Material-based competitiveness 2026

The call for proposals is aimed at actors who want to develop and validate material-based concepts in a concrete application, where advanced materials enable new functionality or significantly improved performance.

The projects should be based on a well-founded concept idea and focus on validating the concept in a relevant context so that it can be taken further towards scaling up or implementation.

The projects that are funded will reduce technical and user uncertainties, clarify needs and demand, and form the basis for further development and use after the end of the project.

Sweden has strong research and good expertise in advanced materials, but there is a continuing need to translate this knowledge to a greater extent into solutions that work in practice and can position Swedish actors in global value chains.

Taking advanced materials from research to industrial and market-ready applications can be challenging. The challenges are often linked to technical and commercial risks as well as deficient or underdeveloped value chains.

This call for proposals aims to finance project that takes a well-founded concept idea from lab to validated concept.

Concept here refers to an identified application that, through the use of advanced materials, is given new functionality or significantly improved performance.

Advanced materials are materials that are designed to have new or improved properties, and/or targeted or improved structural properties, with aim to achieve specific or improved functional performance. Advanced materials play a central role in many strategic applications and are identified as important for both industrial competitiveness and transformation.

In this context, a concept being considered validated means

• that new functionality and/or improved performance has been demonstrated,
• that the need for and demand for this functionality or performance has been confirmed, and
• that the construction of a relevant future value chain has begun.

The call for proposals covers a broad spectrum of materials, including further development of existing materials that enable clear added value in an identified application. The focus is on the material's role as an enabler in a concrete application, with particular emphasis on solutions that can contribute to strengthened competitiveness through new functionality and improved performance.

The goal is that the concept, after validation, should be mature enough to form the basis for investments continued development towards scaling up and implementation. Such investments may, for example, come from private capital or through continued funding in Swedish or international R&D‑programme, including EU‑programme.

Developmental conditions for a proposal

New functionality or improved performance can be about technical features, efficiency or sustainability, for example. The important thing is that the functionality or improvement is relevant to the application and contributes to clear added value compared to existing solutions.

In order for the projects to contribute to developing and validating material-based solutions in line with the call's aim, they need to be based on a sufficiently mature and well-founded concept idea.

This means that the projects build on previous results and that there is a clear connection between the advanced material, the functionality or performance that is sought, and the application where the value is to be realized. The concept should be able to be tested in a specific application, and central uncertainties about function, use and further development can be addressed within the framework of the project.

For a project to be relevant for the call for proposals, the following conditions must be met:

• There must be a concept idea that encompasses both an identified advanced material and identified new functionality or improved performance in a specific application.
• The advanced material shall be a central enabler for the intended functionality or performance in the application.
• The relevant properties of the material shall be sufficiently mapped in relation to the application, so that there is a clearly substantiated hypothesis about how the material can enable the intended functionality or performance.
• The concept idea must have been verified in a lab environment or similar through tests that show that the concept has potential to achieve the intended functionality or performance.
• There must be a needs analysis that shows that there is a demand for the relevant functionality or performance in the identified application.
• There should be a credible hypothesis about what the next step is after successful validation of the concept.

What results is the project expected to achieve?

At project completion, the funded projects are expected to have achieved the following performance objectives:

1. Realized material-based concepts, for example in the form of prototypes or demonstrators, that have been tested and evaluated in a context that is relevant to the intended use. The concept has reached a technology maturity level corresponding to at least TRL 5 through the project, which here means that functionality or performance has been validated in a relevant environment.
2. New functionality or improved performance, for example regarding technical features, efficiency or durability.
3. Strengthened collaboration between actors with roles in a relevant value chain, including actors that can contribute to the continued development and use of the solution.
4. Increased understanding of the solution's potential through reduced technical and non-technical uncertainties. Non-technical uncertainties can be linked to needs and demand, market conditions, central actors and value chain, regulations or sustainability aspects, for example.
5. Improved conditions for continued development or implementation, as well as a plan for how the continuation will be implemented and financed.

In order for the projects to be able to validate concepts and contribute to developing and taking material-based solutions further, they often need to be carried out in collaboration between relevant actors. However, it is not eligibility requirements that several participants should be included in one proposal.

The project must include a concept owner, i.e. a organisation who will own the solution or application being developed and who has a central role in taking the results further. It must also include at least one need owner, i.e. a organisation who has a need for the functionality or performance being developed and who intends to implement the solution. These roles can be held by the same organisation.

The project should be coordinated by either the concept owner or need owner. Research organizations can participate as participant but should not be coordinating participant.

Particularly important conditions for the actor constellation are that

• it includes the actors and competencies required to realize and evaluate the concept.
• relevant actors in a future value chain are identified, even if they are not involved in the project.
• concept owner and need owner are actively involved in the project and contribute to ensuring that the results can be taken forward after the end of the project.

Foreign actors may be relevant, and possibly necessary, to include as participants in the project. If these actors do not have a branch or establishment in Sweden, they cannot receive financial support from Vinnova in this call for proposals.

The call for proposals funds project that develops and validates material-based concepts for a concrete application, with aim taking solutions from verified function in the lab to validated concepts that can be taken further towards scale-up or implementation.

The activities financed shall be of the nature of industrial research or experimental development.

The project may include the development and adaptation of both basic materials and innovative manufacturing processes, in aim to translate new or improved material properties into a form that makes the material usable in the identified concept.

Validation of the concept should be a central part of the project and may include, for example, functional tests in relevant scales and environments, issues related to scaling up, and analyses of use, needs and market conditions.

What we don't finance

• Hypothesis testing or feasibility studies aimed at formulating or verifying concept ideas.
• Materials research or development that lacks a clear connection to new functionality or significantly improved performance in an identified application.

What costs can we finance?

Our funding is subject to rules about state aid. 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, employer contributions and other salary costs.
• Equipment, land and buildings: Costs for instruments, equipment and rent for premises other than regular business premises.
• Consulting and licensing costs: Costs for consulting services, knowledge and patents purchased or licensed from an external party. These costs may not exceed 20 percent of an organization's budget.
  In case of special needs, for example if the project requires specialist expertise, we can accept a higher percentage. You must then justify this in your proposal, and the justification will be taken into account in our assessment.
• 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

Which eligibility requirements apply to costs we finance?

In order 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 own funds intended for other project.
• You may not claim someone else's expenses as your own.

For more detailed information on which eligibility requirements, limitations and exceptions apply, see our general terms and conditions.

The rules about state aid govern how large a proportion of the costs we can finance. This is determined individually for each organisation. We therefore differentiate between how large a funding project can get, and how much a participant organisation can get.

How big funding can the project get?

The grant can amount to a maximum of 3.5 million SEK per project and have a project duration of no more than 36 months.

How much funding can a participant organisation get?

How much funding a participant organisation can receive depends mainly on:

• the organisation's size and activities
• which activities the organisation will carry out in the project.

Descriptions in the following sections about what support we can provide are simplified. For complete information, see Support bases and levels for funding.

Support to companies for research and development

In this the call for proposals we give support to industrial research or experimental development.

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

How much of the costs can we finance?

The organisation's The size and type of activity determines how much of the costs we can finance. This is called the maximum support level.

Maximum aid intensity for industrial research:

• Small business 70%
• Medium-sized company 60%
• Large company 50%

Maximum aid intensity for experimental development:

• Small business 45%
• Medium-sized company 35%
• Large company 25%

Situations when we finance a higher proportion

If the project is covered by any of these bonus bases, we can finance a higher proportion of the costs.

• Actual collaboration: Some level of collaboration 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.

Maximum aid intensity for industrial research with bonus basis:

• Small business 80%
• Medium-sized company 75%
• Large company 65%

Maximum aid intensity for experimental development with bonus basis:

• Small business 60%
• Medium-sized company 50%
• Large company 40%

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

To verify the company's status as an SME, a model declaration must be submitted according to the template found here, Model declaration SME.

Support to universities, university colleges and other public organisations

We also give support to organisations that do not engage in economic activities. This means that the organisation do not offer a service or product on a market. This usually includes universities and university colleges, research institutes and other public organisations.

This support is not covered by state aid rules. We can therefore finance up to 100 percent of such an organization's costs. The support is often called "not state aid."

How is it determined whether a organisation is engaged in economic activities?

A organisation that offers any form of service or product in a market is considered to be engaged in economic activities and cannot be granted this form of support.

It does not matter how the 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.

Whether a organisation engages in economic activities is determined by their regular activities, not by the activities in the project.

Some organisations conduct both economic and non-economic activitiesactivities, such as research institutes. In that case, it is important that you know in which of these activities you are applying.

If you are unsure whether a 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 requirementsrequirements. If the requirements are not met, we will reject your proposal immediately.

Eligibility requirements on participants

• All participants organisations must be legal entities. Individuals or sole proprietorships cannot participate. Foreign legal entities can also participate. However, foreign actors that receive funding from us must have a branch or establishment in Sweden, and the costs must be incurred by the branch or establishment.
• The coordinating project party must be a Swedish legal entity and conduct activities in Sweden.
• The coordinating project party must be either the concept owner or need owner.

Eligibility requirements on the project

• The project may apply for a maximum of 3.5 million SEK.
• The project must start on November 24, 2026 and be completed no later than November 24, 2029.
• The project must not have started before you submit your proposal.

Eligibility requirements on proposal

• Proposal should be written in Swedish or English.
• Proposal should follow the instructions under the heading "How to apply".
• Proposal should contain all requested attachments.

Applications that meet our eligibility requirements criteria will be forwarded to assessment. In the assessment, we look at how big potential your idea is, how realistic it is and who will implement the project.

We also look at how well your project integrates gender equality, both in how your project group is composed and how you implement the project. By integrating sex and gender perspectives, more inclusive and relevant solutions are developed. This strengthens both the innovation capacity and the project's results.

Gender equality as a tool for innovative social development

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 the desired results.

Potential

1. How well the project proposal meets the requirements under the heading
   “Developmental conditions for a proposal” in section 2, including clarity and credibility in descriptions, analyses and reasoning.
2. How much potential the project proposal has to contribute to the call's aim according to section 2 and achieve the performance objectives under the heading "What results is the project expected to achieve?" in section 2.
3. The extent to which new functionality or improved performance is relevant to the application and contributes to clear added value compared to existing solutions.
4. How well the project proposal contributes to increased gender equality by integrating perspectives on sex and gender.

Actors

1. The project partners' conditions for implementing the project and ensuring the use and utilization of the project's results.
2. How well the project manager and other key people are assessed to be able to lead and implement the project.
3. How well the financial contribution, participation, power and influence are distributed equally between women and men in the project team.

Feasibility

1. How well the project plan and budget are assessed to be able to result in a validated concept in accordance with the project proposal.
2. How credibly proposal identifies risks that exist in the implementation and describes an appropriate plan for managing them.
3. How well the gender distribution in the project team and perspectives on sex and gender have been integrated into the project plan.
4. How good the conditions are for the project's results to be taken forward and used after the end of the project.
5. How well the need for consulting services and licenses is justified. This only applies if an organization's budget contains more than 20 percent consulting and license costs (assessed by Vinnova).

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.

The 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.

The assessors' overall assessment results in a recommendation to Vinnova. Based on the assessors' recommendation and Vinnova's assessment financial status (see below), we make decisions about which applications are granted funding and which are rejected.

How does it affect an organization's financial status?

Before we decide on funding we also make a comprehensive assessment of the organizational and financial status of those who receive funding.

We use information we receive from credit reports, currently from Dun & Bradstreet.

In our assessment we check this:

• Organisations who are granted funding for salary costs must be registered as an employer 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.
• 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.
• The project manager should be employed by a participant, preferably the coordinating party.
• Limited liability companies must not have used up half or more of their share capital.

We can also ask small and medium-sized companies to demonstrate that they have the financial capacity to carry out the project.

When the assessment process is complete, Vinnova makes a decision to either grant or reject your proposal. Vinnova notifies the coordinating project party of the decision.

Since applications are assessed competitively, you may be rejected even though you meet all eligibility requirements and criteria. Vinnova's decision cannot be appealed.

If your proposal is granted, we will state in the decision how large a proportion of the costs we will cover for each organisation.

What happens if you are granted funding?

If we grant you 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 achievements to us during the project period.
• If you are multiple parties, you must have a written project agreement that regulates your mutual rights and obligations in the project. All parties must sign the agreement before you submit your first progress report. Since it can take time to develop and negotiate an agreement, we recommend that you start this as soon as possible.
• How the results will be used and that scientific publication will be open access so that the results are made freely available to everyone.

See our general terms and conditions

We may also decide to add additional special conditions for individual project. In that case, 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 liable for repayment.

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.

When the call for proposals is closed, you cannot change anything in proposal. Then you can only supplement if we ask you to.

Who can read you proposal?

Your proposal will be read by employees at Vinnova and those evaluator who participate 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.

General documents and confidentiality