Business partnerships for green industrial production

The call for proposals finances collaborative projects in sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing and transportation. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large industrial companies will collaborate to develop innovative, climate-smart solutions that contribute to the industry's green transition.

The starting point in collaborations should be the needs of the industry. To accelerate the transition, there is a need to develop innovative alternatives, and to demonstrate these to ensure functionality in an industrial environment.

Companies can apply for funding for a validation project of up to SEK 500,000, or for a test and demo project of up to SEK 1 million. The project may last for a maximum of 12 months.

The call for proposals will finance targeted collaborative projects for the green transition of industry. The projects will be based on a clear demand where a solution has direct benefit and relevance for the industrial need owner.

Many of Sweden's larger industrial companies face common challenges related to input materials, access to green energy, carbon-neutral production and recycling. To accelerate the transition, there is a need to develop innovative alternatives, and to demonstrate these to ensure functionality in an industrial environment.

Strong Swedish industrial companies have the ability to quickly adapt. Collaboration with small and medium-sized innovative companies creates the conditions for the development of new solutions that meet the needs of the industry. This enables faster implementation of innovative climate-smart solutions that strengthen the green transition in production.

The call for proposals is based on the government's assignment to Vinnova on business cooperation for green industrial production (KN2026/00525).

In the longer term, the initiative will help strengthen the Swedish ecosystem for green production transition.

Cross-sectoral transition needs

The green transition of industry requires the development of new innovative solutions in several identified areas. Several needs are cross-sectoral and are found in large parts of the industry.

This applies in particular to electrification and energy systems, sustainable materials, circular economy, resource efficiency, water management, chemical substitution and digital solutions for optimizing processes and resource use.

This call for proposals focuses on sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing as well as sustainable means of transport and circularity. There are industry-specific challenges here, but they can mainly be traced back to the cross-sectoral transition needs.

Applications received must address one or more of these areas of need.

To apply for funding, a collaboration between an need owner in the form of an industrial company and at least one small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) is required. By need owner we mean private organisations that has a financially stable activities and the resources and organizational capabilities required to effectively support the SME partner in the collaboration.

Foreign innovative SMEs may participate in the projects if they contribute unique competence and knowledge transfer. However, they cannot be the coordinating party of the project. If a foreign company is to receive funding a special termapplies. In these cases, the grant is paid retrospectively.

The parties shall, at the time of proposal, have established a collaboration around a well-defined challenge.

The call for proposals finances innovative validation projects and test and demo projects within the areas of need of the call. The funding shall enable the maturity of the solution to increase to the level specified in proposal. Here the TRL and BRL scales are used as an indication of the technical and commercial maturity of the innovation, respectively.

Read more about TRL Technology-Readiness-Level.pdf och BRL Business-readiness-Level.pdf

Validation project (TRL and BRL 3–4):

These collaborative projects aim to develop and validate the solution in a lab or other relevant environment and, where relevant, to develop and test parts of the business model.

Test and Demo Projects (TRL and BRL 5–7):

Based on validated solutions, collaboration projects can include adaptation, demonstration and preparation for implementation of solutions in an operational environment, as well as establishing the business model and making it ready for scaling.

The call for proposals does not finance:

• project which is only intended for early research or development without active collaboration with the organisation which intends to implement the solution.
• project where the benefit accrues to a single actor.

What costs can we finance?

Our funding is subject to rules about state aid. The rules govern what kinds 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 used under license from an external party. These costs may not exceed 20 percent of an organization's budget. If the project requires specialist expertise or access to advanced infrastructure that is necessary for the project's implementation, we can accept a higher proportion. This must be justified in proposal. The justification is weighed 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.

Which 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 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 exceptions apply, see our general terms and conditions.

The rules about state aid govern how large a proportion of the costs we can finance. This is determined individually for each organisation. We therefore differentiate between how large a funding project can get, and how much a participant organisation can get.

How big funding can the project get?

Project can search funding for validation projects or test and demo projects as follows:

• Validation project: up to SEK 500,000
• Test and demo projects: up to 1 million SEK

How much funding can a participant organisation get?

How much funding a participant organisation can receive depends mainly on:

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

Within this call for proposals only SMEs can be beneficiary. Larger industrial companies shall be included in the consortium but they cannot receive grant funding. Co-financing of at least 20 percent of the total project budget is required in all project.

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

Support to companies for research and development

In this the call for proposals we give support to industrial research or experimental development.

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.

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

How much of the costs can we finance?

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

The following applies to collaborative projects:

Maximum aid intensity for industrial research:

• Small business 80%
• Medium-sized company 75%

Maximum aid intensity for experimental development:

• Small business 60%
• Medium-sized company 50%

In order for us to assess your proposal it must meet certain formal eligibility requirementsrequirements. If the requirements are not met, we will reject your proposal immediately.

Eligibility requirements on participants

• All participants organisations must be legal entities. Individuals or individual companies cannot participate in the project.
• At least two participants shall be included in the collaboration. The coordinating party shall be a Swedish legal entity that operates activities in Sweden.
• At least one of the project partners must be an SME in accordance with the EU definition, see How the EU defines small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
• At least one industrial company must be included in the collaboration.
• Foreign SMEs may participate in the project, but may not be the project coordinator. If a foreign SME participates, a Swedish industrial partner shall be the project coordinator. The Swedish industrial partner shall then coordinate the project without receiving funding.

Eligibility requirements on the project

• The project may apply for a maximum of SEK 500,000 for a validation project and SEK 1 million for a test and demo project.
• The project must start on October 27th.
• The project may not be started before you have submitted your proposal.

Eligibility requirements on proposal

• Proposal should be written in Swedish or English.
• Proposal should follow the instructions under heading 9 "How to apply".
• Proposal should use the project appendix provided by Vinnova.
• Proposal should contain all requested attachments.

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

We also look at how well your project integrates gender equality, both in how your project group is composed and how you implement the project. By integrating sex and gender 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

What do we assess?

When assessing applications, we look at three main criteria:

• 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.

Potential

• How well the project proposal contributes to solving challenges in any of the identified areas of need.
• How innovative the project proposal is in relation to existing solutions and ongoing major initiatives in the area.
• How credible the project proposal's analysis is of the problem picture and the results that the proposed solution is expected to achieve.
• How well the project proposal contributes to increased gender equality by integrating perspectives on sex and gender.

Actors

• How well the composition, participation, competence and ability of the actor constellation contribute to project objectives and implementation.
• How well the project manager and other key people are assessed to be able to lead and implement the project.
• How well the financial contribution, participation, power and influence are distributed equally between women and men in the project team.

Feasibility

• How well the project plan and budget are assessed to be able to realize a solution in accordance with the project proposal.
• How credible the project plan's risk analysis and action plan for these risks are.
• How well the collaboration is designed to create shared learning and long-term innovative capacity.
• How well the gender distribution in the project team and perspectives on sex and gender have been integrated into the project plan.

How do we assess?

Once we receive the applications, we review them. We 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 has reviewed the applications, we have an assessment meeting where the evaluators recommends 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 who are granted funding for salary 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 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 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 you 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 achievements to us during the project period.
• If you are multiple parties, you must have a written project agreement that regulates your mutual rights and obligations in the project. All parties must sign the agreement no later than the first progress report. Since it can take time to develop and negotiate an agreement, we recommend that you start with this as soon as possible.

See our general terms and conditions

We may also decide to add additional special conditions for individual project. In that case, 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.

When the call for proposals is closed, you cannot change anything in proposal. Then you can only supplement if we ask you to.

Who can read you proposal?

Your proposal will be read by employees at Vinnova and those evaluator who participate 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