Industrial utilization of neutron and synchrotron light-based techniques - Pilot projects and Development projects 2026

Vinnova is tasked with strengthening the conditions for industrial utilization of advanced research infrastructure. With this the call for proposals we want to finance collaborative projects that increase understanding, ability and capacity to benefit from the innovation potential of large-scale research infrastructure such as MAX IV and ESS.

The project proposal must address industrially relevant needs and contain at least one well-motivated experiment at a neutron and/or synchrotron light facility.
This requires expert competence in both analytical techniques and industrial application. The stakeholder group should therefore consist of at least two project participants, of which:

• at least one Swedish company that owns the need/application that the project proposal addresses.
• at least one additional Swedish organisation that provides expert competence regarding the technology in question based on neutron scattering or synchrotron light.

Representatives from all project participants are expected to participate in the implementation of the experiments.

It is important that the projects that are granted funding are made visible and can inspire others. In connection with the final report to Vinnova, an easily accessible description according to a template must be attached for free publication and dissemination.

This call for proposals offers two different categories of projects.
Vinnova intends to grant approximately the same number of projects within each category.

A. Pilot project

• Up to SEK 500,000 in funding
• Maximum project duration of 18 months.
• Need-owning companies must be small or medium-sized (SMEs).
• The project activities should demonstrate the added value of experiments at large-scale research infrastructure beyond what the company can achieve with analytical tools in a standard laboratory environment.

B. Development projects

• Up to SEK 1,500,000 in funding
• Vinnova's funding may amount to a maximum of 70 percent of the development project's total eligible cost. The needs-owning companies must themselves finance the project with own funding equivalent to at least 30 percent of the funding applied for from Vinnova.
• Maximum project duration of 24 months.
• Development projects shall also include method-related development activities that broaden the possibilities for industry-relevant experiments with technology based on neutron scattering or synchrotron light and/or allow experiments to be carried out in a more robust and resource-efficient manner.

We want to enable for more to benefit from the innovation potential of neutron and synchrotron-based technologies.

Vinnova has been tasked by the Swedish government to increase the use of advanced research infrastructure for research and innovation by the business community. Over the past ten years, we have , among other things, carried out special efforts to promote Swedish companies' understanding of how analysis and experimental tools at research facilities such as MAX IV and ESS can contribute to their research and innovation work.

With this call for proposals Vinnova wants to continue to fund project that promote the access to neutron and synchrotron-based technologies for industrial needs by supporting Swedish companies to gain their own experience in:

• how to use advanced analysis methods at large-scale research infrastructures.
• how they can collaborate with expertise at other organisations in different parts of that process.
• how they themselves can contribute to more and improved experimental opportunities to solve industry-relevant issues at the facilities.

The tools at the facilities are based on analytical techniques and methods that are also used in traditional academic or industrial laboratories; tomography, scattering/diffraction techniques and spectroscopy. With these, you can, for example, study how different materials and biological structures are built up and map the chemical state of materials. What makes the equipment of the facilities very powerful "measuring probes" are the flows of photons (synchrotrons) or neutrons, which interact in different ways with a material.
Later generations large-scale facilities have revolutionized the possibilities for high-resolution material characterization and studies of dynamic processes under relevant load conditions. Provided that the correct side-equipment is available, measurement data can be collected with high time resolution while the sample is exposed to a realistic environment, for example in chambers with different climate and pressure conditions, rigs for physical loading, or through miniatures of manufacturing processes. If several different analysis methods can be used simultaneously, unique overall information can be produced, for example mapping chemical elements and imaging a physical material structure at different scales.
Today, the potential for innovation is also greatly accelerated by advances in digital tools. Through measurement data from facilities, complex physics-based, machine learning or hybrid-based computational models can be validated, which in turn contribute to realistic simulation programs and digital representations. To maximize innovation potential and ensure relevant and resource-efficient use of these facilities, collaborations between competencies from several different domains and sectors are needed.

This call for proposals supports the implementation of experiments at all available facilities for neutron scattering and synchrotron light, also outside Sweden. How a facility for neutron scattering or synchrotron light can be used depends on technical characteristics, such as possible energy levels and the nature and quality of the individual unique instruments. The facilities are highly sought after, and users need to have good knowledge of where both unique and corresponding experiments can be performed.
The facilities are continuously developed, and through the funding Vinnova also wants to contribute to making industry-relevant issues visible at the facilities and to ensure that more actors contribute to developing the opportunities.

As Sweden's innovation agency, Vinnova's mission is to promote sustainable growth by improving the conditions for innovation. Through our efforts, we strengthen the capacity to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the  Agenda 2030, see
An innovative force in a sustainable world

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 distribution within the project team and assess whether aspects of sex and gender are relevant to the design of the project, see
Equal funding of innovations

Results from research and innovation that are made freely available provide greater opportunities for more people to contribute to solutions to societal challenges. Funding should therefore also contribute to more results being made freely available to everyone and scientific publishing to be done with open access.

The call for proposals is aimed at companies, universities, research institutes, and other legal entities.

To ensure that a challenge is met in the right way requires expertise in, and understanding of, both the application and different analysis methods and experimental conditions. The stakeholder group must therefore consist of at least two participants, of which:

• At least one participant who is a Swedish company that has the need or owns the application that the project proposal addresses. Please note that need-owning companies in the pilot project category must be small or medium-sized (SMEs).
• At least one additional Swedish participant who ensures expert competence regarding the neutron and/or synchrotron light-based technology addressed.

Project participant that seek funding must be Swedish legal entities.
A foreign organisation that has a branch or establishment in Sweden is also considered Swedish. The costs in the project must then be attributable to the branch's or establishment's activities. Foreign actors that do not have a branch or establishment in Sweden can be project participants without funding from Vinnova.

Participation to mainly coordinate and administer project management is not permitted.

Key individuals must be named in the CV attachment and be employed when the project starts.

If supplementary resources are provided outside the project budget, for example through synergies with project that are financed in other ways and do not have the opportunity to report project costs to Vinnova on a timely basis, this must be confirmed by a declaration of intent from the current resource owner.

All project proposals must address the implementation of at least one well-motivated experiment at a neutron or synchrotron light facility, in or outside Sweden. To justify the need for the capacity of a large-scale research infrastructure, applicants shall describe already identified limitations with analytical techniques that are available in a laboratory environment. The application must also describe and justify the relevant beamline(s) that are planned to be used for the purpose. Sufficient resources are expected to be allocated to process and to be able to draw conclusions from measurement/experimental data.

Please note that characterization using analytical techniques in standard laboratories and modeling are only approved as project activities if it can be clearly justified as necessary for experimental design, sample selection, or result interpretation. The challenges of the projects should not concern the sample preparation step itself. The sample matrix should be limited to verification/development of the method and not be expanded to compare different materials/sample types per se. If the project challenge concerns quality assurance of components, the production of test objects must take place outside the project.

All project proposals that include development efforts to better conduct industry-relevant experiments or utilize measurement results from industry-relevant tests must also describe how these type of results are made available outside the project group.

In order to be able to carry out experiments and development activities at a research infrastructure for synchrotron light or neutron scattering, the project needs to be granted access. This is called beamtime or experimental time and is mainly allocated through the respective facility's open calls for proposals. Here, the experiments are carried out free of charge, but the proposals are to a high extent evaluated on scientific excellence and publication of results is required. Often also paid use is permitted where the pricing is based on the facility's actual operating costs. In this case, the research infrastructure allows confidentiality, but here Vinnova's funding is conditional on information being made available. The funded projects may use any type of experimentation/beam time and collaboration offered at the facilities, provided that the project participants are allowed to attend at least one experiment occasion themselves.

Beam time does not need to be formally granted or scheduled by a research infrastructure when proposal is submitted to Vinnova. However, the applicant must justify both technical and time feasibility.
Applicants who budget for paid beamtime shall refer to a completed dialogue with the intended research infrastructure that confirms that the desired use through payment is feasible. Different rules may apply to paid beam time at different facilities and experimental stations, including planned price increases, handling of VAT, or if the facility has eligibility requirements on the type of organisation that can be invoiced.
Applicants seeking free beam time must explain how they believe the project will be able to obtain sufficient time during the project period.

To meet aim of the call, representatives from need-owning companies are expected to participate in the implementation of the experiments at the research infrastructure. Companies that participate in the proposals should therefore not have travel restrictions.

It is important that the project that are granted funding are made visible and can inspire others. In connection with the final report to Vinnova, a one-page description in line with a template is attached for free publication and distribution. Examples from previously funded pilot projects can be seen as PDF documents on the respective project's website, see
previously funded pilot projects

The call for proposals offers two different categories of projects, Pilot projects and Development projects. Please note that pilot projects are limited to small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), see User Guide on the definition of SMEs(pdf, 1 MB)

1. Pilot project 

• Need-owning companies must be small or medium-sized (SMEs).

• Up to SEK 500,000 can be applied for in funding.
• Maximum project duration of 18 months.
• The project activities shall demonstrate the added value of experiments at large-scale research infrastructure beyond what the company can achieve with analytical tools in a standard laboratory environment.

2. Development project

• Up to 1,500,000 can be applied for in funding.
• Vinnova's funding may amount to a maximum of 70 percent of the development project's total eligible cost. Of the project partners' own funding, the need-owning companies must account for at least 30 percent of the amount applied for.
• Maximum project duration of 24 months.
• Development projects shall also include method-related development activities that broaden the possibilities for industry-relevant experiments with technology based on neutron scattering or synchrotron light and/or allow experiments to be carried out in a more robust and resource-efficient manner.

What costs can we finance?

Our funding is subject to state aid rules which govern the types of costs we can finance. These are called eligible costs and are described in the Instructions for eligible costs 2026.

• Salary costs: Gross salary paid as well as employer contributions and other salary-related costs.
• Equipment, land and buildings: Instruments, equipment and rent for premises other than regular business premises.
• Consulting and licensing costs: Consulting services, knowledge and patents purchased or licensed from an external party. Costs of this type may constitute a maximum of 20 percent of a project party's budget. In this call for proposals a higher proportion is allowed if it concerns the cost of beam time or licenses for necessary software.
• Other direct costs: For example, materials, supplies and travel necessary to carry out the project.
• Indirect costs (overhead):Costs that are not incurred as a direct result of but can be related to the project, for example regular premises and cleaning. Indirect costs may constitute a maximum of 30 percent of personnel costs. Universities, university colleges and certain research organizations have higher maximum limits depending on the type of activities.

If costs for beam time is used, this shall be budged for as Consulting and licensing costs. However, special rules apply to project that involve paid beam time at MAX IV if Lund University is taking part as project participant, see section 8.2.

What eligibility requirements apply to costs we finance?

For a cost to be eligible, it must be:

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

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

For more detailed information on which eligibility requirements, limitations and exceptions apply, see Instructions for eligible costs

We differentiate between how much funding the project can receive and how much each project participant can receive.

How much funding can the project receive?

It is possible to apply for funding for two categories of project

A. Pilot projects can apply for up to SEK 500,000 in funding from Vinnova.
In this category, Vinnova's funding may amount to 100 percent of the project's total eligible cost. However, restrictions may apply to individual project participants who apply support, see below.

B. Development projects can apply for up to SEK 1,500,000 in funding.
In this category, Vinnova's funding may amount to a maximum of 70 percent of the project's total eligible cost. Of the project partners' own funding, the needs-owning companies must account for at least 30 percent of the amount applied for.

How much funding can a participant receive?

How much funding each project participant can receive depends mainly on:

• size of the participant and activities
• which activities the party will carry out in the project.

Descriptions in the following sections about what support we can provide in this the call for proposals are simplified. For full details, see funding criteria and levels.

Support for companies conducting research and development

In this the call for proposals we provide support for industrial research. Industrial research can be simply described as seeking new knowledge through planned research or critical analysis. This is to develop or significantly improve products, processes or services.

The organisation's size and type of activity determine how large a proportion of its costs we can finance, i.e. the maximum level of support, see Funding bases and levels for funding(pdf, 550 kB)

If the project falls under any of the following bonus bases, we can finance a higher proportion of the organisation's costs:

• Actual cooperation: Some level of cooperation between small and larger companies, between companies in two different European countries or between research organisations and companies
• Dissemination of results: Wide dissemination through, for example, conferences or open databases
• Other bonus basis

The table shows the maximum level of support for the Industrial research funding basis

In this the call for proposals we can also provide de minimis aid, also known as negligible support. We can then 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 de minimis support in other project from other funders in the past, it will affect how much 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 de minimis support.
Certificate of de minimis support(docx, 50 kB)

Support for organisations that conduct non-economic activities

In this the call for proposals 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 on a market. This usually includes universities and university colleges, research organisations and other 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 for the project and project participants

• All project participants are legal entities. Individuals or individual companies cannot participate.
• The coordinating project party is a Swedish legal entity and conducts activities in Sweden.
• The project participants seeking funding from Vinnova are either Swedish legal entities, or foreign organisations that have a branch or operating location in Sweden and where the costs in the project are attributable to the branch's or operating location's activities.
• The project consortium consists of at least two project participants, of which at least one Swedish company that owns the need/application addressed by the project proposal, and at least one additional Swedish organisation that provides expert competence in analysis techniques based on neutron scattering or synchrotron light.
• The project starts no earlier than October 1 and no later than November 13, 2026.
• The project duration is a maximum of 18 months for pilot projects or a maximum of 24 months for development projects.
• For Development Projects, the following also applies: Companies in need finance the project with their own funding equivalent to at least 30 percent of the funding applied for from Vinnova.

• For Pilot Projectsalso applies: Participating companies are small or medium-sized (SMEs), see: User guide on the definition of SME(pdf, 1 MB)
  
  

Eligibility requirements on the project proposal

• The proposal is written in Swedish or English. Please note that proposal will be assessed by international non-Swedish speaking evaluators. Our recommendation is therefore that proposal is written in English. If proposal is written in Swedish, it will be translated without your participation.
• The proposal follows the instructions given in section 9, contains all appendices requested there and is written on the templates provided.
• The proposal does not contain any attachments other than those permitted in Section 9.

What do we assess?

Project proposals that meet the formal requirements will proceed to assessment.

What is assessed is the degree to which the project proposals meet the three main criteria Potential, Feasibility and Actors. The points below indicate what contributes positively to the assessment.

Potential

• The project activities are well in line with the description in sections 3 and 4 of this call for proposals document, and the use of experiments based on neutron scattering or synchrotron light for the application in question has potential to contribute to economically, environmentally and socially sustainable societal development.

•  Relevant and necessary preliminary work is described and it is clearly evident what added value experiments with neutron scattering or synchrotron light are expected to bring beyond what can be achieved in ordinary laboratories.

• The company commitment makes it credible that the project's implementation can lead to a long-term commitment to experiments based on neutron scattering or synchrotron light.
• For all development projects: The project proposal describes and justifies development steps or novelty value in the planned method-related development efforts and addresses relevant aspects of interoperability and accessibility after the end of the project.
• For pilot projects: If the project proposal includes method-related development efforts, it is justified how this type of results will be made available outside the project group.

Actors

• The project's stakeholder group is appropriately composed in terms of roles, skills and time commitment.
• The project partners actively collaborate within all work packages, including the implementation of experiments at the large-scale research infrastructure.
• The project team (key persons) is well composed in terms of gender balance, including commitment and influence. The project's ambition and plan for addressing any imbalances are explained credibly and in a way specific to the project proposal.

Feasibility

• The project proposal's activities and timetable are reasonable given the available resources.
• The project proposal justifies how desired experiments are technically and time feasible to carry out at one or more relevant experimental stations. The project plan contains a realistic risk analysis (both internal and external risks) and a credible plan for how these risks will be managed.

How do we assess?

The assessment is based on the electronic proposal submitted via Vinnova's e-service (see section 9). Applications that meet the formal requirements according to section 6 are assessed in relation to the above assessment criteria by external evaluator. The evaluators are experts in the field and appointed by Vinnova. They work under confidentiality and professional secrecy. The external evaluators' overall assessment results in a recommendation to Vinnova.

Vinnova's funding decision is based on the recommendation of the external assessors and that Vinnova can apply a portfolio perspective. Here, Vinnova intends to grant approximately equal numbers project within the two categories Pilot projects and Development projects.

How does an organization's financial status affect?

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

When the selection process is complete, Vinnova will make a decision to either grant or reject your proposal. Vinnova will notify the coordinating project party of the decision. Vinnova's decision cannot be appealed.
If your proposal is approved, we will state in the decision how much of the costs we will cover for each organisation.

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 each project participant must sign a special document in which you approve your participation and commit to carrying out the project.
• That you report how things are going, your costs and achieved results to us regularly during the project period.
• You must agree on your mutual rights and obligations in the project in an agreement. It can take time to get a project agreement in place, so it is a good idea to get this in place before the project starts.
• How the results will be used and how scientific publication will take place.

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

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

• In connection with the final report to Vinnova, a one-page description of aim, experimental station/method and project results must be attached for free publication and dissemination. A representative from the company must be stated as the contact person. A special template is distributed by Vinnova. (Examples from previously completed pilot projects can be found uploaded as PDF documents on the respective project's website )

The following two special conditions apply only to proposals that intend to use MAX IV through paid beam time and where Lund University is a project participant:

• If Lund University is a project participant, a participant other than Lund University may bear the costs for beam time at MAX IV as follows: ”In derogation from §2, second paragraph in general terms and conditions participant may purchase beam time from Lund University/MAX IV according to the tariffs applied by MAX IV. The cost is included and reported under consulting costs. ”
• If Lund University is a project participant and budgets for paid beam time at MAX IV itself, the following applies: ”As an eligible cost for Lund University regarding beam time at MAX IV, the cost is accepted according to the cost model that MAX IV normally applies internally. The cost must be included and reported under other direct costs. ”

Vinnova may also decide to add supplementary special conditions for individual project. In that case, they are 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 required to repay.

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 the 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.

Proposals 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