Strategic innovation programmes

Vinnova, the Swedish Energy Agency and Formas fund 17 strategic innovation programmes. Within these programmes, companies, higher education institutions and organisations are developing the sustainable products and services of the future. Through collaboration in areas that are strategically important for Sweden, a foundation is being built for sustainable solutions to global challenges and increased international competitiveness.

Content:

What is a strategic innovation programme?

Strategic innovation programmes are initiatives in which stakeholders from different sectors of society determine and define areas where they see the need for strong Swedish leadership and collaborative efforts. Together, the stakeholders in the strategic innovation programmes are responsible for formulating challenges, setting common long-term goals and prioritising investment in research, development and innovation.

You can get an overview of the 17 strategic innovation programmes External link. on Vinnova’s website.

Who can apply, and how?

The strategic innovation programmes offer a wide range of stakeholders – businesses, the public sector, universities and research institutes – the chance to apply for funding to carry out research and innovation projects. You apply for funding through so-called open calls. The programmes also fund individual projects or strategic projects, which are initiated by the programme’s Board and developed in a transparent process.

Each strategic innovation programme has a principal funder, which is either Vinnova, the Swedish Energy Agency or Formas. You apply for funding through the funder who is responsible for the innovation programme you are interested in.

Formas is in charge of the Smart Built Environment programme External link.. You can find the current calls for this programme on our website. If you are interested in viewing all calls for strategic innovation programmes, visit the Vinnova website.

Current calls

Evaluating the programmes

The strategic innovation programmes are evaluated every three years. The main purpose of the first evaluation is to evaluate the establishment phase and to gain insight into the programme’s strengths and areas for improvement. The second evaluation is conducted when the programme has been ongoing for six years. This evaluation focuses on how the programme has achieved the targets set, and identifies the results and early impact of the projects funded.

You can get access to the results of the evaluations on the Vinnova website External link..

Strategic research and innovation agendas paved the way forward

Strategic research and innovation agendas formed the basis of the strategic innovation programmes. This initiative ran from 2012 to 2016. In the initiative, various stakeholders within a certain area formulated common visions and goals as well as defined needs and strategies for the development of an innovation area.

The point of departure for the agendas was to meet important societal challenges and to create growth and strengthen Sweden’s competitiveness within the area. The agendas span a wide range of areas. Read a survey of the agendas (in Swedish only). External link.

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Updated:24 August 2023
Page manager: Elisabet Blomberg