Impact Innovation: advising small and medium-sized manufacturing companies on transitioning to net zero

Vinnova invites established organisations with a public mission, intermediaries, and those that do not distribute profits to their owners, to apply for funding in this call for proposals.

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 Industry's mission strategic efforts for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The purpose of the call for proposals

The aim is to establish innovation consulting services that accelerate the transition of small and medium-sized manufacturing companies to a competitive and resilient Swedish manufacturing industry with net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.

The initiative will contribute to:

• Support companies' transition to net zero emissions through coaching and mentoring, contributing skills, knowledge, training and infrastructure.
• Support the ability to adapt nationally by promoting exchange of experiences and learning between the organisations and the program office.

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 food or pharmaceutical industries are not eligible for this call for proposals.

Coordination

Net Zero Industry's program office coordinates the projects that receive funding and documents the overall results in a common format.

Funding

Organisations that receive funding must meet Vinnova's eligibility requirements for quality in activities and processes in order to be able to deliver advice that accelerates small and medium-sized enterprises' transition to net zero.

With this the call for proposals we want to support innovation consulting services in the manufacturing industry.

What will the projects result in?

Intermediaries granted funding are expected to contribute to and further develop:

• Increased knowledge and capabilities of manufacturing SMEs. The expertise will increase the pace of the transition to a competitive and resilient Swedish manufacturing industry with net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Efforts will be created in collaboration with these SMEs and specifically adapted to the needs, challenges and capacities of the companies.
• Ability to evaluate the current situation and improvement potential of small and medium-sized enterprises for transitioning towards net zero while maintaining or strengthening competitiveness.
• Reduced emissions within a manufacturing SME's own activities, in its value chains or in the use phase of products. Tillverkande SME can also reduce emissions at its customers in the manufacturing industry.
• A clear plan and description for how lessons learned and knowledge will be taken care of, disseminated and scaled up for different sectors throughout the value chain.
• Packaging and dissemination of results, experiences and lessons learned in communication that create broad engagement and can inspire more companies to transition towards net zero.

To achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, sustainability strategies must be integrated into both business models and daily operations, including maturity assessments and improvement measures. Developing circular and sustainable value chains is challenging but crucial, and requires new forms of collaboration and broad collaboration for risk management and adaptability.

Many small and medium-sized enterprises lack objective and methods for systematic sustainability work and follow-up. Competence development in SMEs is critical in technology, sustainability strategy and business development, and there is often a lack of resources and time. Companies need support to reshape business models so that sustainability and profitability go hand in hand, which requires education, training and practical guidance.

The basic idea is that the advisory services should guide companies to higher capabilities and maturity within the industrial transition. This can be described as a maturity ladder and at the same time also constitutes the starting point for the evaluability of the intervention. The model below is preliminary and is expected to be determined in connection with the project start-up. The target group companies are initially expected to have reached the lowest maturity level. However, the applicant in this call for proposals is expected to contribute with experience in mapping the maturity level of companies and later support work.

The companies' maturity stage during the intervention

Maturity stage 0: Analysis

Target companies are expected to have reached this level before further efforts are made.

• Commitment and understanding
  • The organisation knows why the company is doing this and who is responsible.
  • The company demonstrates a high degree of understanding of the connection between the business model and the environmental impact of the operation.
• Basic business processes
  • The company knows where the emissions are and what should be included in the project.
  • The company has basic management processes such as improvement and management systems in operation.
• Efficiency indicators
  • The company can present potential measurable savings and reduced emissions.
  • The company has developed indicators that reflect the performance and environmental impacts of its operations.

Maturity stage 1: Concept

• Measurement and follow-up
  • The company has an established follow-up system that enables monitoring and improvement of performance towards net zero.
• Value chain conditions
  • The company has identified and analyzed its position in the value chain in aim to take effective measures.
• Process for strategic improvement work and potential investments.

Maturity stage 2: Development

• Product and production improvements
  • The company is conducting effective improvements.
• Business development
  • The company has adapted its organisation and business processes to further improve its capabilities.
• Strategic skills supply
  • The company connects strategic goals with operational skills provision.

Maturity stage 3: Follow-up

• Communication and education
  • The company has a strategic dialogue with its stakeholders in aim to inform about the ongoing strategic improvement work.
• Public reporting
  • The company has ensured transparent reporting and insight.
• Validation
  • The company ensures that improvement work takes place in step with the surrounding environment, legislation and other influential initiatives.

Processes in activities

Vinnova's quality requirements in activities mean that the intermediary has the following processes defined and implemented for handling target group companies:

• Selection
  That is, how the intermediary ensures that the company being taken into coaching meets Vinnova's target group criteria. See chapter 3 and chapter 8.
• Eligible
  To ensure that the company is eligible for support from Vinnova. See chapter 3.
• Adaptability
  How the intermediary's processes during the intervention period ensure and quality assure that the companies meet the maturity stages. The intermediary should have networks that give the companies access to skills, knowledge and relevant infrastructure.
• Exit
  How the intermediary decides when and how innovation consulting is terminated. This can happen either when the intermediary assesses that the company has successfully completed maturity stage 3, when coaching should be terminated (“positive termination”). Termination can also occur when the intermediary assesses that the conditions for change cannot be ensured and coaching should be terminated (“negative termination”).

In proposal, the intermediary must present how the companies meet maturity level 0 in the model for transition.

What are the overall goals of Net Zero Industry-programmet?

• Prepare the manufacturing industry to proactively identify and anticipate potential threats before they arise, effectively manage disruptions when they occur, and adapt operations to create new opportunities through lessons learned from past disruptions.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption from products, materials and processes.
• That the industry is characterized by a circular economy, with product development and production systems that lead to minimal resource consumption, optimal use of resources and a long product lifespan.

Om Net Zero Industry

Impact Innovation is Sweden's major innovation initiative to tackle the challenges of our time and the future. In collaborations between actors in private, public and non-profit organisations, Impact Innovation meets real technological and societal needs with groundbreaking solutions. On the way to a sustainable and competitive Sweden, attractive to live in for everyone. Together we show what is possible, and are ahead internationally.

Impact Innovation – Sweden's innovation initiative for the 2030s

Contribute to a sustainable system transformation

Impact Innovation will contribute to global competitiveness through transformation for sustainable development in line with the UN's global sustainability goals, defined in the 2030 Agenda.

In this call for proposals we focus on two perspectives: gender equality and climate change. This means that gender equality and climate change should be integrated into both the composition of your project team and the intended outcome of your project.

Equal funding of innovations

An innovative force in a sustainable world

Free access to scientific publications and results

Results from research and innovation that are made freely available increase the opportunity for more people to contribute to solutions to societal challenges. This the call for proposals will contribute to making more results freely available to everyone. Therefore, all scientific publishing should be open access.

The call for proposals is aimed at individual intermediaries or consortia of intermediaries. The intermediaries' objective is to strengthen the competitiveness of manufacturing SMEs by contributing to a more competitive and resilient Swedish manufacturing industry with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.

The innovation advisory services shall be provided by the intermediary through, for example:

• coaching
• mentorship
• training
• access to different types of resources such as expertise or infrastructure.

The innovation advisory services shall be provided by:

• research institute
• knowledge dissemination organisations
• research infrastructures
• testing and experimentation infrastructures or innovation clusters.

Target group criteria for funding

Within the national intermediary effort, Vinnova finances manufacturing SMEs with production in Sweden. Manufacturing industry here means companies that perform discrete manufacturing. This also includes product design, related services, product-as-a-service and manufacturing-related circular activities. Companies representing the food and pharmaceutical industries are not eligible for this call for proposals.

The funds granted by Vinnova will be used to support companies that meet or are expected to meet the following target group criteria:

• The company must be a manufacturing SME according to the EU definition with production in Sweden.
• The company must be eligible to receive state aid, for example, the companies must not be considered to be in financial difficulties.
• The company must have significant greenhouse gas emissions and potential to reduce these emissions in the value chain.
• The company must meet the requirements for Maturity Stage 0 (see section 2).

What eligibility requirements apply to costs we finance?

Vinnova's funding to companies and organisations that conduct economic activities is limited by the rules for state aid. In this call for proposals, the person applying for the grant is considered an intermediary - a middleman. Those who in practice receive Vinnova's support are the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

This means that the intermediary is formally the recipient of the grant, but the entire value of the grant is passed on to the SMEs through the services offered by the intermediary. In other words, it is the SMEs that are the real recipients of the support. The intermediary is responsible for reporting which companies have actually received the support.

The services shall be offered to companies according to clear and predetermined rules. The selection shall be open, fair and free from subjective assessments or other improper methods.

The value of the support that each company receives shall be based on the market price of the service. If there is no market price, the value shall be calculated as the intermediary's cost of delivering the service, plus a reasonable mark-up of 4 percent. Cost plus mark-up shall then correspond to an assumed market price.

The intermediary must openly report its costs. This way, the companies using the services can see how much support is provided and that the process is transparent.

De SMF, who is offered the intermediary's services, should be able to receive state aid according to one of the two support grounds below:

• Support for innovation advisory or innovation support services under Art. 28 c) Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 (the General Block Exemption, GBER). Such support may be provided at up to 100 percent of the value of the services, provided that the total amount does not exceed EUR 220,000 over a three-year period. In order for an SME to be granted this support, a certificate of innovation support needs to be submitted with proposal. See the appendix on the call page.
• Support of minor importance (so-called de minimis)according to Kommissionens EU-förordning no. 2023/2831 on support of minor importance. A company can receive a maximum of 300,000 euros over a three-year period in this form of support, regardless of the financier and project. If the same company has received support of minor importance in other project from other financiers before, it affects how large the support can be in this the call for proposals. In order for an SME to be granted this support a certificate of de minimis support needs to be submitted with the proposal. Certificate of de minimis support
  Support article 28

For complete information, see funding bases and levels.

Which companies are considered small or medium-sized (SMEs)?

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).

When submitting proposal, a model declaration for SMEs must be submitted. Model declaration for SMEs

What costs can we finance?

For the support that Vinnova decides, eligible costs are defined as the costs the intermediary has to deliver services to SMEs. The costs can arise through internally generated services or externally procured services. The costs that the intermediary reports to Vinnova must be real and auditable.

We do not generally finance business development support or the intermediary's own business development.

The costs for the intermediary and the companies that may be included are:

1. Develop the company's ability to achieve net zero:
   Intermediaries should offer innovation advisory services through, for example, coaching, mentoring, and access to various types of resources such as expertise, knowledge, training, infrastructure, etc. This applies to the introduction or use of innovative technology and innovative solutions.
2. Support for networking and knowledge:
   Travel expenses and participation fees to relevant conferences and study visits.
3. Use of infrastructure:
   Costs for using infrastructure or having access to a test, demo or lab environment.

Eligible costs

The costs that the intermediary and the companies report to Vinnova must be real and auditable. The following types of costs are eligible for support:

• 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 used under license from a third party.
• 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 salary costs. Universities, university colleges and certain research organizations and government agencies have higher maximum limits depending on the type of activities.

For a cost to be eligible, it must be:

• actual, reasonable and necessary for the activities of the project
• recorded correctly and distinguishable on a separate project code in the accounting.

An organisation may also 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

Intermediaries that meet Vinnova's quality requirements for processes and activities receive funding to deliver services to companies as intermediaries.

The level of total state aid during the project period for each individual SME is a maximum of SEK 150,000. Each intermediary must have an SME portfolio of 5-10 companies.

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 project parties

• All intermediaries must be a Swedish legal entity and have at least two years of documented activities in Sweden. Individuals or sole proprietorships cannot participate.
• All intermediaries must demonstrate a public mandate that fully or partially includes the companies' transition towards net zero emissions with higher eligibility requirements for resource efficiency and resilience. By public mandate we mean a mandate the intermediary has from a public actor in Sweden, for example a state, region, municipality, university college or university.
• The intermediaries must report that they have not distributed profits to owners in the past two years and do not intend to do so in the next four-year period.
• Company portfolio should follow target group criteria (see chapter 3)

Eligibility requirements for the project

• Each intermediary must have an SME portfolio of 5-10 SMEs. The level of total state aid during the project period for each individual SME is a maximum of SEK 150,000. The project may therefore apply for a maximum of SEK 1,500,000 if the company portfolio contains 10 SMEs.
• The project must start no earlier than 2026-06-01 and end no later than 2027-11-01.
• The project manager must be employed by the coordinating party in the project.
• The project may not begin before proposal is submitted.
• Costs for consulting services and licenses may constitute a maximum of 20 percent of a project party's budget.

Eligibility requirements on proposal

• Proposal must be written in Swedish or English.
• Proposal must follow the instructions given in section 9.
• 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. The applicant is expected to describe in detail their processes for corresponding innovation advice, previous experiences and results, networks and possible partners, cf. project application template. Furthermore, the applicant is expected to set quantitative and qualitative objective both at projectand company level.

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.

Eftersom Vinnova is tasked with contributing to increased gender equality and climate change, and we always follow up and assess these perspectives.

Potential

• How much potential the project proposal and company portfolio has to achieve the call's objective and aim.
• 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 and the results that the proposed solution is expected to achieve.
• How likely it is that the project proposal will lead to new knowledge and new skills that can be used to scale up or implement new solutions.
• How well perspectives on sex, gender and climate change have been integrated into the project proposal, and what significance these have for the project's results.
• How well the intermediary's existing processes in activities cover the needs for innovation advice.
• The intermediary's processes, both through its own work and partners.
  • How the intermediary's processes are carried out. Also what resources are available for each maturity stage.
  • How the intermediary follows up and assesses the companies. Also how Vinnova's target group criteria and maturity ladder are applied.
  • How the intermediary follows up, evaluates and improves its working methods.

Actors

• To what extent does the project proposal and the intermediate build on previous activities and results.
• How well the financial contribution, participation, power and influence are distributed in an equal manner in the project team.
• How well the need for any consulting services is justified.
• To what extent does the applicant have proven capacity and competence to carry out the type of innovation consultancy referred to in this call for proposals. This is either through its own relevant personnel or relationships with external consultants with documented experience in the field.
• To what extent does the project manager have previous experience in leading collaborative project ?

Feasibility

• To what extent the project plan and the business's processes and service packages are realistic in relation to the proposed budget.
• How credible the project plan's risk analysis and action plan for these risks are.
• How well the project plan shows how collaboration and results will be anchored and disseminated to the program office and other important actors in the area.
• How good the conditions are for the project's results to be taken forward and used after the end of the project.
• To what extent does applicant make it likely that the set objective will be achieved based on the proposed methodology and key figures?

Decisions for funding the intermediary are made by Vinnova based on recommendations from an assessment group consisting of representatives from Vinnova and specially appointed experts who work under confidentiality and professional secrecy.

How do we assess the corporate portfolio?

In proposal the intermediary must indicate the companies that meet the criteria of the call for proposals and state the basis on which the intermediary bases its assessment that each criterion is met.

How does it affect an organization's financial status?

Before deciding on funding we also make a comprehensive assessment of the organizational and financial status of the intermediaries that receive funding. Vinnova also makes assessment of each SME in the company portfolio. We use information that we receive from credit reports, currently from Dun & Bradstreet.

In order for us to grant funding the following applies:

• Organisations seeking funding for payroll costs must be registered as employers with the Swedish Tax Agency.
• Organisations must not be insolvent, or undergoing liquidation or corporate restructuring. They must also not have any significant unpaid debts with the Swedish Enforcement Authority.
• Organisations may not cover project costs in this the call for proposals with public funding or own funds intended for other project.

Limited liability companies must not have used up half or more of their 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 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.

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

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

Changed definitions:

Intermediary– synonymous with the Beneficiary in this decision.

Unless otherwise stated in the special terms and conditions, the term " Project" in General terms and conditions, ref. 2025-04644, refers to the activities for which Vinnova grants funds to the Intermediary.

The intermediary shall, to the extent possible, ensure that the companies receiving the support do not receive support that exceeds the agreed amount or otherwise contravenes the rules in either Article 28 of the GBER or de minimis support. Furthermore, the intermediary shall inform that the market value of the services provided by applicant will be charged to the company as state aid.

The aid shall be granted in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner according to objective criteria established in advance. There shall be no elements of subjective or otherwise unfair selection methods.

The concept aid intensity is not applicable to the Intermediary in this call for proposals, which means that this concept is no longer applicable in relation to the Intermediary. Aid intensity is only applicable to the companies to which the Intermediary delivers services.

Furthermore, the following special conditions apply to this the call for proposals:

1. The intermediaries must ensure that the people who deliver intermediary services do not have a direct business connection or relationship with the companies that benefit from Vinnova's state aid. This applies to both employees and consultants.
2. The project must be represented by the intermediary at conferences and other activities organized within Net Zero Industry, approximately once or twice a year. The costs for such participation are eligible for support.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. The project will contribute to a joint reporting of results in a common format that the program office coordinates and compiles.

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 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.

How we handle public documents and confidentiality