New initiatives provide better opportunities to test and scale up innovations

By testing research results or early technical solutions in test or demonstration environments, both technical and commercial risks can be reduced. At the same time, the credibility of the solutions towards both customers and investors is strengthened, which in turn can facilitate commercialization and international expansion.

Vinnova is launching five targeted calls for proposals in the spring and early summer to increase the use of research and technology infrastructures. The aim is to give companies and researchers better opportunities to test, verify and scale up new solutions, which reduces risks and accelerates the path to verifying results and ultimately reaching the market.

– We want to strengthen the use of different types of infrastructures and give companies and researchers the opportunity to develop their innovations more quickly or verify their research, says Cecilia Sjöberg, head of division for industrial development at Vinnova.

Five calls for proposals that will enable the use of test and demonstration environments

Support to small and medium-sized enterprises for testing and evaluation of technology solutions that contribute to defense innovation
For small and medium-sized companies that want to conduct tests and evaluate their technology solutions against military needs or eligibility requirements and be able to demonstrate that the solution has military benefits

Industrial utilization of neutron and synchrotron light-based technologies - Pilot and development projects 2026
Collaborative projects to strengthen the ability and capacity to utilize the innovation potential in neutron and synchrotron light facilities such as MAX IV and ESS

Chips JU: Test och validering av ny halvledarteknik i pilotlinor

Five pilot lines in semiconductor technology are open for use by small and medium-sized companies for, for example, the development of technologies for semiconductor processing, proof-of-concept and prototypes.

Utilize infrastructures for innovation in life sciences
For small and medium-sized companies in life science who want to collaborate and gain access to technicians at Swedish research infrastructures or world-class technology infrastructures.

Test and demo for small and medium-sized businesses 2026
For project that need to verify, for example, function, performance, security or usability in realistic test and demonstration environments prior to market introduction.

Reduce the thresholds for using test and demonstration environments

The funding will help make test and demonstration environments more accessible, including a specific effort for small and medium-sized enterprises.

– In many areas, Sweden is strong in research-based innovation but weaker in scaling up and commercializing them. By reducing the thresholds for companies to gain access to these infrastructures, we hope that more companies can reach the market with their innovations more quickly, says Cecilia Sjöberg.

What large facilities are available for testing and demonstration?

Sweden has several advanced research and testing environments where new technologies can be developed and verified. What these environments have in common is that they enable verification, scale-up and reduced risk in innovation processes.

• Lund is home to MAX IV, a synchrotron light facility used to analyze materials at the atomic level, and ESS, an upcoming neutron facility for studies of materials in areas such as energy and health.
• Stockholm is home to SciLifeLab, which is a national research infrastructure for, among other things, molecular bioscience, precision medicine and data-driven research.
• Outside Borås is AstaZero, a full-scale test environment for automated and connected transport systems, where vehicles and traffic solutions can be tested in realistic scenarios.
• RISE operates over 130 test and demonstration environments in Sweden, where companies and researchers can develop and test products, materials and processes before they are introduced to the market.