Who will lead Sweden towards technology leadership? The call for proposals to establish clusters of excellence is now open

Clusters of cxcellence for groundbreaking technology is a ten-year, large-scale effort by Vinnova and the Swedish Research Council. The hope is to finance around ten clusters that are built on strong collaborations between academia, industry and innovation actors. They will lead to new breakthroughs, major advances and fast-growing companies in groundbreaking technology.

The next call for proposals is now open, and it is aimed at Sweden's best researchers, industry leaders and innovators who together want to strengthen Swedish technology leadership. The goal is clear: by 2035 Sweden will have a handful of excellence clusters whose capabilities and results rank among the top five in the world, within their respective fields.

– Clusters of excellence require visionary, proactive leadership that sets high ambitions and can bring together the brightest minds. Sweden is often very good, but not world-leading as often as we could be. The objectives of the initiative are ambitious, but Sweden has the ability to achieve them. Clusters of excellence offer a unique chance to take on that challenge, says Darja Isaksson, director general at Vinnova.

The call for proposals is a collaboration between Vinnova and the Swedish Research Council, and a proposal must contain both a research and innovation plan. The Swedish Research Council offers between 40 and 100 million for research-related activities, while Vinnova meets with innovation funding that corresponds to 75 percent of the applied research funds. The maximum dividend is therefore 175 million SEK per year and cluster.

– A cluster must have both research excellence and high innovation potential to be granted. Researchers, companies and innovators need to work together if they are to be able to lead Sweden to international technology leadership. It is an effort where we are looking for those with visions and abilities to create world-leading environments, says Darja Isaksson.

The call opens April 1, closes June 3 and proposal are made via the Swedish Research Council's system. The organisations have worked together and intensively to creat the calls.

– Vinnova and the Swedish Research Council have not made a joint effort of this magnitude before. A joint call for proposals makes it possible to finance clusters that have the size, level of ambition and capabilities required for a cluster to become a world leader in its field. The requirements for the interaction between innovation and research make the initiative unique in its kind, says Fredrik Weisner, Programme Manager for clusters of excellence at Vinnova.

Do you have potential to lead Sweden towards international technology leadership?

Are you a leading researcher, industry representative or innovator? This the call for proposals is your invitation to work together to:

• Breaking new ground: Creating scientific and technological breakthroughs that fundamentally change how we solve problems.

• Create and develop markets: Transform cutting-edge research into world-leading innovations and large-scale system transformation.

• Lead the development: Take a place in a national elite initiative with an eye on international technology leadership.

Are you up to the challenge of becoming world-leading in your field?

To the call text

For information about the call for proposals and the program

Read Katarina Bjelkes, director general at the Swedish Research Council, written comment on the investment in clusters of excellence

Upcoming Q&A sessions

While the call for proposals is open, the Swedish Research Council and Vinnova are arranging four question and answer sessions where you have the opportunity to ask questions about the call for proposals and the application process:

• April 14
• April 15
• May 5
• May 6