have the potential to be widely used and that operate within the following four development areas will be prioritized:

• Funding and capital: In order for the public innovation support system for knowledge-intensive ideas and companies to be able to offer long-term and sustainable support, it is crucial to develop working methods, processes and tools that improve the supply of capital and the relationship between innovation support and investors. The innovation support system needs to continue to develop its ability to attract international capital and build stronger relationships with global investors.
• Industry specialization: There is great potential in developing industry specialization for knowledge-intensive ideas and companies. By specializing in niche industries with specific domain knowledge, startups are offered greater customer value, shorter lead times, and a more accurate understanding of complex markets. Specialization also makes it easier to attract the right talent and create strong partnerships.
• Data-driven working methods and shared processes: There is great potential in improving how the Swedish innovation support system develops knowledge-intensive ideas and companies. By working more data-driven and using shared methods between universities, innovation offices, holding companies and incubators, we can increase societal benefit and create more growth. When all actors in the chain work structured to develop and test a business idea, both the idea and the knowledge-intensive startup company are better prepared for the next step towards commercialization.

• Management of intangible assets, security and internationalisation: When validating and verifying knowledge-intensive ideas, it is important to develop a strategy for intangible assets early on. A clear strategy makes the idea more attractive for future investments. This involves, among other things, clarifying ownership relationships and documenting relevant knowledge assets. This creates better conditions for commercialising the results. In many cases, international validation is also needed to assess the idea's potential on a global market. At the same time, it is crucial to ensure appropriate security work. Responsible internationalisation means that international collaborations should be conducted both openly and securely. The responsibility for this is shared by higher education institutions, research funders and the government. This is described in more detail in the report National support function for responsible internationalisation

The main results that Vinnova wants to achieve with the call for proposals

• Strengthen the national innovation support system by developing and coordinating methods and tools that make it possible to take knowledge-intensive ideas from early development to commercialization more quickly and efficiently.
• Promote more strategic collaborations, both within Sweden and internationally, so that innovation environments can benefit more from each other's skills and the strengths of other countries, and thereby contribute to strengthening Europe's competitiveness.
• Increase the dissemination and use of proven working methods in innovation support, so that more actors benefit from functioning tools and processes.
• Strengthen gender equality within the innovation system and in the companies that are started, with a particular focus on increasing the number of female entrepreneurs and knowledge-intensive companies started and run by women.
• Stimulate increased investments in female and mixed teams, to broaden the innovation base and create more inclusive growth.
• Integrera Agenda 2030 in a more operational way, so that newly started knowledge-intensive companies contribute to sustainable development where the positive effects outweigh the negative ones - and where sustainability becomes a clear competitive advantage for companies that take part in the innovation support.

The coordinator, i.e. the party submitting proposal, must be a publicly funded actor that works with innovation support for knowledge-intensive business ideas and companies in the early stages, such as an incubator, university innovation offices or holding companies.

Vinnova welcomes project with multiple partners. Funding can also be given to other actors within the innovation support system or to other organisations that contribute to the implementation of the project.

I Vinnovas's appropriation letter for fiscal year 2026 states special funding conditions that are directly linked to this call for proposals, including funds for incubation support and support to higher education institutions for verification and validation of research results and ideas with high innovation potential.

Vinnova's appropriation letter for fiscal year 2026

For the project to be relevant for funding it must have potential to clearly strengthen and develop the publicly funded Swedish innovation support system. The results from the project must be made freely available and provide increased opportunities for more people to use the results, methods and tools developed within the framework of the call for proposals.

You can apply for funding for one of the following three categories:

• Feasibility study for a full-scale project. A feasibility study involves an analysis of opportunities and risks, identification of the resources required to implement the project, an account of which parties demand the method or tool, and the business model that shows how a successful results can be implemented in the Swedish innovation support system. The maximum amount that can be applied for is 300,000 SEK.
• Develop methods and tools intended for open dissemination in the innovation support system. In order to proceed directly to developing a new method or new tool, data corresponding to what is expected to emerge in the preliminary study above needs to be included in proposal.
• Support for disseminating and introducing methods or tools that have previously been developed and proven to work well within the innovation support system or similar activities. Eligibility requirements require that at least four publicly funded innovation support actors participate.

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-related 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 licensed from external parties. 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 will be 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 are not directly incurred, such as premises and cleaning. Indirect costs may not exceed 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?

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 eligibility requirements, limitations and exclusions that apply, please 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 budget is at least 10 million SEK to be distributed in competition. Vinnova's ambition is that the call for proposals will be able to open once a year until 2028. The maximum funding for a feasibility study is 300,000 SEK.

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
• what activities the organisation will carry out in the project.

Descriptions in the following sections about what support we can provide are simplified. For full details, see funding Criteria and Levels.

Support to companies for research and development - article 25

Experimental development can be simply described as combining, shaping and using existing knowledge to develop new or improved products, processes or services.

or

Feasibility studies 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 implement the project.
• How likely is it that the project will succeed?

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

Through the requirement for "Dissemination of results", the projects in this call for proposals are covered by a bonus basis, which means that we can finance a higher proportion of the costs within the Experimental Development activity.

Minor Support for businesses

We can also provide de minimis support, also known as support of minor importance. We can fund 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 process and organizational innovation - Article 29

In this the call for proposals we are funding the introduction of new methods through so-called process innovation or organizational innovation.

Process innovation can be simply described as introducing a new or significantly improved method of production or delivery. The method may involve new technology, equipment or software, or new digital solutions.

Organizational innovation can be simply described as introducing a new method for organizing a company or workplace. The method can involve new digital technology or new digital solutions.

For small and medium-sized companies, we can finance a maximum of 50 percent of each project's eligible costs.

For larger companies, we can finance up to 15 percent of eligible costs. This requires that:

• the company collaborates with a small or medium-sized company. The smaller company finances at least 30 percent of the total project costs

Support for universities, university colleges and other public organisations with non-economic activities

We also provide support to organisations that do not engage in economic activities. This means that the organisation does not offer a service or product to a market. This usually includes 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.

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. Foreign legal entities can participate if they have a branch or establishment in Sweden and the costs are incurred by the branch or establishment.
• For applications where support is sought for Disseminating and implementing methods or tools that have already been developed, in addition to the coordinator, at least three other publicly funded actors who work with innovation support must be co-applicants.

Eligibility requirements for the project

• The coordinator, i.e. the person submitting proposal, must be a publicly funded actor that works with innovation support for knowledge-intensive business ideas and companies in the early stages, such as an incubator, university innovation offices or holding companies.
• The project in the category " Feasibility study" may apply for a maximum of SEK 300,000.
• The project must start no later than October 1, 2026, and the final report must be submitted no later than October 26, 2028.
• 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 “ 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 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 three main criteria:

• Potential: We assess what effects and 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 desired results.

Potential

The project's ability to:

• Develop a method, process or tool that leads to quality-enhancing results and impact according to the four identified development areas, see section 2 of the call text.
• Be innovative in relation to existing solutions.
• Further develop and disseminate a method or tool that will be used in the publicly funded innovation support system for knowledge-intensive business ideas or companies.
• Contribute to increased gender equality within the innovation support system's activities and in the development of the formation of new companies.
• Influence the development of business ideas and companies so that sustainability becomes a business-driving competitive advantage.

Actors

Project description of:

• How well the composition, participation, competence and ability of the actor constellation contribute to project objectives and implementation.
• That important actors and competencies are included for the project to have the desired effect.
• How well the financial contribution, participation, power and influence are distributed equally between women and men in the project team.

Feasibility

The project description that:

• The implementation plan is reasonable in structure and cost.
• The cost-effectiveness of the project (benefit or cost).
• The gender distribution in the project team and perspectives on sex and gender have been integrated into the project plan.
• The project plan's risk analysis and action plan are credible.
• The need for consulting services and licenses is justified.

How do we assess?

Once we have received the applications, we will review them. We will screen out any applications that are incomplete or do not meet our eligibility requirements as per tab 6 above.

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 conduct a comprehensive assessment of the organizational and financial status of those receiving 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 the coordinating party in the project.
• That the 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 much 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 should report how things are going, your costs and achieved results to us during the project period.

See our general terms and conditions.

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

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 make additions if we ask you to.

Who can read your proposal?

Your proposal will be read by Vinnova employees 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.

Public documents and confidentiality