This is Impact Innovation

Impact Innovation is an initiative of the Swedish Energy Agency, Formas and Vinnova, which builds on previous cooperation on strategic innovation programmes. Now with new ways of working, collaborations and ambitious and daring goals, we set our sights on 2030.

Why is Impact Innovation needed?

The world is facing complex challenges which require us to think innovatively and behave differently. Within a short time frame, we need to change the whole of society; our cities, our material welfare, our value chains and our patterns of consumption. In order to transition to a sustainable society in time, whether it is about poverty, climate change or health inequalities, individual efforts are not enough. Fundamental changes are required at all levels of social and technical systems throughout society. This is known as system innovation.

How do we make the transition happen?

Impact Innovation includes a number of major innovation programmes which take on the greatest societal challenges of our time and of the future. We require experience, expertise and excellence from all corners of society, and more perspectives to be able to make a big difference. It is about breaking down silos and getting stakeholders together to discuss problems and solutions, who would not otherwise meet. We believe that new collaborations and ways of working are the keys to innovation and sustainable solutions.

How will Impact Innovation work in practice? 

All programmes will be shaped around a goal, a mission, which a group of stakeholders will develop together. To ensure the programmes are successful, the constellations of stakeholders must be wide. Large and small innovative companies from industry and organisations from the public sector and civil society, research institutes and academic institutions are probably required. New organisations may need to join over time, and others may need to leave after a while.

It is up to each group of stakeholders to decide how they want to structure their programme. However, a programme board and office are mandatory. The programme office is the financing authority’s main point of contact with the programmes, and from here the programme’s operations are managed, as well as coordination of the programme’s efforts and activities and responsibility for continual development and teaching.

The programme office proposes initiatives to the authorities and is responsible for dialogue in this regard. Decisions about the initiatives are made by the financing authorities. Examples of initiatives are system demonstrators, calls for proposals or policy labs.

How is the budget distributed?

Most of the budget will go to programme initiatives. The Swedish Energy Agency, Formas and Vinnova reserve SEK 50-150 per year and mission/programme for programme initiatives. A smaller part of the funding at Impact Innovation goes to the programme office. Approx. SEK 5-10 million is set aside for each programme office and year for up to 10 years. 

The stakeholders who run the programme office can get 50 percent of their costs funded. The levels of support for the initiatives will depend on the type of initiative and the stakeholder(s) involved, and may be higher than for the programme offices. 

Which offers are available at Impact Innovation at the moment?

On February 27, 2024, a decision was made on the first five programs that will receive funding within Impact Innovation: First programs within Impact Innovation – Sweden’s innovation investment for the 2030s. Read more about the programs here: Programmes. Read more about the call for proposals: Establish programmes within Impact Innovation. Read more about the assessment process: This is how the assessment works – a review of the process – Impact Innovation.

A new call for programmes and programme offices is planned for 2026. The programmes in that call are scheduled to start in 2027. It will be possible to apply for a smaller project as early as 2025 to prepare for the next round.   

Contact us

Are you curious and want to find out more? Feel free to say hello at impactinnovation@vinnova.se and follow us on LinkedIn.