Deepened collaboration with USA, UK and Singapore within Health and Life Science

International collaboration is a prerequisite for us to be able to handle a wide range of societal challenges, including health challenges. It is also a way to achieve the goal of Sweden being one of the world's leading research and innovation countries and a leading knowledge nation. International collaboration leads to high-quality research and innovation that promotes societal development, welfare, preparedness and the competitiveness of the business sector.

With this offer we want to enable long-term collaborations and strengthen the conditions for future funding.

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. There, Vinnova prioritizes two perspectives: gender equality and climate change. All initiatives and project we finance are assessed based on how they contribute to these perspectives.

We therefore always follow up and assess 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.

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 offer is aimed at those of you who want to deepen your international collaboration and plan to start a long-term research and innovation project. The project will be carried out together with partners from the USA, UK or Singapore in the field of health and life science. Applicant must have a clear strategy for how to secure longer-term funding.

Academic actors, research institutes, public sector, civil society or small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Sweden, can apply for this funding. Large companies are welcome to participate as participant but cannot apply for this funding.

Foreign actors without a registered branch or establishment in Sweden can participate as project partners, but they cannot receive funding from Vinnova.

The projects will aim to deepen and strengthen international collaborations in health and life science as well as Swedish competitiveness. Funding can be applied for to deepen and broaden international research and innovation collaborations and to prepare for future funding.

Approved project activities within the framework of this the call for proposals are, for example:

• Activities to deepen and strengthen the consortium's composition and collaboration, such as meetings and discussions with international partners. aim to develop the points below
• Activities to seek new knowledge and new skills to develop new products, processes or services, or to significantly improve existing products, processes or services.
• Activities that combine, shape and use existing knowledge to develop new or improved products, processes or services.
• Development of the scientific or technical basis for the project by, for example, carrying out pilot or "proof of concept" studies together with the international the actors. If companies from different countries apply, they must justify that it is a clear development project and not ordinary activities.
• Activities aimed at securing longer-term funding for a full-scale project.
• Conducting IPR analyses, user interviews or strategic analysis.

This call for proposals does not fund project where the main purpose is guest research at a foreign university or development of regular activities.

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: Salary costs, including 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 licensed from a third party. Costs for consulting services from third parties may not exceed 20 percent of a project party's budget. 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 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?

In this call for proposals you can apply for from 500,000 to 1,000,000 SEK for project that run for up to 12 months.

How much funding can a participant receive?

How much funding the Swedish project partner can receive depends mainly on:

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

In this call for proposals project partners that conduct economic activities can be funded under the following funding criteria:

• industrial research
• experimental development
• feasibility studies
• under the de minimis support rules

Organizations that do not conduct economic activities can be funded with “Not state aid”. See funding rules

What is industrial research, experimental development, feasibility studies?

Industrial research can be simply described as seeking new knowledge through planned research or critical analysis 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.

Feasibility studies can be simply described as an evaluation and analysis of:

• strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks in an upcoming research and development project
• what resources are required to carry out the project
• how likely it is that the project will succeed.

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.

Large companies are welcome to participate as participant but cannot apply for funding (see section 3)

De minimis support ( support of minor importance)

In this the call for proposals we can also provide support of minor importance, also called de minimis support. We can finance up to 100 percent of a project party's costs.

An organization 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 organization has received support of lesser importance in other project from other funders, it will affect how large the support can be in this the call for proposals.

To be granted this support, you need to submit a certificate of de minimis support when you submit

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.

• All project parties are legal entities.
• Proposal must be written in Swedish or English, contain all mandatory appendices and these must be written according to the template and not exceed the maximum number of pages allowed.
• No other attachments should be included in proposal than those listed in section 9.
• Project is planned to last a maximum of 12 months.

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.
• Foreign actors without a registered branch or establishment in Sweden can participate as project partners, but they cannot receive funding from Vinnova.

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.
• Costs for consulting services from outside parties 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.

What do we assess?

Applications that meet the formal requirements according to section 6 are evaluated according to the assessment criteria below by external experts appointed by Vinnova and by expert programme manager at Vinnova.

Potential

• The project's potential to develop into a long-term R&I collaboration with the USA, UK or Singapore in the areas of health and life science.
• The project's potential to receive continued funding
• The project's potential to contribute to sustainable growth and increased competitiveness within the Swedish life science industry.
• The project's potential to contribute to more effective care and better health or quality of life.
• The project's potential to contribute to increased gender equality. Please note that assessment will be based on the applicant's answer to the mandatory question under “ Project tasks”.
• How well the project is assessed to contribute positively to the global goals of Agenda 2030, and how well it is assessed to minimize the negative effects.

Actors

• How well the team, both Swedish and foreign, is assessed to have the opportunity to develop long-term collaboration.
• How well the team contributes to the project's goals and innovation potential.
• How well the project team is composed in terms of gender distribution, including the distribution of power and influence between women and men.
• To what extent the project team has access to relevant expertise in sustainability.

Feasibility

• How well the project proposal's activities are deemed to be appropriate for achieving the project's objectives and developing long-term collaboration.
• How realistic the budget and schedule are.
• How well relevant sustainability perspectives have been integrated into the project plan.
• How well gender equality aspects are integrated into the project plan.

How do we assess?

• The assessment takes place in competition between submitted applications.
• Applications that meet the formal requirements are sent to at least three experts for individual assessment
• The results of the individual assessments are compiled by Vinnova and this compilation is then the basis for discussion at an assessment meeting in which all experts participate. The goal of this meeting is to develop a recommendation to Vinnova by consensus on which project should be funded.
• Vinnova then makes a decision based on this recommendation.

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, undergoing liquidation or corporate restructuring, nor must they have 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.
• 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

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 are obliged to keep confidential information about business and operational conditions, inventions or research results if it can be assumed that disclosure would cause financial damage to the individual.
How we handle public documents and confidentiality