News from VINNOVA

Nominate candidates for the BSR Innovation Award

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:00:53 GMT

The BSR Innovation award is the most distinguished award in the Baltic Sea region for cross border innovation within sustainable growth and global development. The BSR Innovation award is presented by BDF (Baltic Development Forum) and BSR Stars.

The award goes to a project that has proved itself to be innovative and reached across not only national borders but also crossing different fields of science and industry sectors. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Copenhagen on June 18 with the presence of EU Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn. BDF is an independent non-profit networking organization with members from large companies, major cities, institutional investors and business associations in the Baltic Sea Region. Mr Wolfgang Blank from BioCon Valley, Germany, received the BSR Innovation Award 2011.

BSR Stars is led by VINNOVA and is a flagship within the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and a first-of-its-kind innovation program involving ten countries. BSR Stars aims at strengthening competitiveness and economic growth in the Baltic Sea Region, by linking specialized research and innovation nodes, leading to strategic innovation alliances. These alliances focus on tackling big societal challenges for the region.

Nominate your candidate for the award here. Please note that the deadline for nominations is June 1st. Find out more about the BSR Innovation Award at the BSR Stars website.

Call for outlines for Sweden-Israel Joint R&D Projects

Wed, 02 May 2012 14:44:18 GMT

VINNOVA in Sweden and MATIMOP in Israel announce a call for joint R&D project outlines focusing on developing innovative products and applications. The call is managed and implemented in the framework of EUREKA/Eurostars.

The main objective of this call is to stimulate generation of EUREKA and Eurostars projects with joint participation of companies. This Call for project outlines is open for proposals in all thematic fields and in particular to the thematic fields of:

ICT
Life Sciences
CleanTech

Participants in this call that later apply successfully for a EUREKA/Eurostars project can apply for funding through the national EUREKA/Eurostars programs managed by respectively the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) in Israel and VINNOVA in Sweden.

A short project outline should be submitted by July 1st, 2012, to MATIMOP and VINNOVA.

For more information, see Call for outlines for Sweden-Israel Joint R&D Projects

VINNOVA commissioned for innovation procurement

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 07:51:46 GMT

The Swedish government has today (19th April) issued fresh commissions to the Swedish Transport Administration, Swedish Energy Agency and VINNOVA to work in innovation procurement. The idea behind this decision is to allow these agencies to use procurement as a tool to contribute to strong future Swedish innovativeness. See the government’s press release Innovation procurement for future social solutions and business ideas (in Swedish).

These new mandates will provide an excellent complement to the government's previous efforts in innovation procurement, in which VINNOVA had principal responsibility for joint competence initiatives. For more information about VINNOVA's work, see our Innovation Procurement page.

“Public procurement currently runs to as much as SEK 500 billion per year. If we can use these funds to promote Sweden's innovativeness and competitiveness whilst using taxpayers' money efficiently to solve tomorrow's societal challenges, then it's a very positive move,” says Sweden's Minister for Enterprise, Annie Lööf, in a press release.

The Swedish Energy Agency and VINNOVA will jointly initiate work with relevant actors on innovation procurement which can bring about new and better environmental solutions within pressing areas, of which transport is one. The effort is part of the government's environmental technology strategy and is worth SEK 30 million up to 2014.

For VINNOVA’s part, this means another opportunity to add valuable practical experience to its expertise in the field; this can also benefit other public organisations which the Agency supports through innovation procurement processes.
This effort is also one stage in the work of step-by-step improvement of the innovation climate in Sweden and is consistent with the ongoing work to draw up a national innovation strategy.

VINNOVA’s DG Charlotte Brogren writes about innovation procurement in Näringsbloggen, the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications’ blog (in Swedish).

SEK 260 million for research on children’s and young people’s mental health

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:57:50 GMT

Broad and long-term research in the field of children’s and young people’s mental health is to study, among other things, methods to prevent mental illness in preschool and school, early brain development, and specific problems like autism. The commitment is a collaborative initiative involving the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research (FAS), the Swedish Research Council Formas, the Swedish Research Council, and Research and Innovation for Sustainable Growth VINNOVA.

Decisions have now been made in the call regarding children’s and young people’s mental health.

- Swedish research in this field is comprehensive in many disciplines. At the same time there are major gaps in our knowledge regarding research that can provide a basis for assessing and understanding what promotes good mental development, says Erland Hjelmquist, Secretary-General at FAS.

- The goal of this commitment is to bring about pioneering and high-quality research in a field that is vital to society. Broad collaboration between research teams and disciplines is part of this ambition.

The international assessment panel proposed funding of SEK 30 million each for eight six-year programmes and of SEK 3 million each to seven three-year projects.

- Among other things, this research will deal with establishing a fundamental understanding of specific problems like the emergence of autism, more general questions about the early development of the brain, and the use of methods for preventing mental illness in preschool and school. Examples of other areas are the learning environment in the schools, support for parents, and connections between social networks, abuse, and mental health.
- The methodological variation is great: intervention, experiment, and use of cohort and population data.

With their joint initiative, the research councils FAS, Formas, the Swedish Research Council, and VINNOVA are now laying the groundwork for broad and long-term research in the field of children’s and young people’s mental health.

New partners strengthen Comfort in Living

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:54:00 GMT

Sweden EU innovation leader

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:16:56 GMT

Sweden is the top innovation leader in terms of the EU Member States' innovation performance, according to the Innovation Union Scoreboard 2011. The report is produced annually by PRO INNO Europe on behalf of the European Commission and includes innovation indicators and trend analyses for the EU member states, as well as for Croatia, Iceland, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey.

According to the Innovation Union Scoreboard, Sweden is the innovation leader among the EU member states with an innovation performance well above the EU average. Sweden's strenghts are in: human resources, finance and support as well as firm investment while weaknesses are innovators and economic effects.

The countries are divided into the following categories:

Leading - Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Germany, all of which shows a result well above the EU27 average.
Followers - Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Slovenia and the UK shows a performance close to the EU27 average.
Moderate - Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain all have a performance that is lower than the EU27 average.
Modest - Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania are performing well below the EU27 average.

The Innovation Union Scoreboard also includes comparisons between the EU27 and 10 global competitors. You will find more information about the Innovation Union Scoreboard 2011 on the website of DG Enterprise and Industry.

VINNOVA Director-General proposes Life Science partnership

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:40:19 GMT

Following AstraZeneca's closure in Södertälje the business, academic and healthcare communities gave their outlook on future research and development in innovation. Given the right initiatives, the Swedish pharmaceutical research and industry can go on developing. These were the conclusions of an SVT-televised hearing at the Sheraton, convened by VINNOVA.

Watch broadcast on SVT Play (in Swedish only)

According to the experts, there are two possible outcomes now that the system has been shaken up: Either it’s the beginning of the end or, with the right measures, a new era of drug research could be seeded in Sweden. However this needs Sweden to become more attractive as a research and innovation milieu.

Swedish government coordinator Lars Leijonborg now has three months or so to tie up the initiatives following AstraZeneca’s closure and keep its research expertise in Sweden. The move comes following an announcement by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca that research in Södertälje was to be discontinued; a move involving the disappearance of 1,200 Swedish jobs. There is a global trend for major corporations to cut back on expensive in-house research, investing instead in partnerships to develop promising projects in smaller biotech firms and with research and innovation milieus. What are the consequences for Sweden as an innovation and knowledge-based nation and what needs to be done to salvage the current situation and move forward?

Former research minister Leijonborg opened the way for foreign investment and partnerships and perhaps also public funds. He also outlined his talks with public and private actors, aimed at finding solutions to continue vital Life Science operations in Sweden.
"This isn’t a ‘magic bullet’ for the pharmaceutical industry. The reason for appointing a special coordinator in this case is because of Astra’s special role in Swedish Life Science research. With AstraZeneca now cutting back heavily in Sweden, a large and important part of the drug development ecosystem is being yanked away. It’s vital that sections of this research should be able to continue in some form and with renewed structures. We must find ways to compensate for this loss,” he said.

Although Sweden has long topped international rankings as an innovation nation, a vital share of overall industrial research is now disappearing. Anders Ekblom, head of AstraZeneca Sweden said that Sweden will have to decide how to profile itself.
"We can't be best in the world in every research field and we can’t directly compare ourselves with Life Science in, say, the UK. The milieu and lab in Södertälje will be used by others, just as in Lund. We believe partnerships are the way forward, not corporate mergers, he said.

According to Akbar Seddigh, president of such bodies as Innovationsbron and Elekta, Sweden is a great country in which to conduct Life Science research. He would like to see an incubator operation in Södertälje.

Jan Andersson, vice president of Karolinska Institutet is keen to be involved with the others in taking over Södertälje. Maybe the Life Science sector in Sweden needs its own research Institute?
"If we let academia get involved, we can trial drugs on small populations. Södertälje has the conditions, but we must allow the research world to use these resources," he says. “A major opportunity would also be the creation of a Life Science sector research Institute in Sweden!”
“Sweden's strengths lie in good biobanks, records, joined-up healthcare and skilled researchers. There’s far more clinical research than clinical trials, so we should prioritise and focus on trials and treatment research in those areas where we can be internationally competitive." Birgir Jacobsson, a hospital director, agreed that the university hospitals have been compelled to prioritise care production over research. "By bringing together experts from research, healthcare and companies, we can strengthen Sweden's position," he said.

Several speakers also stressed the importance of intelligent capital in evaluating new ideas and solutions.
"Sweden must dare to invest in elite researchers; Swedish as well as foreign ones. VINNOVA represents a good, efficient version of state aid, said Eugen Steiner from Partner HealthCap.

Charlotte Brogren, Director General of VINNOVA, issued a challenge to the government.
"We at VINNOVA would challenge the government, in its autumn research and innovation bill, to lay out a strategy of strategic innovation programmes involving industry, academia and the public sector. We believe that we should focus our efforts on a number of areas based on a situation analysis, and ask the question: what should we be best at? Sweden is a small country and we must find our niche!" said Brogren.

Lars Leijonborg, the government’s coordinator

Anders Ekblom, head of AstraZeneca in Sweden

Charlotte Brogren, Director General of VINNOVA

Impacts of Innovation Policy

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:29:37 GMT

VINNOVA and its forerunners have made a difference, chiefly in two ways: We have played a role in identifying and defining new needs-driven fields of research, in dialogue with stakeholders. In the later stages we have also been able to expand promising areas through active collaboration programmes between companies and universities.

White Spaces Innovation in Sweden

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:02:13 GMT

The art of becoming a better centre director

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:16:46 GMT

20 cutting edge Swedish innovations shown in Stanford

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:48:43 GMT

This week the new exhibition "Innovative Sweden" is launched at Stanford University. The exhibition showing 20 cutting edge Swedish innovations is organised by the Swedish Institute. Get a glimpse of the latest in the fields of clean technology, information and communication technologies, life science and gaming. From hydrogene fuel cells to eye tracking devices.

From cleaning water with sunshine to cameras that see in the dark. You’ll find these innovations in hospitals, schools, at home and all around you. Feel the power of curiosity and see the exhibition Innovative Sweden - showcasing 20 cutting edge Swedish innovations during November 2-9 at the Alumni Center, Stanford University.

16 of these cutting edge innovations have been funded by VINNOVA:

Information and communication technology

Tobii Technology - Eye-Controlled Computers
Oculusai - Automated Visual Analysis
Saplo - Text Analysis
Rolling optics - A Three-in-One 3D Product
Nocturnal Vision - See in the Dark

Clean Technology

MyFC - Green Cell Phone Charger
I-Tech AB - The New Generation Marine Paint
Xylophane - A Sustainable Barrier for Food Packaging
Organoclick AB - Making Fibers Smarter
Solvatten - Solar Safe Water System

Games

Algoryx Simulation - Learning Through Gaming
Ozma Speldesign - Involving Everyone in Change

Life Science

Giraff Technologies - The Giraff Home Visitor
BioChromix AB - New Analytical Tool for Alzheimer’s
NeoDynamics AB - New Anti-Seeding Technology
Lumina Adhesives AB - Strong Adhesion to Fragile Surfaces

You will find more information about the exhibition on the website Innovative Sweden.

VINNOVA’s eServices Portal selected by TAFTIE

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 09:53:56 GMT

VINNOVA´s eServices Portal has, together with the Dutch NL Agencies Social and New Media, been selected by TAFTIE as the best e-service to learn from.

The services were chosen from 3 funding and 3 non-funding eServices that were presented on a joint Executive Working Group and TET task force meeting in Tallinn on 27 September. VINNOVA’s eServices Portal was selected as the best example for funding services and NL Agencies was selected as the best example for non-funding services.

TAFTIE is the European Network of Innovation Agencies and has currently 25 member organisations in 23 countries.

VINNOVA’s eServices Portal is a web-based service for anyone who intends to apply for a grant and who has an ongoing project with VINNOVA. The services currently available are application for grant, status reporting, final reporting, confirmation of start and the facility to submit tender documentation.

Baltic Sea Region Innovation Award

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:32:13 GMT

The BSR Stars project and Baltic Development Forum announce the Baltic Sea Region Innovation Award and call for the entry of nominations. The deadline is 7 October 2011.

The aim of the award is to highlight the importance of innovation in a Baltic Sea Region context by rewarding an organisation, team, project or network that have contributed to the innovative development of the region. The award is also recognition of the fact that the Baltic Sea Region countries are among the most innovative economies in the world.

The winner of the award will be presented on 25 October 2011 during the gala dinner of the combined Baltic Development Forum Summit 2011 and the Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, held in Gdansk, 24-26 October.

New calls launched under FP7 - €7 billion to research and innovation

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 08:54:06 GMT

The new calls for proposals under the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, FP7, was launched today on the European Commission's website Participant Portal. The main focus of the new calls is the integration of research with innovation to tackle societal challenges and create sustainable jobs and growth.

The new calls will promote research that tackles the biggest societal challenges facing Europe and the world in particular climate change, energy and food security, the need for greater resource efficiency, health and our ageing population. Close to €500 million will be allocated within the Health and ICT programmes to work aimed at tackling the challenge of providing for an ageing population. €265 million is reserved for environment research that will address climate change, biodiversity loss or resource efficiency.

Special attention will be given to the partcipation of SMEs, including a package close to €1 billion which also includes a 'Risk-Sharing Finance Facility for SMEs' through the European Investment bank.

The European Research Council (ERC) will award close to €1.6 billion to the best senior and young researchers working in Europe. To help bridge the gap between frontier research results and commercialisation, a small scale “Proof of Concept” initiative has been introduced. Around €900 million in support for researchers' mobility and careers will be provided through 'Marie Curie Actions' for around 10,000 highly-qualified researchers.

There will also be a new EU Prize for Women Innovators 'European Union Women Innovators prize' whose work has been funded by FP7 or earlier programmes.

More information

Read more about the calls in press release IP/11/900 of 19 July and in the FAQ. More information about each specific programme under FP7 is available and can be downloaded from the website Participant Portal.

New call for proposal - VINNOVA / Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Joint Projects

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 08:13:18 GMT

The third call for proposal for cooperation between Japanes and Swedish researchers - VINNOVA / Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Joint Projects will open on 30 June. The aim with this program is to further strengthen and advance existing cooperation in an early stage.

The Agencies have agreed to promote and support scientific cooperation between highly qualified Swedish and Japanese scientists affiliated with universities or research institutions in their respective countries and engaged in the fields of natural sciences, engineering and medical sciences promoted by both Agencies. For information on research areas supported by VINNOVA, see our activities. VINNOVA strongly urges the Swedish applicant to contact us if you are uncertain if the field is covered under the program.

The Agencies may limit the subject areas based upon mutual agreement.
The purpose is to further strengthen and advance existing cooperation by supporting team to team collaboration, especially in the early stage of such collaboration. The program shall include cooperative activities in joint research projects or other joint activities as may be agreed upon.

Format

Joint research projects are to be carried out by research teams comprised of scientists from the two countries. The team leaders must hold a full time position at a university or research institute in their respective countries. The duration of each project will be two years.

Up to three new projects will be supported each year, and up to six projects may be supported at any one time.

Financial support

For each project, VINNOVA will provide annual funding of up to SEK 150 000 to the Swedish team and JSPS will provide annual funding of up to JPY 2 500 000 to the Japanese team. The funding will cover international travel expenses between Sweden and Japan, daily allowance, accommodations and domestic travel in the receiving country and the participants own country. It will also be possible to fund a portion of the research costs such as consumables and other minor research expenses. The costs of accident/sickness insurance will not be covered.

Procedure

Simultaneously, the leader of the Swedish team should submit an application to VINNOVA and the leader of the Japanese team should submit one to JSPS: These should be identical in content. Applications submitted by one side will not be accepted.

The Agencies will conduct respective reviews of the applications. Based on their results, the Agencies will make joint selections.

Timetable

Call for applications – conducted based on respective timetables of VINNOVA and JSPS. The timetables are coordinated for 2011/2012 process.

Deadline for submitting applications – For 2011, the deadline for application is Monday September 12 at 14:00.
Evaluation of applications September – December 2011
Joint selection decision – by the end of January 2012
Start of projects – from April to December 2012
Receipt of final reports – upon completion of each project

Applications

Applications should include:

Basic information about: applicant, institution, budget (filled in when entering VINNNOVA’s electronic application system “Intressentportal”)
Abstract (as asked for in VINNOVA:s electronic application form)
Project description of 7 pages maximum to be written in English and under
Project description of 7 pages maximum to be written in English and under the following headlines:
- Title of the project
- Description of the applicants on the Swedish and Japanese sides (name, title, position, affiliation and main field(s) of research activity)
- Description of the proposed project; Background, reason for the project, planned activities during the project, and budget (with reference to person weeks/months), including additional resources committed by the applicant to the project.
- A plan for future development of the cooperation, including the role to enhance scientific cooperation between the two nations.
- List of the 10 most relevant publications from the last 8 years from both the Swedish and Japanese project leaders
In addition a Curriculum Vitae (“personalbilaga”) for the Swedish project leader is submitted as a separate document when asked for by the application “portal”. This document may also include similar information on other key participants from the Swedish side, if applicable.

More information

Please contact Ms Birgitta Boman or Mr Henrik Fridén at VINNOVA for more information.

Citizen-Centric eGovernment Services - call for proposals

Tue, 24 May 2011 13:58:19 GMT

Call for proposals.

VINNOVA, together with NordForsk, the Icelandic Centre for Research (RANNIS) and the Estonian Ministry for Economic Affairs and Communications, has opened the call for proposal Citizen-Centric eGovernment Services. Closing date for proposals is 4 October 2011. Public administrations, businesses, research organisations and non-governmental organisations in Sweden, Iceland and Estonia are invited to submit project financing proposals.

To the call Citizen-Centric eGovernment Services.

New call for proposals for innovative products, Sweden - Israel Joint R&D Projects

Thu, 12 May 2011 11:11:34 GMT

Sweden and Israel announce a new SIBED call for joint R&D projects outlines aimed at developing innovative products and applications. The call is managed and implemented in the framework of EUREKA/Eurostars.

The main objective of this call is to stimulate generation of joint projects with participation of companies from the two countries. This Call for project outlines is open for proposals in all thematic fields. Participants in this call that later apply successfully for a EUREKA/Eurostars project can apply for EUREKA/Eurostars funding through the national programs managed by respectively: the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) in Israel and VINNOVA in Sweden.

This announcement made on May 9th, 2011 invites partners to submit joint short outlines for R&D projects by July 1st, 2011.

Application process

The submission and the approval procedures will consist of two phases:

A short project outline should be submitted by July 1st, 2011 to MATIMOP and VINNOVA. The submitted outlines will be screened and evaluated by a joint appraisal committee. Applicants will be notified at the latest by August 19th, 2011 regarding the eligibility of their project outline.

Partners with eligible outlines will be recommended to submit full project proposals to the EUREKA network (www.eureka.be for Individual Project proposals) or to Eurostars Program (www.eurostars-eureka.eu for Eurostars Project proposals) alongside the national funding application forms when applicable. The Full Project Proposals must be submitted by September 22nd 2011 according to the guidelines of the respective program.

National funding from OCS and VINNOVA to successful projects, i.e. labelled as Individual EUREKA projects or Eurostars projects by the respective program, will be considered under the normal national funding schemes for the respective projects.

Welcome to Spelplan Europa 2011

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:04:48 GMT

Future European Research and Innovation Programmes - Working together to implement the Innovation Union

How will the future European research and innovation landscape look like and what happens during the final years of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development, FP7? These are some of the issues that will be discussed during the conference Spelplan Europa and both international and Swedish speakers will give their perspective on the future.

The morning session of the conference will be held in English and focus on the future of the European research and innovation programs beyond 2013 from the European Commission, European Institute of Technology and EUREKA perspective.

During the afternoon Sweden's role in the future Framework Programme for Research and Innovation will be presented and different Swedish players discuss how the European Research and Innovation should be designed.

We are pleased to welcome the following speakers: Ms Catharina Håkansson Boman, Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communication, Mr Jack Metthey, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission, Mr Luuk Borg, EUREKA Secretariat, Mr Anders Flodström, EIT, Mr Peter Honeth, Ministry of Education and Research, Mr Mille Millnert, Swedish Research Council, Mr Jan-Eric Sundgren, Volvo AB, Ms Helena L Nilsson, Region Västra Götaland, Ms Anki Bystedt, Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communication, Ms Maria Khorsand, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Ms Linda Bell, Mr Dan Andrée and Ms Charlotte Brogren from VINNOVA.

Please note that the morning session will be held in English and the afternoon in Swedish. The conference day will end with networking and mingle.

More information

You will find more information, the detailed conference programme and link to registration in our calendar.

Information Roadshow 2011 on the European R&D programmes

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 20:15:11 GMT

Coming soon to a university near you!

In July, calls within all thematic areas of the EU's Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development, FP7, will be launched. FP7 is today the largest external research financing body in Sweden. The information roadshow is aimed at you who are actively seeking research funding, but are not yet so familiar with FP7.

At nine occasions during April and March, the National Contact Points for FP7 at VINNOVA, will come to a university to inform you about the opportunities that exist for research funding within the European R & D programmes. These events are good opportunities for researchers at companies, authorities, institutes or universities but also for other stakeholders who are interested in European research, to learn more about EU research funding.

The Information Roadshow 2011 is a joint arrangement between VINNOVA and the Universities Grants offices.

Information Roadshow 2011

Stockholm University, March 29
KTH, March 30
Uppsala University, April 5
Lund University, April 7
Karlstad University, April 11
Luleå University of Technology, April 13
Gothenburg University, April 14
Umeå University, April 27
Karolinska Institutet, April 28

More information

For more information, registration and detailed agenda for each tour date, please contact Ms Katrin Danerlöv at VINNOVA or go to the Swedish version of this web page.

Competence Centre for Carbon Capture and Storage - Call for Proposals

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:42:26 GMT

Swedish participation in FP7 remains competitive

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 07:53:14 GMT

Sweden remains in the top ten of participating countries in EU's Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, FP7. Latest data published by the European Commission in October 2010 shows that Sweden has contracted around 6 billion SEK (622 338 865 Euros) from the start of FP7 in 2007.

The FP7 financial contribution to Swedish participants represents approximately 25%* of the public R&D funding in Sweden. 1,726 participations in 1,226 granted projects puts Sweden in an eighth place of all participating countries in FP7. Sweden’s success rate of 25% places Sweden in a fifth position among the 27 EU member states.

The specific programme Cooperation is the largest programme for Swedish’s players both in terms of participation and financial contribution. 71% of the Swedish granted projects were carried out within the thematic programmes in Cooperation, principally in the thematic programmes Health and ICT.

Universites are still the major Swedish participant group in FP7, amounting to 54% of all Swedish participations. Industry’s partaking was just over a quarter of the total Swedish participation, which shows that the division between different economic actors remains stable.

* Based on the five public funding research bodies: Swedish Council for Working Life and Social research, the Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (Formas), the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet), the Swedish Energy Agency (Energimyndigheten) and VINNOVA. Expenditure in 2008.

Hasse Johansson appointed new chairman of VINNOVA's board of directors

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:46:03 GMT

The Swedish government recently appointed Mr Hasse Johansson new chairman of VINNOVA's board of directors and he will chair the board until the 31st of December 2014.

Mr Johansson was former the Executive Vice President and Head of Research and Development at Scania Group.

VINNOVA celebrates 10 years

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:19:13 GMT

2011 celebrates VINNOVA, together with the Council for Working Life and Social Research (FAS), the Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (Formas) and the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet), the 10th anniversary.

To mark the 10th anniversary a joint seminar will be organized in January together with the above mentioned research funding bodies. A movie produced by Mr Folke Rydén will also highlight Swedish research and innovation projects the passed 10 years.

VINNOVA funds new Swedish National Centre for financial market research

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 10:46:16 GMT

VINNOVA has chosen an effort by Stockholm School of Economics as a new National Centre for financial market research. The centre will receive SEK 15 million per year in VINNOVA funding for 10 years. Also receiving funding are two further Competence Centres at Lund University and the School of Business, Economics and Law at Göteborg University; these will each receive SEK 3 million per year for 10 years. Thus with co-financing, the investment in these centres over the next decade will be closer to SEK 630 million.

Last year, VINNOVA was commissioned by the Swedish government to draw up a programme of financial market research. The government had recognised a need for a larger knowledge base on financial matters in Sweden. VINNOVA has now started a long-term research programme focusing chiefly on funding three research centres. Partnered with industry and the public sector, the selected centres will create academic research milieus of high international standing.

VINNOVA has therefore chosen the National Centre for Financial Research run by Stockholm School of Economics and the Institute for Financial Research (SIFR) to become a new National Centre for financial market research. This centre will receive funding of SEK 15 million per year from VINNOVA for 10 years. Academia will co-finance SEK 15 million per year and financial market actors with SEK 15 million per year. The total investment will be around SEK 450 million over ten years.

Two additional financial market research Competence Centres will also receive SEK 3 million each in funding for ten years: the Knut Wicksell Centre of Finance at Lund University’s School of Economics and Management and the Centre for Finance at the School of Business, Economics and Law at Göteborg University. Academia and financial market actors will co-finance these efforts with SEK 3 million each per year.

VINNOVA’s investment in centres for 2010-1019 totals SEK 210 million which means that over 10 years, the total investment will be around SEK 630 million. The three newly selected centres will be continuously evaluated during this period and VINNOVA has brought in an international review panel to advise on assessing the applications.

“Our aim is for all Swedish financial market research to be strengthened through this effort. This is a major, historic Swedish investment in an area of social science. Financial markets have become more complex and are assuming greater significance to economies, political decision-makers and the populace. Smooth-running financial markets are essential to Sweden’s future competitiveness and ability to create innovations,” says Peter Svensson, a programme manager at VINNOVA.

Contact: Peter Svensson, VINNOVA, phone +46 8 473 32 32, e-mail Peter.Svensson@VINNOVA.se

Citizen-Centric eGovernment Services –projects accepted for funding

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 11:04:38 GMT