We are calling for ideas on clusters for groundbreaking technologies

The Swedish Research Council is expected to soon receive the Government's assignment to initiate a large-scale and innovative effort on clusters of excellence. Vinnova is likewise expected to receive a mandate as part of the initiative, as announced in the research and innovation bill.

The focus is on groundbreaking technologies that have the potential to produce major positive effects on competitiveness, societal development, and prosperity. There must be a clear link to international research and innovation collaborations.

Stage 1 of the Swedish Research Council’s work is a call that opens on 9 June (preliminary). Researchers who wish to establish collaborations in groundbreaking technology are invited to submit outline applications for planned networks. If the outline applications are successful, the researchers will receive a grant in a standard amount in October to continue their planning of future excellence clusters.

It is then time for Stage 2: During the following six months, the researchers will have time for planning. The planning shall be documented in a report, to be sent to the Swedish Research Council no later than March 2026. This should include an analysis of the research field, a strategy for collaboration, and an assessment of the long-term societal impact of the technology, including security policy aspects.

The proposals will form important background information

The final stage is the actual call for grants to establish a number of excellence clusters. The call will open in 2026. No outline application will need to have been submitted earlier to qualify for making a grant application. But the researchers’ reports will be important for how we design the call, explains Matthias Marklund, Secretary General for Natural and Engineering Sciences at the Swedish Research Council:

“We are eagerly awaiting the responses from higher education institutions to this initiative. It will be interesting to find out what researchers think is important to invest in to create ground-breaking technology, and what opportunities they are seeing. We are now hoping to receive many excellent outlines.”

Vinnova and the Swedish Research Council are establishing a programme office

The Swedish Research Council’s part of the initiative on excellence clusters for groundbreaking technologies will focus on future technological areas and be open to a broad range of fields, based on the principle that researchers themselves identify suitable areas for excellence clusters and apply in national competition.

The Government has earmarked 2.5 billion SEK for the initiative during 2025–2028. The Swedish Research Council is allocating 1.5 billion SEK.

During 2025, the Swedish Research Council and Vinnova are beginning a pilot study of how a joint programme office for excellence clusters in ground-breaking technology should be designed.

Call for Network grant for planning future excellence clusters for groundbreaking technologies

Read about the initiative in the Government’s Research and Innovation Bill 2024 (Government’s website, in Swedish) External link.

(The news has been updated 26 May)