5G and automation for operational industrial benefit

Through the call for proposals, we want to fund collaborative projects that develop, test and verify solutions with high eligibility requirements for connectivity and digital infrastructure. The projects must be based on the needs of industry. They must enable the implementation, scaling and dissemination of value-creating applications in industrial operations, in which 5G Standalone (5G SA) is an important component.

The solutions must demonstrate how 5G and automation can create operational benefits in areas such as production, operations, monitoring and optimisation.

the call for proposals is aimed at project with at least two participants, at least one of which must be a Swedish company. An engaged need owner from industry that intends to introduce the solution in its activities must be included. actors from industry, the business sector, academia, research institutes and the public sector may also participate.

Each project may apply for between SEK 3 million and SEK 15 million in funding and must run for at least 12 months and no more than 36 months. Vinnova's funding may amount to a maximum of 50 percent of the project's eligible costs.

the call for proposals is part of the Advanced digitalisation programme, an industry-driven programme aimed at promoting Sweden's and Swedish industry's ability to create the digital solutions of the future. The projects that receive funding must contribute to Sweden's collective ability to create and make use of the opportunities offered by digitalisation.

Developments in digitalisation, AI, automation and 5G are giving Swedish industry new opportunities to increase efficiency, improve quality and enhance safety. At the same time, applications such as remote control, autonomy, monitoring, optimisation and automation place high eligibility requirements on robust connectivity, advanced data management and digital infrastructure.

5G standalone (5G SA) in public and private networks makes it possible to develop and use advanced solutions in industrial environments. Examples of advanced functions in 5G SA include customised connectivity quality, positioning, information on user density and device status. The functions can also be made available via programmable interfaces (network APIs).

Companies may find it difficult to move from tests and pilot projects to solutions that are scaled up, used and create value in their operations.

With this the call for proposals, we want to fund a project that develops and verifies industrial solutions with support from the advanced functions enabled by 5G SA. The focus is on applications that create operational benefits through new ways of working, increased efficiency, improved quality, enhanced safety or increased automation. Some examples of relevant application areas are:

• Remotely controlled or autonomous work machines for more efficient production and improved personal safety.
• Robots for automated handling, for example in warehousing, logistics and manufacturing.
• Solutions that collect and analyse data in real time for quality assurance, monitoring, early warning and rapid replanning.
• Connected tools and sensors that provide direct feedback and quality assurance in production.
• Robust systems for alarms and communication that enhance safety in industrial environments and also function in the event of accidents or other disruptions.
• Solutions that combine real-time data and simulation to detect deviations, anticipate maintenance needs and rapidly replan production.

When the projects are completed, the parties must have an established plan for the continued use and scaling up of their solution. The project must have verified the operational benefits, demonstrated functioning end-to-end solutions and created the organisational conditions needed to move from testing to use on a larger scale.

The projects’ results must have good potential for dissemination and impact, so that knowledge, experience and expertise benefit more than just the organisations participating in the projects.

What are the projects expected to achieve?

The projects that receive funding must demonstrate how automation and 5G SA-based connectivity create benefits in industry and lower the barriers to similar initiatives. The projects must also achieve the short- and long-term effects set out below.

Short-term effects

A project within the call for proposals is expected, in the short term, to:

• Show concrete examples of how advanced digitalisation, automation and 5G SA-based connectivity can create verified benefits in industrial operations.
• Create practical experience of how technology, activities and digital infrastructure need to interact to enable the deployment of solutions based on 5G SA in regular activities.
• Strengthen companies’ ability to introduce and scale new solutions through increased knowledge of organisational anchoring, value validation and coordinated development of activities and infrastructure.

Long-term effects

A project within the call for proposals is expected, in the long term, to:

• Contribute to broader use of advanced digitalisation, AI, automation and 5G SA within Swedish industry.
• Strengthen the industry’s expertise, innovative capacity and ability to scale digital solutions.

The Advanced digitalisation programme

the call for proposals is part of the Advanced digitalisation programme, an effort by Vinnova in collaboration with industry, which mobilises actors from different parts of society towards a common objective.

Advanced digitalisation aims to strengthen Swedish research and make Sweden more attractive for research and innovation investments, as well as stimulate the development of advanced digital technology. The programme will be implemented with a long-term perspective and contribute to innovation, enabling technologies and the development of key areas of expertise that meet the needs of industry.

Read more about the programme on the Advanced Digitalisation website.

For a project within the call for proposals, collaboration with Digital Arena Sweden, a project within the Advanced digitalisation programme, can be a valuable way to gain access to expertise, infrastructure and test environments that can accelerate development from innovation to a finished solution. The arena offers opportunities to test, verify and further develop advanced digital solutions in areas including 5G, 6G and AI in realistic user environments.

A project that considers whether these resources could strengthen the implementation of its effort is encouraged to contact Digital Arena Sweden to explore opportunities for collaboration. Collaboration with Digital Arena Sweden is voluntary and constitutes neither an eligibility requirements nor an assessment criterion within the call for proposals. A project may also use other test and innovation environments deemed suitable for implementing the project.

Read more on the Digital Arena Sweden website: Digital Arena Sweden

We target actors that can influence and accelerate industrial companies' adoption, scaling and dissemination of value-creating applications of advanced digitalisation, where 5G standalone (5G SA) is an enabling technology and network APIs may be used.<\ p>

the call for proposals is aimed at consortia with at least two participating participants, which may include industrial companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, universities, university college, research institutes and other relevant actors. The projects must be driven by industrial needs; therefore, at least one Swedish limited company must be included in the consortium. All participating parties may be companies.<\ p>

An engaged need owner must be included in the project consortium to ensure that the project is based on concrete needs and that the results are put to use. Relevant functions must also be involved throughout the entire process, from planning and implementation to adoption and utilisation of the results.<\ p>

The projects may benefit from experience, expertise and solutions from different industries and sectors, where knowledge and working methods can be transferred or adapted to contribute to the project.<\ p>

In the Advanced digitalisation programme, industry refers to the entire production chain—from the extraction of raw materials to finished products—as well as industry-related service sectors and technology sectors needed for the production chain to function. This includes, for example, energy, logistics and transport, telecommunications, water\/air\/ventilation and recycling. The defence industry is also included.<\ p>

Each participant applying for funding must be a Swedish legal entity. For this purpose, a foreign organisation with a branch or permanent establishment in Sweden is considered equivalent to a Swedish legal entity. Project costs must be attributable to the branch's or permanent establishment's activities.<\ p>

We fund collaborative projects that develop, test and verify solutions with stringent eligibility requirements for connectivity and digital infrastructure, where 5G Standalone (5G SA) is an important enabling component.

the call for proposals calls for project with potential for implementation and broad benefits within Swedish industry, for example in remote control, autonomy, monitoring, optimisation and automation.

The funded projects must address both technical and organisational challenges. You therefore need to involve relevant parts of the organisation, such as production, operations and IT. The projects are expected to address the barriers that currently limit actual deployment and adopt an end-to-end perspective across the entire value chain.

Examples of activities that may be included in the projects: 

• Conduct tests in real-world or realistic environments together with users, customers, suppliers and other relevant stakeholders. 
• Develop demonstrators and prototypes to demonstrate and verify solutions in industrial environments. 
• Test, verify and evaluate the solution’s functionality, reliability, security, operational benefits and scalability, and assess whether the benefits justify deployment in regular activities. 
• Identify the need to adapt technology, processes and the organisation to enable the solution to be integrated, deployed and used on a larger scale. 
• Further develop the solution based on test results and the organisation’s needs and eligibility requirements. 

To promote interoperability, applicability and opportunities for scaling up, the use of open standards, including network APIs, is considered an advantage.

the call for proposals is intended for project in experimental development, i.e. project that involve developing new products, processes or services, or improving existing ones, including digital products, processes and services. Experimental development does not, however, include routine or recurring changes to existing products, production lines, manufacturing processes, services or other ongoing operations, even if such changes may involve improvements.

Which costs can we fund?

Our funding is subject to rules on state aid. The rules govern the types of costs that we can fund. These are called eligible costs.

In this the call for proposals, the following types of costs are eligible:

• Salary costs: Paid gross salary, employer contributions and other payroll-related costs.
• Equipment, land and buildings: Costs for instruments, equipment and rent for premises other than regular business premises.
• Consultancy and licence costs: Costs for consultancy services, knowledge and patents purchased or used under licence from an external party. These costs may amount to no more than 20 per cent of an organisation’s budget. In cases of special need, for example if the project requires specialist expertise, we may accept a higher proportion. You must then justify this in your proposal, and the justification will be considered in the assessment of the project.
• 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, for example premises and cleaning. Indirect costs may amount to no more than 30 per cent of salary costs. Universities, university colleges, research organisations and government agencies may have higher permitted levels, depending on activities.

For more detailed information on which costs we can fund, see Guidance on eligible costs

Which eligibility requirements apply to the costs we fund?

For your costs to be eligible, the following applies, among other things:

• They must be actual, reasonable and necessary for the activities in the project.
• They must be correctly recorded and assigned a separate project code in the accounts. You may not cover project costs with other public funding or your own funds intended for another project.
• You may not claim someone else’s costs as your own.

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

The rules on state aid govern the proportion of costs we can finance. This is determined individually for each organisation. We therefore distinguish between how much funding the project can receive and how much a participating organisation can receive.

How much funding can the project receive?

The project can receive between three and fifteen million Swedish kronor in funding, and a maximum of 50% of the project’s total eligible costs. The call’s preliminary total budget is 40 million Swedish kronor.

How much funding can a participating organisation receive?

How much funding a participating organisation can receive depends primarily on:

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

The descriptions in the following sections of the support we can provide are simplified. For complete information, see Basis for support and aid levels for funding.

support for companies for research and development

In this the call for proposals, we provide support for experimental development.

Experimental development can be described in simple terms as combining, shaping and using existing knowledge to develop new or improved products, processes or services.

Which companies are considered small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)? 

• To assess a company’s size, we apply the EU definition of small and medium-sized enterprises. The definition is based on the number of employees, annual turnover and balance sheet total.  
• If the company is part of a group, information for the entire group must be included. If the company owns, or is owned by, other companies to the extent of 25–50%, this information must be taken into account.  

For help determining whether a company is an SME, see: How the EU defines small and medium-sized enterprises (sme).

What proportion of the costs can we finance?

The organisation's size and the type of activity determine the proportion of costs we can finance. This is called the maximum aid intensity.

Maximum aid intensity for experimental development:

Small company 45%

Medium-sized company 35%

Large company 25%

Situations in which we finance a higher proportion

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

• Effective collaboration: A certain 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 criterion.

Maximum aid intensity for experimental development with a bonus criterion:

Small company 60%

Medium-sized company 50%

Large company 40%

support for universities, university colleges and other public organisations

We also provide support to organisations that do not carry out economic activities. This means that the organisation does not offer a service or product on a market. This usually includes universities, research institutes and other public organisations.

This support is not covered by the state aid rules. We can therefore finance up to 100 per cent of such an organisation’s costs. The support is often referred to as “not state aid.”

How is it determined whether an organisation carries out economic activities?

An organisation that offers any type of service or product on a market is considered to carry out economic activities and cannot be granted this form of support.

It does not matter how the organisation is financed: whether it is public or private, or whether it is for profit. Nor does the legal form of the operation matter—for example, whether it is a limited company, a general partnership, an economic association, a non-profit association or a foundation.

Whether an organisation carries out economic activities is determined by its regular activities, not by the activities in the project.

Some organisations carry out both economic and non-economic activities, for example research institutes. In that case, it is important that you know which of these operations you are applying under.

If you are unsure whether an organisation in your project carries out economic activities, contact call manager. However, the organisation is responsible for assessing whether it carries out economic activities.

For us to assess your proposal, it must meet certain formal eligibility requirements. If the requirements are not met, we will reject the proposal immediately.

eligibility requirements for participants

All participating organisations must be legal entities. Natural persons or sole proprietorships cannot participate. Foreign legal entities may also participate. However, foreign actors that receive funding from us must have a branch or permanent establishment in Sweden, and the costs must be incurred by the branch or permanent establishment.

The coordinating party must be a Swedish legal entity and conduct activities in Sweden.

At least two participants, at least one of which must be a company, must participate in the project. This includes the coordinating party. Different parts of an organisation constitute the same legal entity and count as one participant, for example, two departments at a university.

eligibility requirements for the project

• The project may apply for at least SEK 3 million and no more than SEK 15 million.
• The project must start no earlier than 19 March 2027 and no later than 19 April 2027.
• The project must be completed no later than 19 April 2030.
• The project may not have started before you submit your proposal.

eligibility requirements for the proposal

• The proposal must be written in Swedish or English.
• The proposal must follow the instructions under the heading “How to apply”.
• The proposal must include all requested appendices.

Applications that meet our eligibility requirements proceed to assessment. In the assessment, we look at the potential of your idea, how realistic it is, and who will carry out the project.

We also look at how well your project integrates gender equality, both in the composition of your project group and in how you carry out the project. Integrating sex and gender perspectives leads to more inclusive and relevant solutions. This strengthens both innovation capacity and the project's results.

gender equality as a tool for innovative societal development

What do we assess?

When assessing applications, we look at three main criteria:

• potential: We analyse the effects and value we can expect from the project.
• actors: We assess the participants' expertise and ability to carry out the project and achieve the desired results and effects.
• Feasibility: We assess how realistic and credible the project plan is, both in terms of carrying out the project and achieving the desired results.

potential (40%)

• The project's potential to develop solutions, knowledge and expertise that promote advanced digitalisation and renew Swedish industry, in accordance with what the call for proposals requests and expects the projects to achieve.
• How innovative the project proposal is in relation to existing solutions and ongoing major initiatives in the field.
• The extent to which the project addresses solutions based on advanced functions in 5G SA.
• How credible the project proposal's analysis of the problem and the results that the proposed solution is expected to achieve is.
• How likely it is that the project proposal will lead to new knowledge, new skills and solutions that will be scaled up, implemented and benefit Swedish industry.
• How well the project proposal contributes to increased gender equality by integrating perspectives on sex and gender.

actors (30%)

• How well the composition, participation, expertise and capacity of the actor constellation contribute to the project's objective and implementation.
• The consortium's ties to Swedish industry, including the extent to which relevant industrial actors and need owner are actively engaged in the project.
• The project partners' ability to disseminate, utilise, commercialise and further develop the results and knowledge generated in the project, both within the organisations themselves and outside the consortium.
• How well the project proposal and actor constellation build on previous activities and results.
• How well positioned the project manager and other key individuals are deemed to be to lead and carry out the project.
• How equally financial contributions, participation, power and influence are distributed between women and men in the project team.

Feasibility (30%)

• How well the project plan, actor constellation and budget are deemed able to realise the project proposal, involve relevant operational functions and manage technical and organisational challenges.
• How credible the project plan's risk analysis and action plan for these risks are.
• How well the project plan shows how the results will be anchored and disseminated to key actors in the field.
• How well the gender balance in the project team and perspectives on sex and gender have been integrated into the project plan.
• How convincing the plan is for utilising and further developing the results and knowledge generated in the project so that project results are put to use after the end of the project.
• How well the need for consultancy services and licences is justified. This applies only if an organisation's budget includes more than 20 percent in consultancy and licence costs.

How do we assess?

Once we have received the applications, we review them. We reject all 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 one another. The evaluators are appointed by us based on their expertise in the field. Each proposal is assessed by at least three evaluator.

Once the evaluators have reviewed the applications, we hold an assessment meeting at which the evaluators recommend which applications should be granted.

How does an organisation's financial status affect the assessment?

Before deciding on funding, we also conduct an overall assessment of the organisational and financial status of those receiving funding.

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

In our assessment, we check the following:

• organisations granted funding for salary costs must be registered as employers with the Swedish Tax Agency. If such registration is not in place when we make the decision, you must be able to show that an application has been submitted. We do not approve retroactive registration.
• organisations must not be insolvent or undergoing liquidation or corporate restructuring. Nor may they have significant unpaid debts with the Swedish Enforcement Authority.
• The project manager must be employed by a participant, preferably the coordinating party.

• Limited companies must not have used up half or more of their share capital.

If we request it, small and medium-sized enterprises (sme) must be able to show that they have the financial capacity to carry out the project in accordance with their budget in proposal. Financial capacity means registered turnover or available capital corresponding to the company's entire budgeted own funding of the project.

If we request it, small and medium-sized enterprises (sme) must verify the company's SME status by submitting a model declaration in accordance with this template for a model declaration.

Once we have assessed all applications, we will send you a decision in which we either approve or reject your proposal. Since applications are assessed competitively, your application may be rejected even if you meet all eligibility requirements and criteria.

In the decision, we state what proportion of the costs we will cover for each organisation.

You cannot appeal our decision, but you are welcome to apply to us again at another time.

What applies if you are granted funding?

If we grant your proposal, you must comply with our general terms and conditions for funding. The terms include the following:

You must sign a specific document (participant’s approval) in which you approve your participation and undertake to carry out the project.

• You must report on progress, your costs and achieved results to us during the project period.
• You must have a written project agreement governing your mutual rights and obligations in the project. All parties must sign the agreement before you submit your first progress report. As it may take time to prepare and negotiate an agreement, we recommend that you start this as soon as possible.
• How the results are to be used, and that scientific publication must take place with open access so that the results are freely available to everyone.

See our general terms and conditions.

You must also comply with the special conditions that apply to the call for proposals:

• At the invitation of the Programme Director for Advanced Digitalisation, the project must participate in relevant events within the programme and thereby contribute to the dissemination of knowledge within Swedish industry in accordance with the programme's aim.
• When providing information about the project and whenever project results are made public, state that the work was carried out with support from Vinnova within the Advanced digitalisation programme. Making public includes, for example, publication, regardless of medium, and oral presentations. In English, Vinnova is referred to as Sweden’s Innovation Agency.

We may also decide to add supplementary special conditions for each individual project. If so, these will be stated in the decision.

May you need to repay funding?

If you have received more money than you are entitled to, or if you do not comply with our term, you may be required to repay it.

When the call for proposals closes, your proposal is registered. We will then send an email confirmation to the person responsible for the user account, as well as to the project manager and the authorised signatory. If you have not received a confirmation within 24 hours after the call for proposals has closed, please contact us.

Once the call for proposals has closed, you cannot make any changes to your proposal. You can only provide additional information if we ask you to.

Who can read your proposal?

Your proposal will be read by employees at Vinnova and the evaluator participating in the call for proposals. Everyone is bound by confidentiality.

Applications submitted to us become official documents. This means that we must disclose them if requested. However, we keep certain types of information confidential if it can be assumed that disclosure would cause financial harm to the individual concerned. This applies to information about business and operating conditions, inventions or research results.

Official documents and confidentiality.