Innovation grants

Which companies can apply for innovation funds? 

Small and medium-sized companies with operations in Västernorrland who want to develop a unique new idea through an innovation project, to create employment in Västernorrland.

Some basic requirements which must be met, the company must: 

• Conduct its business venture and create lasting employment at the company's permanent workplace in Västernorrland County
• Not conducted as a hobby. By hobby activities meaning that the main personal income is derived from, for example, employment, pension or other activity. This implies that if it is only the business owner who works in the applicant company, he may not have more than 50 compensations from elsewhere. Special rules apply to business ventures which have a direct connection to other conducted activities, for example in the case of spin offs.
• Set a goal of having at least one full-time job within 1 year
• Have good care of staff with a collective agreement or comparable wages and working conditions.
• Have a financial need for the grant
• Assessed to be able to achieve long-term profitability
• Operated on market terms
• Not being in any financial difficulties, which will be checked via a credit report
• have an innovation project whose underlying innovation must have clear connections to the regional development strategy and contribute to goals already found in the RUS as well as other regional strategies such as the have an innovation project whose underlying innovation must have clear connections to the regional development strategy and contribute to goals found in the RUS as well as other regional strategies such as the Smart Specialization Strategy
• Assessed to possess good competence and have good prerequisites to successfully carry out the innovation project
• The innovation project should be well defined against ordinary business operations
• If a company's sole business operation consists of developing an innovation, delineation must be made against normal operating costs (company-specific general costs)

Important prerequisites 

• The application must be submitted prior to the investment begins -nothing may be ordered, agreed or purchased beforehand
• The level of support and amount of grants is determined by several factors, including the type of innovation project that is to be carried out. Support can be granted with a maximum of 45 percent of approved investment costs
• Requirements for an approved financing budget that covers the entire innovation project to 100 percent
• Approved costs for the innovation project must be at least SEK 300,000 and may amount to a maximum of SEK 25 million
• The grant can be approved once per company during a three-year period
• The result must be assessed to be able to reach the market close to the end of the project

Which investments are eligible for innovation grants?

• Instruments and equipment (necessary for the innovation project)
• Buildings (investment in buildings for the implementation of the innovation project)
• External services (purchase of expertise)
• Project-specific costs required to implement the innovation project

Which investments are not supported for grants?

• Vehicles
• Renovation and maintenance of property
• Acquisition of existing company
• Replacement investments
• Standard electronics such as mobile phones and computers
• Purchase from relatives
• Customer and supplier visits
• Business systems and other internal development, for example accounting and payroll systems
• Preliminary studies
• Marketing

Grants are not granted to activities such as:

• Are resellers (have no own manufacturing or processing of products or services)
• Have premises for rent
• For the most part financed with public funds