Net Zero Industry research and feasibility grants
Grants for manufacturers and research partners developing solutions that cut emissions from Swedish manufacturing and its value chains.
Esta oportunidad está disponible actualmente en inglés.
Develop new products, processes or business models that can significantly reduce emissions while strengthening Swedish manufacturing. Projects can address direct emissions, purchased energy or emissions across the value chain, including product use. Examples include different materials, resource-efficient production and circular business models.
The 2026 call has three project options. Feasibility studies assess a proposed solution, its risks and the resources needed for further research: up to SEK 1 million, at most 80% of total eligible project costs, for up to 18 months. Research and innovation projects can receive up to SEK 8 million and 50% for up to three years. Doctoral projects with a doctoral student clearly connected to the project can receive up to SEK 8 million and 60% for up to four years. Each participant's own aid limit also applies; the project percentages are not a promised rate for each company.
For companies, the base rates for feasibility studies and industrial research are 70%, 60% and 50% for small, medium and large companies respectively. For experimental development they are 45%, 35% and 25%. Industrial research develops new knowledge for new or substantially improved products or processes; experimental development uses existing knowledge to develop and test improvements. Activities outside a market, such as eligible university research, can receive up to 100% of that participant's eligible costs, subject to the whole project's cofinancing requirement.
For industrial research and experimental development, an uplift of up to 15 percentage points is possible for qualifying collaboration or wide dissemination of results, with company aid capped at 80%. Collaboration between companies requires an SME unless the project runs in at least two EU countries, and no company may bear more than 70% of eligible costs. Collaboration with research organisations requires them to bear at least 10% of eligible costs and have the right to publish their own results. Alternatively, results must be widely disseminated through conferences, publications, open databases or free/open software.
Company costs can include project staff, use of equipment and buildings, land costs, contracted research, knowledge or patents, research consultancy and project materials. Equipment and building costs are limited to project use and, where applicable, depreciation. Costs must be the recipient's own actual, auditable costs within the approved project period. Companies must cover the unfunded share themselves or with other private cash finance; another party's in-kind work cannot finance their costs. Other public funding for the same costs counts towards aid limits and must be disclosed.
Eligibility
- Form a partnership of at least three organisations, including a Swedish company carrying out discrete manufacturing and a university, higher education institution or research institute. Discrete manufacturing means making products with their own identifiable identity; similar forms of remanufacturing, renovation, repair and dismantling can count. Value-chain companies must work with such a manufacturer. Companies must be legal persons; public bodies and other actors connected to manufacturing can also participate.
- The solution must have potential for significant emissions reductions and greater competitiveness in Swedish manufacturing. Routine improvements and projects mainly addressing the food or pharmaceutical industry are excluded.
- Partners without operations in Sweden may receive funding only exceptionally: they must have unique expertise unavailable in Sweden, the project must be essential to the programme goals, and clear knowledge transfer to Swedish actors must be possible. The Swedish Energy Agency can still refuse funding even if all three tests are met.
- EU company-size rules include ownership and links to other businesses. A small company has fewer than 50 staff and turnover or balance-sheet total no more than EUR 10 million; a medium company has fewer than 250 staff and turnover no more than EUR 50 million or balance-sheet total no more than EUR 43 million.
- For economic activities, actual indirect costs are capped at 30% of eligible salary costs. Universities and higher education institutions doing non-economic work use their full-cost method. A 45% cap applies to qualifying state-controlled research companies, foundations with government-appointed board members and government agencies required to do their own research, provided they receive government funding for independent research and separate any economic activities. Other non-economic participants have a 30% cap.
- Projects must participate in programme activities and maintain dialogue with its office, acknowledge the programme and provide a freely publishable final summary. Unused funding must be repaid; incorrectly awarded support or breaches of conditions can also lead to recovery.
How to apply
- Estado
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- Condiciones de la convocatoria
- 2026 round; the financial terms and project timetable described apply to this round.
The 2026 application round is closed. Its application route was the Swedish Energy Agency's Mina sidor service, “Finansiering av forskning, innovation och affärsutveckling”. The coordinator first applies for authorisation to represent the organisation, then submits the application. At the same time, send the non-confidential project summary using the call's template to utlysningar@netzeroimpact.se. Attach CVs for the project leader and key people, at most one A4 page each; put the project description in the form rather than a separate attachment.
Projects under this round must start between 1 November 2026 and 1 January 2027. Three-year research projects must end by 31 December 2029; doctoral projects by 31 December 2030. Feasibility studies have an 18-month limit.