Planning grants for collaborations with small, smart countries; Singapore or Israel

A call for proposals within the Internationellt Samarbete

This is a summary. Please read the entire text before applying.

Interest is increasing among Swedish actors in so-called small, smart countries. To remain competitive in Sweden, we must ally ourselves with other world-leading innovation nations. This effort aims to build bridges that lead to long-term strategic relationships with Singapore or Israel. We want to be able to support those of you who want to invest and collaborate with partners in one or both of these countries.

The call for proposals is aimed at Swedish companies and organisations. At least two Swedish actors should apply together. With this call for proposals we want to give Swedish actors the opportunity to plan the start-up and implementation of joint innovation projects and other in-depth innovation collaborations together with Singaporean or Israeli actors. The project may include travel to meet physically, market study, or investigation of other legal, business or practical conditions required to initiate a collaboration.

Priority areas are:

• sustainable industry
• sustainable communities
• sustainable precision health
• sustainable food systems
• sustainable mobility
• digital transformation
• emerging innovations.

Detailed information about Vinnova's strategy in relation to these areas can be found on the website.

The support from Vinnova only applies to compensation for the Swedish the actors.

Vinnova wants to work towards gender-equal social development by giving project partners with both women and men in key positions increased opportunities for development.

Vinnova can grant up to 100,000 SEK per project. The call for proposals is ongoing in 2024 and 2025 with three reading sessions per year.

The following dates apply to the call for proposals

Please note that the dates are preliminary. For current information, see the calendar field further up the page.

Opening date: December 1, 2023

Reading of received applications:
February 1, 2024
June 1, 2024
October 1, 2024
February 1, 2025
June 1, 2025

Last application date: 1 October 2025
Project start earliest: March 1, 2024
Project start at the latest: 1 November 2025

With this effort, we want to contribute to more innovation collaborations and innovation exchanges between Swedish actors and actors in small, smart countries, in this case Singapore or Israel. Sweden is regularly ranked as one of the world's most innovative countries. To maintain this position, we must open up to collaborations with other leading innovation nations. We believe in the motto that 1 + 1 > 2.

With this call for proposals we want to get more people to collaborate and develop their innovative capacity and create new solutions that contribute to innovation that makes a difference.

Priority areas are:

• sustainable industry
• sustainable communities
• sustainable precision health
• sustainable food systems
• sustainable mobility
• digital transformation
• emerging innovations.

Inom Agenda 2030, Vinnova has specifically identified climate and gender equality as two central sustainability perspectives that our funded initiatives will contribute positively to. All project funded by Vinnova are therefore expected to take special account of climate and gender equality aspects.

One aspect that Vinnova follows up and assesses is whether both women and men equally benefit from the grant, participate in and have influence over the project.

Another aspect is to analyze and decide whether there are sex or gender aspects that are relevant to the project's problem area, solutions and utilization. This question is mandatory for all applicant and can be found under the heading " Project tasks".

Read more about what our work for gender-equal innovation means for those seeking funding from us

The call for proposals is aimed at Swedish companies and organisations. At least two Swedish actors should apply together. We would like the organisation to have a clear strategic effort towards Singapore or Israel and a clear added value from the collaboration.

Funding is only granted to Swedish organisations. Swedish organisations also mean foreign organisations that have a branch or establishment in Sweden. In addition, the costs in the project must be attributable to activities of the branch or establishment.

All participating companies must:

• be able to demonstrate their capacity to implement the project and be able to finance their share of the project cost. The levels of public support applicable to companies are based on their size and turnover.
• be able to clearly describe a concrete added value of their participation in the project, their position in the value chain within the project and the future potential of the project results.

The project as a whole should:

• also be able to demonstrate a clear added value of the international cooperation between the selected partners from the two countries.
• present proposals for future project.
• contribute to the global sustainability goals.

Activities for which funding can be applied for

Vinnova finances planning grants for collaboration with Singapore or Israel.

Funding is provided in accordance with Section 9 of Vinnova's Regulation (2015:208) on state aid for research and development and innovation and Article 25 of EU Commission Regulation No 651/2014 (GBER). The project's activities shall constitute a feasibility study.

Feasibility study is defined as:
Evaluation and analysis of the potential of a project aimed at supporting the decision-making process by objectively and rationally revealing the project's strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and risks, as well as identifying the resources required to implement it, and finally the prospects for the project's success. This refers to studies for project involving basic research, industrial research or experimental development.

Vinnova does not finance routine business development, customer acquisition, marketing or other ordinary business-related activities.

Eligible costs

Our funding is through funding. Funding for organisations that conduct economic activities is covered by state aid rules. The rules govern, among other things, what types of costs and what proportion of them may be covered through funding.

Parties that conduct non-economic activities are not granted state aid in accordance with Regulation 2009:1101 with instructions for the Swedish Agency for innovation system.

The following costs are eligible:

• Personnel costs.
• Costs for equipment, land and buildings to the extent and for the period they are used for the project.
• Costs for, for example, consultants and licenses.
• Other direct costs.
• Indirect costs.

Read more about state aid on our website.
See our general terms and conditions for funding and eligible costs

Vinnova can grant up to SEK 100,000 per project.

Project will begin immediately upon approval and will last a maximum of one year.

Each individual participant is responsible for ensuring that funding received does not exceed the aid intensity permitted under the rules for state aid.

Below is a summary of the maximum permitted support levels depending on company size. The support levels refer to the maximum permitted support for eligible costs, per beneficiary, in percentage.

• Large companies 50 percent.
• Medium-sized companies 60 percent.
• Small businesses 70 percent.

Non-economic activities are not covered by state aid rules, and funding can be provided at up to 100 percent of eligible costs (“non- state aid”).

Prerequisites for us to assess proposal

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

• Proposal must be received no later than the specified reading time according to the website.
• Proposal must be written in Swedish or English.
• The project is carried out in collaboration between at least two Swedish parties, such as companies, the public sector, academia or research organizations.
• All project parties must be legal entities. Companies must be active and have a corporate registration number when proposal is submitted.
• No material beyond the mandatory attachments may be included.

What do we assess?

The assessment of proposal takes place in competition based on how well proposal meets aim and objective of the call through the criteria potential, actors and implementation.

Potential

• The project's connection to the call's aim and objective.
• The project's potential to lead to actual innovation collaboration between Sweden and Singapore or Israel.
• The level of innovation in the potential collaboration and its long-term objective.
• The project's potential to contribute positively to the global goals of Agenda 2030, as well as minimize the negative impacts.

Actors

• The composition of the project constellation and its capacity to implement the project in dialogue with a relevant foreign party.
• How well the team's key people are composed in terms of gender distribution, as well as the distribution of power and influence between women and men.

Feasibility

• The credibility of the implementation plan.
• Possibilities and plans for future funding opportunities, for example via EU programs, other government funding or private alternatives.
• How well relevant sustainability perspectives have been integrated into the project plan.
  Relevant sustainability perspectives refer to the 2030 Agenda with a particular focus on climate and gender equality.

How do we assess?

• All applications that meet the formal requirements are assessed by a composite group of Vinnova specially appointed evaluator.
• Applications are assessed in competition based on how well proposal meets the call's aim through the criteria potential, actors and implementation.
• Vinnova makes a decision and communicates this to applicant approximately 2-4 weeks after closing.

To apply for funding, you fill out a web-based form in Vinnova's e-service for applications.

There you also upload the following attachments:

• Project description
  It must be written in the template provided by Vinnova on the call's website. It must not exceed 5 portrait A4 pages with Times New Roman, font size 12 points.
• CV for key personnel
  It must be written in the template provided by Vinnova on the call's website and must be a maximum of 1 portrait A4 page per key person. There is no limit to the number of CVs that may be attached per project.
• No material beyond the mandatory attachments may be included.

Keep in mind that it takes time to make a proposal.You can start filling in the details, save and continue at a later time. When proposal is complete, mark it as done. You can unlock proposal and make changes at any time, right up until 2:00 PM on the current reading date.

Mark proposal ready well in advance before the call for proposals closes.

After 2:00 PM on the reading day, proposal is registered with Vinnova and a confirmation is sent by email to the person responsible for the user account, project manager and signatory or head of department. It may take a few hours before you receive the email.

If you have not received a confirmation email within 24 hours of the reading time, please contact us.

Once the application period has expired, proposal can only be supplemented upon request from us.