Shelters of the future - practical prototypes for shelters and protected spaces of tomorrow

The National Innovation Programme for Civil Defence now offers the opportunity to apply for funding for project that contribute new ideas about how future shelters and protected spaces can be designed and used. The projects will contribute to creating engagement and new insights through exploratory design methods and practical prototypes.

The call for proposals is aimed at actors in business, civil society, the public sector, academia and research institutes who can together develop prototypes for tomorrow's shelters and protected spaces.

We are looking for project with a high degree of originality and innovation that have potential to contribute to strengthened civil defense with a focus on the concept and further development of shelters and protected spaces.

Projects can apply for up to 800,000 SEK, starting in September 2026 and ending in May 2027.

This call for proposals is part of the National Innovation Programme for Civil Defence, which Vinnova is designing together with the Swedish Civil Defence Agency. The Swedish Civil Defence Agency is responsible for leading, directing, strengthening and coordinating civil defence and also has sectoral responsibility for emergency services and protection of the civilian population. The programme is intended to contribute to more effective interaction between civil and defence-oriented innovation environments, relevant authorities, academia and the private sector, and also to promote innovative dual-use technology solutions.

Call for proposals aim

The aim of the initiative is to, through exploratory design methods, create new insights and system-challenging ideas about how future shelters and protected spaces can be designed, used and integrated into the social structure. By creating practical prototypes, the projects will contribute to strengthening civil defense in a time when the world is changing rapidly and the pace and direction of change are difficult to predict. This gives decision-makers and other actors new options for action and a better basis for future decisions.

Background

Effective protection of the civilian population, also known as civil protection, is crucial to protecting the population during times of heightened alert and war. It consists of several protective measures, with this call for proposals focusing on shelters and protected spaces.

The need to increase the pace of innovation in the area is great due to the deteriorating security situation, which is characterized by instability and unpredictability in both Sweden's immediate vicinity and globally.

Sweden's 64,000 shelters are considered to have good protective capacity against the most common threats. The Swedish Civil Defence Agency has identified a need to modernise existing shelters and develop new types of shelters and protected areas. New types of shelters could, for example, be a new type of normal shelter, shelter models with different eligibility requirements for dimensioning and mobile/semi-mobile shelters. Read more on the Swedish Civil Defence Agency's website where relevant information is collected.

The need for modernization is mainly about improving the existing shelters. This may involve making the individual shelters easier to set up and making the environment in them safe and secure for different groups. There is also a need for reliable communication solutions and for various hygiene and waste aspects to be addressed.

There is also a need to address the accessibility aspect to a greater extent, so that shelters are designed to the greatest extent possible with regard to physical accessibility, understandable information, usability, orientability, integrity and psychosocial safety for different groups in the population.

In addition, issues regarding business models, dual-use areas (where spaces can be used in both peacetime and wartime), maintenance, robust supply strategy (such as production and logistics regarding components for shelters and protected spaces) and the need for new regulations are of great interest to highlight.

There are currently areas with a lack of access to shelters depending on, among other things, population density, day and night population, movement patterns, location of businesses and the threat and risk profile of the areas. This can be handled in various ways, for example by developing new types of shelters that allow the construction of shelters to take place in a quick and cost-effective manner if a decision is made to build shelters. Various mobile/semi-mobile solutions together with the development of protected spaces, evacuation planning and other forms of physical protection can also be considered.

In addition, there is a need to increase the population's knowledge of the system for shelters/protected spaces, which is necessary because the population has an important role in the preparation and use of these.

Focus of the call

The call for proposals focuses on the development of practical prototypes of shelters and protected spaces in the near future. The prototypes can illustrate how shelters or protected spaces can be designed, used and integrated into the social fabric. The development needs described above should be taken into account but should not limit the exploratory work. The projects should use exploratory design methods to achieve the call's objective. These methods are described in more detail in the next section.

The projects need to take into account the regulations and laws in force at the start of the project regarding shelters, see, among other things, the Government's billand the Swedish Civil Defence Agency's websitewhere relevant information is collected.

As a framework for the exploratory work, the projects should be based on at least one of the seven dimensioning typical situations that the Swedish Civil Defence Agency (MCF) and the Swedish Armed Forces have identified as the basis for the total defence planning for 2025–2030. The typical situations describe central parts of a possible military conflict and the consequences it will have for society.

Read more about the seven dimensioning type situations

The choice of a typical situation should clarify the future context the prototype is aimed at, the needs and challenges that arise in the chosen situation, and how the prototype can strengthen society's ability to protect civilians in times of war. The projects are expected to use the typical situation as a starting point in their exploratory work and design.

The projects can advantageously use experiences and lessons learned from ongoing conflicts in, for example, Ukraine regarding shelter design and use. Read more on the Swedish Civil Defence Agency's website, where references are given to published material.

The requirements for shelters and protected spaces are aimed at wartime use. However, it is considered positive if these places can also be used in peacetime. Easily accessible, flexible, quickly adaptable environments can increase societal benefits in everyday life, while strengthening resilience and robustness in war.

Approach

This call for proposals seeks project that use exploratory and formative design methods to broaden perspectives for future shelters and protected spaces. Projects should explore alternative development paths and possible consequences of technological, social and societal changes based on the typical situations described above.

Unlike traditional design, which often focuses on solving today's problems, exploratory methods aim to think long-term and open to radically new solutions. The method involves challenging established assumptions and notions about how tomorrow's shelters and protected spaces can function in order to explore how they can be further developed. The methods aim to think innovatively about the systems we live in, and in the process allow ourselves to depart from the frameworks we know, while adhering to applicable laws and sizing eligibility requirements.

The exploratory design method also includes the embodiment of ideas, for example through prototypes, stories, models or conceptual environments. In this way, a basis is created that strengthens our ability to understand, discuss and shape long-term solutions. This makes the future more concrete and understandable and increases society's ability to make conscious decisions about socially important functions such as shelters and protected spaces.

The method also involves involving different actors and perspectives to gain a broader understanding of needs, contexts and systems. By combining technical, social and user-oriented knowledge, the possibility of creating more innovative and sustainable solutions increases.

The call's objective

The goal is to develop practical prototypes that demonstrate how tomorrow's shelters and protected spaces can be designed, used and integrated into society. These prototypes will contribute to increased understanding, dialogue and long-term planning and can be used as a basis for continued development and decision-making.

Prototypes can be physical or visual representations that can be visited, seen, felt, heard or otherwise experienced. They can be in the form of products, services, environments, concepts, exhibitions, models, games or experiential demonstrators. They should help spark new ideas and broaden perspectives on possible future solutions.

The projects should generate ideas and knowledge that can contribute to:

• the development of new shelter types
• modernization of existing shelters
• development of protected spaces.

With this call for proposals we want to:

• Stimulate radical new thinking about how tomorrow's shelters and protected spaces, new as well as existing, can function, look and be used.
• Explore new solutions for security, accessibility, technology, and user experiences.
• Create a basis that strengthens continued development, decision-making and long-term planning around future protection solutions.

• Promote new collaborations between actors such as municipalities, property owners, suppliers and civil society.

• Engage new actors who do not normally work with civil defense, such as designers, architects, creators, researchers and technology developers.
• Enable experimentation that reduces risks before larger investments are made.
• Increase engagement, dialogue and knowledge dissemination about civil protection.

The project results can also contribute to sharing ideas and lessons learned with Ukraine within the framework of innovation collaborations for both Vinnova and the Swedish Civil Defence Agency.

Equal funding of innovations

Your project should integrate gender equality both in how your project team is composed and how you implement the project. This means that you need to:

• take into account the gender distribution within the project team
• assess whether aspects of sex and gender are relevant to the design of the project, and if so, in what way.

By integrating different 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

An innovative force in a sustainable world

The call for proposals aims to promote new collaborations between actors in the shelter area and the innovation system, as well as to engage new actors who do not normally work with civil defense.

The call for proposals is aimed at consortia of actors in business, civil society, the public sector, academia and research institutes who together intend to develop practical prototypes. Consortia involve multi-party projects, with at least two participants. The project partners should come from different actor groups.

The following actors and competencies should be represented in the consortia:

• At least one need owner. A need owner is an actor who has the actual need, responsibility or mandate to use, manage or benefit from the solution being developed. This could, for example, be actors responsible for planning, operating, developing or using protected spaces.
• At least one actor with expertise in exploratory design methodology, including design expertise, preferably in speculative design or equivalent. The actor should have the ability to:
  • Exercise critical and analytical design skills by challenging established assumptions and norms, identifying risks, ethical dilemmas and systemic effects, and stimulating innovative thinking.
  • Facilitate co-creation and dialogue, for example by leading workshops, conversations and reflections with different target groups, and be able to translate speculative concepts into strategic insights for organisations and decision-makers.
  • Conceptualize and visualize alternative solutions, for example through prototypes, concept descriptions, narratives or other forms of design.

Note that an actor may possess several of the sought-after competencies above.

We strive for teams that include different skills and roles. This means that projects can also include, for example, suppliers, designers, artists, game developers, decision-makers, civilians/asylum seekers, researchers, etc.

Examples of activities for which funding can be applied for are:

• Exploratory work on potential development paths, such as further development of the scenarios within the specified typical situations, trend analysis and monitoring of the external environment.
• User and context studies such as interviews with relevant actors, studies of how shelters are used today, what future needs could look like, how different target groups can understand, find, use and prepare shelters.
• Concept development and idea exploration, for example around design, function, accessibility, technology, dual-use areas, business models, policy, logistics or user experiences.
• Development of prototypes, such as developing physical models, mock-ups, digital prototypes, experiential prototypes or service prototypes.

• Testing, iteration, reflection and evaluation. For example, through testing prototypes with users or experts, reflection and analysis of insights and consequences, iterations to clarify, improve or reformulate solutions.

• Decision support and synthesis such as the production of material based on opportunities, risks, conditions, and policy proposals that support decision-making.

• Communication, dialogue and dissemination, such as exhibitions, demonstrations or presentations of the prototypes. Development of materials to facilitate dialogue, engagement and understanding among different actors and the public.

Granted project will participate in:

• Kick-off conference in September 2026 (half-day, digital).
• Innovation Arena on December 3, 2026 (full day, physically in Stockholm) organized by the Swedish Civil Defence Agency. At this event, the projects should be able to partially report on the projects' hypotheses, methodology, approach and initiated activities in a presentation format suitable for a conference.
• Results conference in May 2027 (full day, physical). All project should be able to showcase the prototypes and present results in a communicative way.

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:

• Salary costs: Gross salary paid, employer contributions and other salary-related costs.
• Equipment, land and buildings: Costs for instruments, equipment and rent for premises other than regular business premises.
• Consulting and licensing costs: Consulting costs are eligible under this call for proposals and can be included as part of the total project budget. If a project party's consulting costs exceed 20 percent of the party's total budget, this must be clearly justified in proposal. The justification should describe:
  • why external expertise is necessary,
  • what specific deliveries or activities the consultant will contribute, and
  • how the consultant's efforts complement the project party's own resources.

Vinnova encourages project partners to ensure a balanced distribution between internal resources and external consultancy efforts. When assessing applications, both the justification and the extent of consultancy costs above 20 percent will be taken into account as one of the assessment criteria.

• 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 are not directly incurred, 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

What eligibility requirements apply to costs we finance?

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

For more detailed information on eligibility requirements, limitations and exclusions that apply, please see our general terms and conditions.

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

How much funding can the project receive?

Project can apply for a maximum of 800,000 SEK.

How much funding can a participating organisation receive?

The amount of funding a participating organisation can receive depends primarily on:

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

Descriptions in the following sections about what support we can provide are simplified. For full details, see funding Criteria and Levels.

Support for companies for research and development

In this the call for proposals we provide support for industrial research.

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.

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

Situations where 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 cooperation: Some level of cooperation 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.
• Another bonus basis.

Minor Support for businesses

We can also provide de minimis support, also known as support of minor importance. We can fund up to 100 percent of an organization's costs.

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

Submit a certificate of de minimis support when you submit proposal. This is required for us to be able to grant this support.

Certificate of de minimis support

Support for universities, university colleges and other public organisations with non-economic activities

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

We can finance up to 100 percent of such an organization's costs.

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

An organisation that offers any kind of service or product on a market is considered to be conducting 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 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.

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

Support for start-ups

In this the call for proposals we provide support to start-ups. We can finance up to 100 percent of the company's project costs.

A newly started company means a company that meets the following:

• Has fewer than 50 employees.
• Is not listed on the stock exchange.
• Haven't distributed any profits yet.
• Registered, started its activities or became liable to pay taxes less than five years ago.
• Has not taken over another company's activities, acquired or formed through a merger.

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

Eligibility requirements on participants

• All participating organisations must be legal entities. Individuals or sole proprietorships cannot participate. Foreign legal entities can participate if they have a branch or establishment in Sweden and the costs are incurred by the branch or establishment.
• The coordinating party must be a Swedish legal entity and conduct activities in Sweden.
• At least 2 participants must participate in the project. This includes the coordinating party.

Eligibility requirements for the project

• The project may apply for a maximum of SEK 800,000.
• The project must start no later than September 1, 2026 and be completed no later than May 31, 2027.
• The project may not begin before you have submitted your proposal.

Eligibility requirements on proposal

• Proposal must be written in Swedish or English.
• Proposal should follow the instructions under the heading “ How to apply”.
• Proposal must contain all requested attachments, which are completely completed.

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

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 desired results.

Potential

• How much potential the project proposal have to achieve the call's objective and aim.
• How innovative the project proposal is in relation to existing solutions and ongoing major initiatives in the area.
• How credible the project proposal's analysis is of the problem and the results that the proposed approach is expected to achieve.
• How likely it is that the project proposal will lead to new knowledge and new skills that can be used to implement new solutions.
• How well the project proposal contributes to increased gender equality by integrating perspectives on sex and gender.

Actors

• How well the composition, participation, competence and ability of the actor constellation contribute to project objectives and implementation.
• To what extent is the project's composition based on collaboration between different types of actors.
• How well the sought-after competencies of exploratory design, design and the needs owner perspective are represented within the actor constellation.
• How well the project manager and other key people are assessed to be able to lead and implement the project.
• How well the financial contribution, participation, power and influence are distributed equally between women and men in the project team.

Feasibility

• How well the project plan and budget are assessed to be able to realize a solution in accordance with the project proposal.
• 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 important actors in the area.
• How good the conditions are for the project's results to be taken forward and used after the end of the project.
• How well the gender distribution in the project team and perspectives on sex and gender have been integrated into the project plan.
• How well the need for consulting services and licenses is justified. This only applies if a project party's budget contains more than 20 percent in this type of cost.

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.

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.

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

How does it affect an organization's financial status?

Before we decide on funding we also conduct a comprehensive assessment of the organizational and financial status of those receiving funding.

We use information we receive from credit reports, currently from Dun & Bradstreet. We may also ask small and medium-sized businesses to demonstrate that they have the financial capacity to carry out the project.

In our assessment we check this:

• That organisations that are granted funding for payroll costs are registered as employers 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.
• That organisations is not insolvent, or undergoing liquidation or corporate restructuring. You must also not have any significant unpaid debts with the Swedish Enforcement Authority.
• That the limited liability company has not used up half or more of its share capital.

Once we have assessed all applications, we will send you a decision either granting or rejecting your proposal. Since applications are assessed competitively, you may be rejected even though you meet all eligibility requirements and criteria.

In the decision, we state how much 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 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 should report how things are going, your costs and achieved results 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 the project starts. 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.

See our general terms and conditions

You also need to follow the special conditions that apply to this the call for proposals:

• project that are granted funding must participate in three mandatory activities with at least one project member; a digital kick-off conference in September 2026, the Innovation Arena in Stockholm on December 3, 2026, and a physical final conference in May 2027.

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 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.

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 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 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.

Public documents and confidentiality