Scaling up for a sustainable battery value chain

Vinnova is implementing a targeted effort for research and innovation to increase innovative power and innovative capacity along the entire battery value chain. This effort aims to finance project that have the right conditions to grow into pilot and demonstration projects that can eventually be converted into industrial solutions. Scaling up and testing of concepts in a real environment is considered a prerequisite for minimizing risks, creating a basis for acceptance and promoting the commercialization of sustainable solutions that contribute to climate change.

The project activities within the framework of this call for proposals shall mainly be covered by the experimental development funding basis. The budget of the call is SEK 100 million. Funding will be granted with a maximum of 50 percent of the project's eligible costs and a maximum of SEK 20 million per project. The implementation period for a project may not exceed 36 months.

The call for proposals is aimed at actors from industry, universities and university college as well as other public actors. The project results are expected to contribute to increased innovation capacity and the scaling up and implementation of technology and new solutions for a sustainable battery value chain.

Sustainable batteries are a key technology for electrification and in the transition to a fossil-free society. Sweden has several areas of strength that give the country great opportunities to promote development in the battery area. Swedish areas of strength that link to the battery value chain include vehicle clusters, cell manufacturing and recycling and associated competitive research. Sweden also has knowledge in related areas such as automated process and manufacturing industries and mining and minerals industries, as well as stable infrastructures and systems. Electrification and development of a sustainable battery value chain is not only important for achieving climate goals but also enables the emergence of a competitive industry that creates sustainable growth and jobs along the entire battery value chain. The battery value chain needs to be established and strengthened in both Sweden and Europe for long-term competitiveness and reduced vulnerability.

I Sverige has several ongoing initiatives aimed at strengthening Swedish research and innovation linked to the battery value chain. Many of these efforts are in relatively early stages of development, but with the right conditions, they can grow into pilot and demonstration projects that can eventually be converted into industrial solutions. Scaling up and testing concepts in a real environment is considered an important prerequisite for minimizing risks, creating a basis for acceptance and promoting the commercialization of sustainable solutions that contribute to climate change.

In this the call for proposals project proposals are therefore requested for the further development and scaling up of solutions or concepts that, after implementation, contribute to a sustainable battery value chain in Sweden. The overall aim is to - through support for testing and demonstration - promote industrial implementation. The projects should address one of the important innovation areas for the battery value chain, including circular economy, production processes and advanced materials.

The project results are expected to contribute to increased innovation capacity as well as the scaling up and implementation of technology and new solutions for a sustainable battery value chain.

A good scale-up project proposal is characterized by the following:

• It is clear what the solution consists of, how it is intended to work, and what the scaling-up project specifically entails and has in terms of content.
• Scaling up refers to a solution that can be considered as a cohesive whole, rather than loose building blocks that are to be joined together into a whole only in a subsequent implementation.
• Proposal contains a thorough and credible analysis of the context in which the solution will be implemented.
• Proposal refers to investment in continued development of a concept that through previous project/activities has reached a maturity level corresponding to a TRL level of at least 5, i.e. where core components/functions or equivalent are validated in a relevant environment. For information on TRL, see, for example, Technology Readiness Level.
• Proposal describes a clear and credible TRL movement and formulated goal to realize a solution with a maturity level that corresponds to a TRL level of maximum 8, i.e. where the solution is complete and evaluated.

The project funded under the call for proposals are expected to meet all of the following performance objectives:

• There is a well-developed and well-established plan for how the solution or concept will be further scaled up, implemented, managed and exploited. The plan should include financial and commercial aspects of subsequent steps.
• The solution has a maturity level corresponding to a maximum TRL level of 8, i.e. where the solution is complete and evaluated. For solutions or concepts that are not primarily based on technology, the definitions may be adapted to the context but the maturity levels should still correspond to a maximum TRL level of 8.
• Increased innovative capacity for a sustainable battery value chain.

Contribute to a sustainable system transformation

Vinnova is tasked with promoting sustainable growth and system transformation. To implement sustainable system transformation, we have chosen to base ourselves on the UN's global sustainability goals, defined in the 2030 Agenda. Vinnova prioritizes two perspectives: gender equality and climate change. The initiatives and project we finance are assessed based on how they contribute to these perspectives.

We are therefore following up and assessing this:

• If women and men participate in the project on an equal footing, receive contributions and have influence and power over the project.
• How well the project analyzes and takes a position on whether there are sex or gender aspects that are relevant to the project's problem formulation, solutions and effects. In this call for proposals the question does not form the basis for assessment.
• How well the project contributes to climate change.

Gender-equal innovation – what it means for those seeking funding from us

Agenda 2030 as a driver for innovation

Making scientific publications and results available

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

The call for proposals is aimed at actors consisting of parties (legal entities) that open up for a system-wide transition work that affects the battery value chain.

The actors build on results from already implemented development and innovation projects for a sustainable battery value chain. Within the framework of this offer concepts or solutions are further developed with a focus on testing and demonstration as well as utilization on a larger scale and implementation. The actors required to take the solution to the next stage must be represented in the actor constellation and at least one of the participating project parties must intend to implement the expected results.

Stakeholders and users/customers are expected to be involved in the development work. The owner of the end result (product/process/system owner) needs to be actively involved and have a central role in the project to ensure that the solution, if the project is successful, is taken forward to implementation/next step with long-term management. This may also apply to regulatory authorities and public administration (municipalities, regions and state) in cases where it is relevant.

Aspects such as the competitive situation, customer needs, potential customers and partners, and a hypothesis about the business model must be investigated and clearly described in the project application.

The participation of foreign actors may be relevant depending on the project objective. Foreign organizations with a branch or establishment in Sweden can receive funding for project costs that are attributable to the branch or establishment's activities. Actors without a branch or establishment in Sweden are welcome as project partners with their own contributions but cannot receive funding from Vinnova in this call for proposals.

Types of project and activities that we fund in this call for proposals:

• Research and development projects that aim to scale up new solutions or concepts that, after implementation, contribute to a sustainable battery value chain in Sweden.
• The project activities within the framework of this call for proposals shall mainly be covered by the funding basis experimental development. This applies to the focus and content of the projects regardless of whether the funding basis applies to the participation of individual project partners. For a complete definition of funding bases, see Funding bases and levels for funding.
• Experimental development may include the design of prototypes, demonstration, pilot work, testing and validation of new or improved products, processes or services in environments that correspond to realistic operating conditions, where the primary purpose is to make further technical improvements to the products, processes or services that are not yet fixed.

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:

• Personnel costs: Salaries, social security contributions and other personnel 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 for consulting services from external parties may not exceed 20 percent of a project party's budget. We can accept a higher percentage than 20 percent in case of special needs. You must then specifically and extensively justify the need for consulting services in proposal. This justification is taken into account in our assessment.
• Other direct costs: For example, materials, supplies and travel necessary to carry out the project.
• Indirect costs (overhead):Costs that are not incurred as an immediate consequence 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 and government agencies have higher maximum limits depending on the type of 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 a cost to be eligible, it must be:

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

An organization 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

The state aid rules also govern how much of the costs we can finance. This is determined individually for each organization. We therefore differentiate between how much funding the project can receive, and how much each participant can receive.

How much funding can the project receive?

The grant can amount to a maximum of SEK 20,000,000 per project and have a project duration of no more than 36 months. The maximum aid intensity is 50 percent of the project's total eligible costs.

How much funding can a participant receive?

How much funding each participant can receive depends mainly on:

• what activities the party will carry out in the project
• party size and activities.

In this the call for proposals we provide support for experimental development. Experimental development can be simply described as combining, shaping and using existing knowledge to develop new or improved products, processes or services.

For a full definition, see funding bases and levels

How much of the costs can we finance?

The size of the organization and type of activity determines how large a proportion of the costs we can finance, i.e. the maximum level of support.

Bonus basics

If the project is covered by any of these bonus bases, we can finance a higher proportion of the costs according to the table:

• 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: Extensive dissemination through, for example, conferences or open databases.
• Other bonus basis

For full information on these bonus bases, see funding Bases and Support Levels

We grant funding in accordance with Article 25 of the EU Commission's General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER).

In this the call for proposals we also provide support to organisations that do not engage in economic activities. This means that they do 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 organizational costs.

In order for us to take a position on and assess your proposal, it must meet certain formal eligibility requirements. If the requirements are not met, proposal will be rejected immediately.

Eligibility requirements on organizational form of project parties

• All project partners must be legal entities. Natural persons or individual companies cannot participate as project partners.
• The coordinating party must be a Swedish legal entity and conduct activities in Sweden.
• If foreign parties seek funding, the costs must be attributable to a branch or establishment in Sweden.

Eligibility requirements for the project

• 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 must follow the instructions given in section 9.
• Proposal must contain all requested attachments.

What do we assess?

Applications are assessed in relation to the criteria Relevance, Potential, Actors and Feasibility where all criteria except Relevance assess the quality of the application. Kriteriet Relevans lacks weight but is crucial for a proposal to be relevant for funding in this call for proposals. It is therefore not possible to compensate for a deemed insufficient relevance by a high rating in relation to the other assessment criteria.

Relevance (not weighted)

• The current project proposal sufficiently complies with the characteristics of a good scale-up project proposal according to Section 2.

Potential (weighted 1/3)

• potential of the project proposal to meet the call's performance objectives and aim.
• Proposal contains a thorough and credible analysis of the context in which the solution will be implemented.
• The project's novelty value in relation to existing national and international solutions and ongoing major initiatives in the area.
• potential of the project results to contribute to increased innovation capacity as well as the scaling up and implementation of technology and new solutions for a sustainable battery value chain.
• potential of the project results to contribute to a sustainable battery value chain in Sweden after implementation.
• That the implementation of the project's results contributes positively to the global goals of Agenda 2030.

Actors (weighted 1/3)

• Composition, competence and ability, and commitment of the actor constellation in relation to project goals and implementation.
• The project partners' connection to the results and previous activities on which the project proposal builds.
• Active participation from need owners, users/customers, product/process/system owners and actor(s) with the intention of implementing expected results.
• The project manager's ability and commitment to lead the project.
• The composition of the project team (key people) with regard to gender distribution, including commitment and influence, as well as the project's ambition and plan for addressing any imbalances.
• To what extent the project team has access to relevant expertise in economic, social and ecological sustainability.
• How well the need for consulting services has been justified if a project party's budget contains more than 20 percent consulting costs.

Feasibility (weighted 1/3)

• The realism, credibility and appropriateness of the project plan and budget to realize a solution with a maturity level corresponding to a maximum TRL level of 8.
• The project plan contains a realistic risk analysis (both internal and external risks) and a credible plan for how these risks will be managed.
• Approach as well as organization and involvement of project partners and other relevant actors.
• Plan for communicating and disseminating the project's results outside the actor constellation, especially with regard to such dissemination that has significance for the possibilities of implementation.

How do we assess?

Proposal are assessed in competition with other applications submitted to the call for proposals.

This is how the decision process looks like:

1. Proposal are submitted to Vinnova's e-services. All applications that meet formal eligibility requirements are assessed by a composite group of specially appointed and appointed evaluator, as well as Vinnova's internal evaluator.
2. The project proposals that are deemed to best meet the criteria will proceed to the selection process, which means that the constellation behind proposal will be invited to an interview. Interviews are planned to take place during week 43. We will contact the constellations that are up for interview approximately one week in advance. Please note that we will not be able to update you before then.
3. Vinnova makes decisions about which project will be financed.
4. Decision will be notified to applicant.

We also assess financial status

Before deciding on funding, we also conduct a comprehensive assessment of the organizational and financial status of those receiving funding. We use information we obtain from credit reports, currently from Dun & Bradstreet.

In order for us to grant funding the following applies:

• Organizations seeking funding for personnel costs must be registered as employers with the Swedish Tax Agency.
• Organizations must not be insolvent, in liquidation or in corporate restructuring, nor must they have any significant unpaid debts with the Swedish Enforcement Authority.
• Limited liability companies must not have used up half or more of their share capital.
• If requested, SMEs must be able to demonstrate that they have the financial means to implement the project according to their budget in proposal. They cannot use public funding or their own funds intended for other project to cover project costs in this call for proposals.

Once we have assessed all applications, we will send you a decision either granting or rejecting your proposal. In the decision, we state how much funding each party in the project will be granted. Our decision cannot be appealed.

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 and get help understanding and fulfilling them

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

1. The project must be represented at any conferences and other activities that may be organized within the initiative.
2. When providing information about the project and when publishing project results, it must be stated that the work was carried out with support from Vinnova. Publication refers to, for example, publication, regardless of medium, and oral presentations.
3. Research institutes that have an agreement with Vinnova on the application of the full cost principle may, when participating in their non-economic activities, make mark-ups for indirect costs according to the applicable full cost principle.

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 do not follow our term, you may be required to repay the amount. This also applies if you have been granted funding incorrectly or for an amount that is too high.

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 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 external 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 confidential information that we believe could cause financial harm to the individual if disclosed. This could include information about business and operational conditions, inventions or research results.

How we handle public documents and confidentiality