Co-created Innovations for a Competitive Food Sector and Sustainable Transitions

The project must be carried out by two parties working with food-related issues: a company and an academic party. More or fewer than two parties are not permitted in this call.

A project partner is defined as an organisation that is registered as a partner in Prisma, has a clearly defined role in the implementation of the project and has its own budget item with associated costs, regardless of whether the project partner receives funding from Formas or contributes in-kind. More information is available under the heading How to apply.

The business partner must be an established company, i.e. the company must have been conducting economic activity in a market for at least three years and have a business model that includes the development or application of technology, services or products relevant to the food system. This may involve, for example, the processing of raw materials, inputs, technology, tools, digital solutions or physical products (for either consumers or other companies) that contribute to a more sustainable, robust and competitive food system.

All projects must have a responsible project manager and be carried out by the persons specified in the application.

The main applicant must be a Swedish organisation. This means that it must be a legal entity with a Swedish organisation number. Both business parties and research performers may be main applicants.

The main applicant organisation must also be the one that receives and manages the funds paid out by Formas, i.e. be the administrating organisation for the project. This means that only organisations that are, or can be approved as, administrating organisations can be main applicants in this call.

Formas distinguishes between administrating organisations that are approved for all calls and those that need to be approved for a specific project. Universities, colleges, authorities with research assignments and most research institutes are generally approved. Other public and private organisations need to apply to be approved as administrating organisations for the specific project. If your organisation already has an organisation account in Prisma, you only need to contact the call administrator to be linked to the call.

This is an organisational call. This means that the application must be submitted via the organisation's account External link. in Prisma and that it is the person responsible for the organisation's account who registers and signs the application.

Read more about administrating organisations under the heading "How to apply".

Sole proprietorships are not eligible to participate as project partners. Applications in which one of the partners is registered as a sole proprietorship will be rejected. Companies and other organisations engaged in economic activities that apply for funding from Formas are subject to the rules on state aid External link..

Project partners are permitted to mobilise third-party organisations with specific skills and knowledge that can contribute to the project’s objectives through purchased services. The involvement of third-party organisations must be limited, well defined and well justified in the project application. Please note, however, that purchased services may not exceed 20% of the amount applied for from Formas.

Academic actors at foreign universities, colleges and research institutes, as well as foreign companies and other organisations engaged in economic activities, may be parties to a project application, but are not eligible for Formas funding. Any participation by foreign actors must be limited, well defined and well justified in the project application.

Due to the war in Ukraine, it will not be possible to obtain funding for projects involving collaboration with state or federal research institutions in Russia and Belarus.

Organisations that conduct both economic and non-economic activities, such as research institutes, can apply for funding in the call and receive grants without state aid, provided that they intend to participate in their non-economic activities. An organisation that conducts both economic and non-economic activities shall be considered an undertaking only in relation to its economic activities.

If an organisation applying for funding engages in both economic and non-economic activities, it must keep the activities clearly separate through separate accounting. It is crucial th , the costs and financing of the organisation's various activities are kept separate and that the organisation, as a recipient of support, may not use the results of activities carried out within the framework of its non-economic activities, with funding from Formas, in its economic activities. In summary, in order for Formas to be able to grant the organisation support in the form of funding within the framework of its non-economic activities, the applicant organisation must certify that its non-economic activities are kept clearly separate from any economic activities and that the project for which funding is sought will be carried out within the non-economic part of its activities.

For applicants that conduct both economic and non-economic activities, and that intend to participate in the non-economic part of their activities in the call, Formas therefore requires that a certificate of separate accounting External link., signed by an authorised representative of the organisation, be attached to the application. Formas may also request a certificate of separate accounting or subordinate economic activity for projects during the processing of the application if Formas deems it necessary.

Organisations that conduct both economic and non-economic activities, such as research institutes, can apply for funding in the call and receive grants without state aid, provided that they intend to participate in their non-economic activities. An organisation that conducts both economic and non-economic activities shall be considered an undertaking only in relation to its economic activities.

If an organisation applying for funding engages in both economic and non-economic activities, it must keep the activities clearly separate through separate accounting. It is crucial th , the costs and financing of the organisation's various activities are kept separate and that the organisation, as a recipient of support, may not use the results of activities carried out within the framework of its non-economic activities, with funding from Formas, in its economic activities. In summary, in order for Formas to be able to grant the organisation support in the form of funding within the framework of its non-economic activities, the applicant organisation must certify that its non-economic activities are kept clearly separate from any economic activities and that the project for which funding is sought will be carried out within the non-economic part of its activities.

For applicants that conduct both economic and non-economic activities, and that intend to participate in the non-economic part of their activities in the call, Formas therefore requires that a certificate of separate accounting External link., signed by an authorised representative of the organisation, be attached to the application. Formas may also request a certificate of separate accounting or subordinate economic activity for projects during the processing of the application if Formas deems it necessary.

When you apply for funding for a project, you can apply for funding for both direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are costs that would not have been incurred if the project had not been carried out: personnel costs, costs for equipment, buildings, land, costs for consultants and licences, and other direct costs. Indirect costs are costs that do not arise as a direct result of the project but can still be related to it, such as administration and IT. Indirect costs are sometimes referred to as overhead costs or general expenses. The permitted surcharge for indirect costs varies depending on the type of organisation.

Costs must therefore be clearly linked to the project for which you are applying for funding and finance activities beyond your regular operations.

You can read more about which costs Formas finances here:

You can apply for funding for the following External link.

Costs that Formas funds through the support scheme (pdf) External link.

You can apply for between 1 million and 2 million Swedish kronor from Formas for projects lasting 12 to 24 months. It is a requirement that both project partners have their own costs in the project. These consist of their own working time (in-kind), cash funds or other relevant resources.

The project start date is preset to 1 October 2026 in Prisma and cannot be changed. In addition to the project period, a three-month disposition period is granted to complete project activities and cost reporting.

The budget in the application must show how the funds are to be used and allocated per calendar year based on estimated costs. Please note that Formas may establish a different payment plan than the one specified in the application.

Provided that the conditions for the approved project are met, funds will be disbursed on a monthly basis, with the first payment to the fund administrator in October 2026.

You may write your application in Swedish or in English, as the review panel that will assess your application is Swedish-speaking. The project summary must be written in both Swedish and English.

Under Swedish law, your application (including appendices) is considered a public document once it has been submitted to us. This means that anyone can request and access your application. Information can only be concealed if it is covered by confidentiality under the Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act (2009:400).

The Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act contains a provision on confidentiality in supervisory and support activities carried out by a government agency. This provision is often referred to as business secrecy. Formas’s funding activities are such support activities carried out by a government agency.

Formas has limited opportunities to classify personal or business information as confidential. Therefore, the application should not contain personal or business information for anyone other than those participating in the application.

The popular science description and project summaries in Swedish and English will, if the project is awarded funding, be published in open project databases without confidentiality assessment. The content of these fields should therefore not contain sensitive information.

At present, we see no problem with you as an applicant using AI as an aid when designing your application. However, it is important that you are aware that the responsibility for fulfilling the commitments you make in the application lies with you as the applicant. As an applicant, you are responsible for ensuring that the content of both the application and the project plan is correct and that the research is carried out as described. You certify this when you register your application. As an applicant, you must follow good research practice during the application process, which means that plagiarism, falsification or fabrication of content in the application is not permitted.

At Formas, we are very keen to ensure that the projects we fund are carried out in a way that maximises positive and minimises negative impacts on the environment and climate. We therefore encourage you, as an applicant, to design your project so that collaboration takes place primarily through digital meeting formats and that any necessary travel is carried out in the most climate-smart way possible. We also suggest that you include measures to minimise energy consumption and other resource consumption, emissions and waste in your project planning. However, this will not be part of the assessment of your application.

Read more about Formas' own sustainability work External link..

You submit your application to Formas in our application system Prisma. There you enter the information needed for your application. The call is listed under the organisation account in Prisma External link..

Plan, complete and submit your application well in advance of the call closing date. Formas has very limited capacity to help applicants with questions about the application system in the final days before the call closes.

If mandatory fields are missing information when the application is submitted, it will not be possible to register the application External link.. It is possible to register an application, then withdraw it (deregister) and register it again an unlimited number of times before the call closes. We recommend that applicants test registering their application well in advance of the call closing to ensure that all mandatory fields are correctly filled in. This minimises the risk of technical problems that may prevent the final registration of the application on time. Please note that incorrect formatting, such as spaces in copied postcodes or other hidden characters, can cause problems during registration. Therefore, please check that all information is correctly filled in and formatted according to the instructions. Once the call for proposals has closed, it is not possible to submit or add information to the application.

The call closes on 29 January 2026 at 14:00. All applications must be finally registered before this deadline; no additions or late registrations are permitted (unless specifically requested by Formas).

Organisation account

This call is a so-called organisational call. Organisational calls are only visible when you log in via an organisational account. First click on the organisational account tab and then proceed to the link for organisational calls. See Prisma user support External link. for instructions on how to find the call in Prisma.

The organisation that will receive and manage the funds paid out by Formas if the project application is approved is referred to in Formas’ application system as a fund administrator. The organisation must have an organisation account at the time of application.

Formas distinguishes between fund administrators that can receive funds in all Formas calls and fund administrators that can be approved to receive funds for a single project.

Applicants from fund administrators approved for all Formas calls

Universities, colleges, most research institutes and authorities with research assignments are approved as fund administrators for all Formas calls and already have an organisation account.

Applicants from fund administrators that need to be individually approved

Most other public and private organisations need to be individually approved as fund administrators for this call.

Organisational accounts for organisations that can become fund administrators for an individual project

• If your organisation already has an account in Prisma, please contact the responsible research administrator Emma Stockvall Carlsson by email at stockvallcarlsson@formas.se so that your organisation can be added as a possible fund administrator for this call. Please include your organisation number in your message. This also applies if your organisation has been approved as a fund administrator for a project in one of Formas’ previous calls.
• If your organisation does not already have an account in Prisma, a suitable representative (organisation account manager) should apply for an organisation account on the Prisma website. In the application, state that you wish to apply for the call “Collaboration-driven innovation for the food of the future”, the type of organisation involved and the organisation number. It is important that the main applicant applies for an organisation account for the intended coordinating project partner (fund administrator) in good time if one does not already exist in Prisma, but no later than 8 January. Apply for an organisation account in Prisma. External link.
• If you do not know whether your organisation has an account in Prisma, please contact the responsible research administrator Emma Stockvall Carlsson by email at stockvallcarlsson@formas.se before applying for a new account. Please state your organisation number.

Project base – create a structure to describe the organisation

In order to register an application, a project base within the organisation must be specified. A project base can be, for example, an institution or a department. The person responsible for the organisation account should build a structure with units and sub-units (project bases) on two levels. If the organisation does not have departments, specify a sub-unit with the same name as the organisation. Information on how to do this can be found in Prisma's user support External link..

The following requirements will be checked in this call:

• That the funding administrator has signed the application; this must be done within seven calendar days after the call has closed.
• That the application has not been rejected by the fund manager.
• That the focus of the application falls within Formas’ areas of responsibility.
• That the focus of the application is within the scope of the call.
• That the application complies with the call’s framework in terms of budget, eligible costs, co-funding level, project duration, type of project partners, composition of partners, etc.
• The application is complete, i.e. it contains all the mandatory information.
• No other applications with the same or similar content have been submitted.
• The main applicant responsible for other projects or activities funded by Formas has submitted the requested reports within the specified time.
• That each project partner has its own budget item with associated costs.
• The credit check carried out by Formas on the company partner shows that it has a sufficiently robust economy to receive funds and/or carry out project activities.
• That the number of partners complies with the explicit requirements for the project team in the call for proposals.

If one of these checkpoints is not met, Formas may reject the application before review.

All applications are assessed by an external review panel based on the information provided in the application. Each application is reviewed by several reviewers. The review panel is composed of representatives from academia and relevant actors in society. It is therefore important that the application is as clear as possible in its content and that all important and relevant information is included.

Applications are assessed based on the following criteria:

Relevance

• The project addresses challenges, needs or problems that contribute significantly to the purpose and focus of the call.
• The expected commercial benefits of the project contribute to increased competitiveness for several companies in the food sector.
• The project can contribute significantly to increased sustainability transition in the food sector and society.

Potential

• The project's problem formulation and purpose are clear, logical and in line with the purpose and focus of the call.
• The project's expected results or solution can have significant cutting-edge effects in its field and have significant novelty value or innovation potential for the food sector.
• The proposed solution can create significant benefits for increased competitiveness and sustainability transition in the food sector, better than alternative solutions.
• The proposed solution is original and innovative and contributes to solving a problem or satisfying a need in society, better than alternative solutions.
• The project has significant potential for scalability or dissemination in the sector and society.

Implementation

• The planned activities and methods are appropriate for achieving the expected results. The timetable and budget are realistic and appropriate.
• The project's planned management of any obstacles or risks that may affect the implementation of the project is appropriate.
• The plan for how the project's results will be utilised is appropriate.
• The project addresses ethical considerations in a satisfactory manner.

Actors

• The project's organisation and overall competencies are appropriate for the implementation of the project.
• The roles of the parties in the project are well defined and appropriate for the implementation of the project and indicate strong cooperation.
• The project has access to relevant networks and external experts who are motivated to contribute to the project.
• The project team is composed according to the needs of the project and has a strategy for the equal distribution of power and influence between women and men.

Our reviewers are currently not permitted to use AI tools to support the review of applications. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, there is a significant risk that uploaded information will be disseminated further. There are also risks associated with confidentiality and the processing of personal data. Uploading an application or information from an application to any form of AI tool constitutes unauthorised dissemination of information. This applies not only to AI tools but also to many other services and tools for storing and sharing data.

Decisions on which projects will be awarded funding are expected to be made on 16 June 2026. We will publish the decisions no later than the following day on the Formas website, and you will receive an email when you can view the decision in Prisma. Grant decisions cannot be appealed.

Formas reserves the right to apply a portfolio approach when selecting applications to be granted funding under this call. The portfolio approach can only be applied after all applications have been assessed on their own merits and ranked. Taking the portfolio into account for this call means that the projects awarded funding collectively cover the thematic areas and challenges facing the food sector described in the call’s section on purpose and focus.

All approved projects must report back to Formas on finances and project results three months after the end of the disposition period. For projects longer than 18 months, a financial status report must also be submitted to Formas annually. All reports are submitted in Prisma.

Financial reporting in Prisma External link..

Formas may impose requirements on how projects are to be reported in terms of content and results in order to enable dissemination and utilisation. This will be stated in the decision (with associated conditions) for the project in the event of funding. Formas may also impose requirements regarding participation in conferences and similar events in order to create synergies and platforms for learning and knowledge exchange.

Conditions for funding - Formas External link.

Results from research funded by Formas must be published with open access.

You must also have a data management plan for the data produced in the project. If you receive funding from us, you must draw up such a plan. The plan does not need to be submitted to us, but you must be able to present it on request. By signing our terms and conditions for funding, you certify that a data management plan will be in place before the research begins and that it will be maintained.

Open access to research results and data External link.