Impact innovation: personal mobility for skills exchange and collaboration for net-zero industry

The call for proposals will contribute to strengthened collaboration and exchange of expertise between research actors and another type of public organisation, association or manufacturing company through personal mobility. Collaboration and exchange of expertise at both organizational and individual levels will contribute to net zero emissions in industry.

The call for proposals offers funding for a person to have the opportunity to work in a new workplace, in a different organisation than their current one. During the stay, the person must

• strengthen the exchange of expertise between the organisations
• lay the foundation for long-term collaboration
• identify and describe the current state of key issues for collaboration
• Identify possible improvements to achieve Net Zero Industrys's mission in manufacturing companies.

The mobility of persons can be spread over a period of 6-12 months. The support applies to people who have a doctorate or have at least two years of experience in research and/or advanced development work.

Which companies are covered?

Manufacturing refers to companies that perform discrete manufacturing, where products with their own and often traceable identity are produced. This also includes product design, related services, product-as-a-service and manufacturing-related circular activities. Companies representing the process, food or pharmaceutical industries are not eligible for this call for proposals.

Coordination

Net Zero Industrys's program office coordinates in aim to support the projects that receive funding and further develop and document the overall results in a common format.

The call for proposals is carried out by the Net Zero Industry program within Impact Innovation - an initiative of the Swedish Energy Agency, Formas and Vinnova.

The call for proposals is part of Net Zero Industrys's mission strategic efforts for competence and is planned to be repeated several times during the duration of the program.

Through knowledge exchange at both organizational and individual levels, we want to create the conditions for an industry with net zero emissions in Sweden. The mobility projects that are granted funding are expected to meet the following performance targets:

• Identified and described the current status of the key issues that are central to the exchange.
• Mapped possible improvements to achieve Net Zero Industrys's mission in manufacturing companies.
• Developed new cutting-edge expertise both at the individual and organizational level regarding a competitive and resilient Swedish manufacturing industry with net zero emissions.
• Created new contact areas and conditions for long-term collaboration.
• Enabled new working methods, collaborations and skills to be developed in participating organisations
• Increased insight into future skills or recruitment needs, including, for example, leadership, business models and organisation.
• A clear idea of how insights, strategies and collaborations will be taken forward after project is completed by participating parties.

Equal funding of innovations

Proposal is expected to address gender equality aspects. By integrating different perspectives, more inclusive and relevant solutions are developed. This strengthens both the innovation capacity and the project's results. This means that you need to assess whether aspects of sex and gender are relevant to the design of the project, and if so, in what way.

Gender equality as a tool for innovative social development

An innovative force in a sustainable world

Making scientific publications and results available

This the call for proposals will also help make results available to everyone. Therefore, all scientific publishing should be open access. When results from research and innovation are made freely available, more people can contribute to solving societal challenges.

The offer is aimed at organisations that work towards a competitive and resilient manufacturing industry with net zero greenhouse gas emissions and that want to strengthen their skills at both organisational and individual levels. The support is for people who have a doctorate or have at least two years of experience in research and/or advanced development work. The offer is aimed at universities, university colleges and research institutes, other public organisations, associations and manufacturing companies. Personnel mobility must take place between a research actor and another type of public organisation, association or manufacturing company.

Project shall consist of two participants, one of whom is coordinator. The offer concerns both national and international mobility. In the case of international exchange, the coordinating party shall be a Swedish legal entity. In this respect, a foreign organisation that has a branch or establishment in Sweden is considered a Swedish legal entity, provided that the costs in the project arise in the branch or establishment.

The grant can be used for salary, travel, subsistence and other direct and indirect costs incurred in connection with the project. Both the home organization and the receiving the organisation may apply for funding for their costs.

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 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.
• License costs: Licenses purchased or used from a third party. These costs may not exceed 20 percent of an organization's budget.
• 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 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 about which eligibility requirements, limitations and exclusions apply, see our general terms and conditions.
Vinnova's 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?

It is possible to apply for funding of up to SEK 500,000 per project with a project duration of 6-12 months.

How much funding can a participant 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.

Innovation support for small and medium-sized enterprises

In this the call for proposals we can provide innovation support to small and medium-sized enterprises participating as a receiving organisation.

By innovation support we mean support for the following activities:

• Secondment of highly qualified personnel from a research organization. The person who is seconded will work with research, development and innovation in a newly established function. The person may not replace other personnel. We can finance up to 50 percent of these costs.

Which companies are considered small or medium-sized?

To assess the size of a company, we apply the EU definition of small and medium-sized enterprises. The definition is based on the number of employees, annual turnover and balance sheet total.

If the company is part of a group, data for the entire group must be included. If the company owns or is owned by other companies to the extent of 25–50 percent, this data must be taken into account.

For help in determining whether a company is an SME, see How the EU defines small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

Minor Support for businesses

In this the call for proposals we can provide de minimis support, also known as support of minor importance. We can finance up to 100 percent of a project party'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 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 institutes 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 on participants

• All participating organisations must be legal entities. Individuals or sole proprietorships cannot participate.
• The coordinating party must be a Swedish legal entity and conduct activities in Sweden.
• Two participants will be involved in the project. This includes the coordinating party.
• One participant must be a university, university college or institute and one participant must be another type of public organisation, manufacturing company or association.

Eligibility requirements for the project

• That the stay only applies to a named person who either:
  • is a doctorate-certified teacher or researcher at university college/university or institute or
  • working in private or public activities or association with at least 2 years of documented experience in research, qualified development or innovation work in the manufacturing industry.
• That the recipient organization and home organization respectively have designated and named persons responsible for the exchange.
• That the individual whose stay includes does not have any significant interest in the recipient organization, such as full or part ownership or board positions.
• The project may apply for a maximum of SEK 500,000.
• The project must start by 2026-05-25 and be completed by 2027-05-25.
• The project manager must be employed by the coordinating party in the project.
• The project may not begin before proposal is submitted.

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 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 desired results.

Potential (weighted 50 percent)

• How much potential the project proposal have to achieve the call's results goals and aim.
• How likely is it that the project proposal will lead to new knowledge and new skills for each project party's organisation.
• How well the project proposal contributes to increased gender equality by integrating perspectives on sex and gender.
• How personal mobility provides clear added value compared to previous or similar collaboration between the parties.

Actors (weighted 25 percent)

• How the project partners, in terms of knowledge and skills, complement each other and how the stay can generate additional value, benefit and renewal.
• How well the project manager and other key people are assessed to be able to lead and implement the project.
• Credibility regarding the project's anchoring in the respective organisation.
• On international mobility: the benefits of mobility especially for the Swedish party.

Feasibility (weighted 25 percent)

• How well the project plan and budget are assessed to be able to realize a stay in accordance with the project proposal.
• How credible the project plan's risk analysis and action plan for these risks are.
• How well the project plan shows how the results will be anchored and disseminated to important actors in the area.
• How well gender perspectives have been integrated into the project plan.
• How good the conditions are for the project's results to be taken forward and used after the end of the project.
• How the stay contributes to the parties' ability to develop long-term cooperation for a net-zero industry.

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.

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

Once all applications have been assessed, 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 report how things are going, your costs and achieved results to us regularly during the project period.
• If you are multiple parties, 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

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

1. The project must be represented by at least one participant at the conferences and other activities organized within Net Zero Industry, approximately once or twice a year. The costs for such participation are eligible for support.
2. When providing information about the project regardless of channel and when publishing project results, it must be stated that: the work was carried out within Net Zero Industry, a joint effort by Vinnova, Formas and the Swedish Energy Agency within the framework of Impact innovation.
3. In connection with the final reporting of the project, a summary of the project results shall be sent to the Net Zero Industrys program office according to a template that will be available at www.impactinnovation.se. This summary shall be freely available for distribution and publication on the websites of the Swedish Energy Agency, Forma, Vinnova, Impact Innovations and the program office. The summary may not contain confidential or otherwise sensitive information.
4. The project will maintain continuous dialogue with the Net Zero Industrys program office and coordination throughout the project duration. A maximum of three mandatory workshops will be organized by the program office.
5. The project will contribute to a joint reporting of results in a common format that the program office coordinates and compiles.
6. Payment of funding is made to the coordinator in Sweden. Grant funds may be transferred to a foreign beneficiary without a branch or establishment in Sweden only after the coordinator has obtained information from the foreign party about incurred costs in connection with a progress report or final report, which has been confirmed by extracts from the party's accounting records or other equivalent documentation.

We may also decide to add supplementary special conditions for individual project. In such cases, they will be stated in the decision.

Could you need 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 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