CFAs: Impact Innovation Mobility Grant for Net-Zero Industry (Sweden)

The Impact Innovation Personal Mobility for Skills Exchange and Collaboration for Net-Zero Industry grant supports temporary placements that enable researchers and professionals to exchange skills, knowledge, and expertise across organisations. The programme provides up to SEK 500,000 for eligible costs associated with placements lasting 6 to 12 months, helping Sweden’s manufacturing sector accelerate its transition toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

What Is the Impact Innovation Personal Mobility Grant?

The Impact Innovation Personal Mobility programme supports skills exchange, professional mobility, research collaboration, and knowledge transfer within Sweden’s manufacturing sector.

The programme enables individuals to work in another organisation for 6 to 12 months. The placement is intended to create new professional relationships, transfer specialised knowledge, and develop capabilities that can contribute to the manufacturing industry’s transition toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

The opportunity forms part of the broader Impact Innovation initiative, which focuses on strengthening Swedish innovation and supporting the transformation of industry.

Who Leads the Impact Innovation Initiative?

The broader Impact Innovation initiative is led by three Swedish innovation and research funding organisations:

• Swedish Energy Agency
• Formas
• Vinnova

Together, these organisations support initiatives that encourage research, innovation, collaboration, and industrial transformation.

What Does the Grant Aim to Achieve?

The Personal Mobility programme is designed to address the need for new skills and stronger collaboration as manufacturing companies move toward climate-neutral production.

The grant aims to:

• Facilitate knowledge and skills exchange.
• Create new contacts between organisations.
• Encourage research and industry collaboration.
• Support professional development.
• Transfer specialised expertise between organisations.
• Strengthen innovation capacity in manufacturing.
• Support the development of net-zero industrial solutions.
• Build long-term partnerships between participating organisations.

What Is Skills Exchange and Personal Mobility?

Skills exchange means transferring knowledge, expertise, methods, and experience between professionals and organisations.

Under this programme, personal mobility provides a practical mechanism for that exchange. Instead of supporting only a conventional research project, the programme allows an experienced individual to spend an extended period working within another organisation.

The placement can expose the participant to:

• New technologies.
• Different research environments.
• Industrial processes.
• Alternative working methods.
• New professional networks.
• Innovation and development practices.
• New approaches to industrial decarbonisation.

The knowledge gained can subsequently benefit both the participant and the organisations involved.

How Long Can the Placement Last?

The supported mobility period must be between 6 and 12 months.

This relatively long placement period is intended to provide enough time for meaningful knowledge transfer, collaboration, professional development, and development of new relationships.

How Much Funding Is Available?

Applicants can receive up to SEK 500,000.

The funding can support eligible costs associated with the mobility placement.

Potential eligible costs include:

• Salary costs.
• Travel expenses.
• Living expenses.
• Other direct costs.
• Eligible indirect costs.

The proposed budget should be directly connected to the planned mobility and its objectives.

Who Is Eligible?

The programme is open to a range of organisations that can support skills exchange and mobility activities.

Eligible applicant organisations include:

• Universities.
• University colleges.
• Research institutes.
• Associations.
• Private organisations.
• Public organisations.

The participating individual must also meet the programme’s professional experience requirement.

Individual Eligibility Requirements

The individual participating in the placement must have either:

• A doctoral degree, or
• At least two years of experience in research and/or advanced development work.

This requirement ensures that the mobility opportunity is targeted toward individuals with sufficient research, technical, or advanced development experience to contribute meaningfully to the host organisation.

What Types of Organisations Can Benefit?

The programme can be particularly relevant to organisations involved in:

• Manufacturing.
• Industrial research.
• Engineering.
• Advanced technology development.
• Energy transition.
• Industrial decarbonisation.
• Climate innovation.
• Sustainable production.
• Research and development.
• Technology transfer.

The strongest mobility projects should demonstrate a clear connection between the participant’s expertise and the manufacturing sector’s transition toward net zero.

How the Grant Works

The programme follows a mobility-based collaboration model.

Step 1: Identify the Skills or Knowledge Gap

The applicant should first identify a specific expertise, technology, research capability, or development skill that would benefit from exchange.

Step 2: Identify a Suitable Host Organisation

The participant works in another organisation where the required expertise, facilities, technologies, or working environment can be accessed.

The host arrangement should create meaningful opportunities for two-way knowledge exchange.

Step 3: Define the Mobility Project

The applicant should establish:

• The purpose of the placement.
• The participant’s responsibilities.
• The expected duration.
• The skills to be exchanged.
• The organisations involved.
• Expected outcomes.
• How the placement contributes to net-zero manufacturing.

Step 4: Develop the Budget

Prepare a realistic budget covering eligible mobility-related expenses such as salary, travel, living costs, and other allowable direct and indirect costs.

The total grant request should not exceed SEK 500,000.

Step 5: Demonstrate Expected Impact

The proposal should explain how the placement will generate benefits beyond the individual participant.

Potential outcomes may include:

• New industrial collaborations.
• Knowledge transfer.
• New research partnerships.
• Improved technical capabilities.
• Development of innovative processes.
• New climate solutions.
• Stronger industry-academia relationships.

What Should a Strong Proposal Demonstrate?

A competitive application should establish a clear connection between mobility, skills exchange, and industrial decarbonisation.

Applicants should explain:

• Why the mobility placement is necessary.
• What expertise the participant will gain or provide.
• Why the selected host organisation is appropriate.
• How the placement supports the manufacturing sector.
• How the activity contributes to net-zero greenhouse gas reduction.
• What measurable outcomes are expected.
• How knowledge will be shared after the placement.
• How the grant funding will be used.

Why It Matters

Sweden’s manufacturing sector faces increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining competitiveness and innovation.

Achieving net zero requires more than new technologies. It also requires people with the skills to develop, implement, adapt, and scale those technologies.

The Personal Mobility programme addresses this challenge by supporting people-to-people knowledge transfer.

It can help organisations:

• Access specialised expertise.
• Build stronger innovation networks.
• Develop advanced technical skills.
• Strengthen research-industry cooperation.
• Accelerate industrial climate solutions.
• Improve long-term competitiveness.
• Create lasting partnerships.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid submitting mobility proposals without a clear strategic purpose.

Common weaknesses include:

• Failing to explain why the placement is necessary.
• Providing no clear connection to net-zero manufacturing.
• Choosing a host organisation without explaining its relevance.
• Focusing only on the participant’s personal development.
• Providing an unclear knowledge-transfer plan.
• Submitting an unrealistic budget.
• Failing to demonstrate the participant’s required qualifications.
• Not explaining how knowledge gained during the placement will benefit the wider organisation.
• Treating the placement as ordinary employment rather than a structured skills-exchange activity.

Tips for Preparing a Strong Application

Establish a Clear Mobility Rationale

Explain the specific knowledge or capability that the participant needs to gain or share and why it cannot be achieved as effectively through ordinary collaboration.

Connect the Project to Net Zero

Clearly describe how the placement supports manufacturing decarbonisation, climate-neutral production, energy efficiency, sustainable technologies, or another relevant net-zero objective.

Choose the Host Carefully

Explain why the proposed host organisation has the expertise, facilities, technology, or experience required to make the placement valuable.

Define Measurable Outcomes

Examples could include:

• New technical competencies.
• A new collaborative project.
• Development of a prototype or process.
• Knowledge-transfer workshops.
• New research partnerships.
• Industrial implementation plans.

Prepare a Realistic Budget

Make sure requested funding is directly linked to the 6-to-12-month mobility period and eligible project activities.

Key Facts at a Glance

• Programme: Impact Innovation Personal Mobility for Skills Exchange and Collaboration for Net-Zero Industry
• Country: Sweden
• Focus: Skills exchange, personal mobility, research collaboration and industrial decarbonisation
• Placement duration: 6–12 months
• Maximum funding: SEK 500,000
• Eligible applicant organisations: Universities, university colleges, research institutes, associations, private organisations and public organisations
• Individual requirement: Doctorate or at least two years of research and/or advanced development experience
• Strategic objective: Support Sweden’s manufacturing industry’s transition toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions
• Funding can cover: Salary, travel, living expenses and eligible direct and indirect costs
• Programme partners: Swedish Energy Agency, Formas and Vinnova

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Impact Innovation Personal Mobility Grant?

It is a Swedish grant programme supporting temporary placements that enable researchers and professionals to exchange skills and knowledge between organisations while contributing to the manufacturing industry’s transition toward net-zero emissions.

How long can a mobility placement last?

Supported placements must last between 6 and 12 months.

What is the maximum grant amount?

The maximum available funding is SEK 500,000 per mobility project.

What expenses can the grant cover?

Funding can be used for eligible costs associated with the placement, including salary, travel, living expenses, and other direct and indirect costs.

Who can apply?

Eligible applicant organisations include universities, university colleges, research institutes, associations, private organisations, and public organisations.

What qualifications must the participating individual have?

The participant must have either a doctorate or at least two years of experience in research and/or advanced development work.

How does the programme support net-zero manufacturing?

It supports the exchange of specialised knowledge and skills that can help organisations develop innovative technologies, processes, partnerships, and capabilities needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate the transition toward climate-neutral manufacturing.

Conclusion

The Impact Innovation Personal Mobility for Skills Exchange and Collaboration for Net-Zero Industry programme provides up to SEK 500,000 to support 6-to-12-month professional mobility placements. By connecting experienced researchers and professionals with other organisations, the programme promotes knowledge transfer, innovation, collaboration, and skills development.

For universities, research institutes, companies, public organisations, and other eligible applicants, the opportunity can provide a practical mechanism for developing expertise while contributing directly to Sweden’s broader goal of achieving a net-zero manufacturing industry.