Impact Innovation: Digitalization, Circularity and Climate Neutrality in the Metal and Mineral Industry February 3, 2026

About this grant

Energimyndigheten (the Swedish Energy Agency) is running this call within the Swedish Metals & Minerals programme, part of the Impact Innovation initiative run jointly with Formas and Vinnova. The programme's mission is to enable a sustainable and resilient supply of metals and minerals for society's transition, which means increasing and securing access to metals and minerals while reducing the planetary footprint of extraction and production. The call aims to fund 2 to 4 multi-year research and innovation projects that strengthen Sweden's capacity in some of the programme's technical focus areas. Eligible project areas within the metal and mineral industry are resource-efficient and circular production processes, fossil-free and climate-neutral processes, and advanced digitalisation and AI. Projects in which different types of actors, such as companies, academia and research institutes, collaborate are viewed positively. Applicants must form a consortium of at least three project partners, of which at least two must be companies operating in Sweden and at least one must be a research actor (university, university college or research institute). Needs-holders, meaning organisations that benefit from and can implement the project results, must take part either as a project partner or, for example, as a member of the project's reference group. The total call budget is 90 million SEK. The page does not state per-project grant sizes. Decisions on funded projects are expected in June 2026, and projects may start no earlier than 15 June 2026, although the timetable may change. Full call text, application templates and the state aid framework (EU GBER 651/2014 and SFS 2008:761) are referenced on the page. Applications are submitted through the agency's Mina sidor portal.

Eligibility

Eligible applicant types are legal entities (companies), public sector bodies, universities and university colleges, research institutes, and non-profit organisations. Applications must come from a consortium of at least three project partners. At least two partners must be companies with operations in Sweden, and at least one must be a research actor (university, university college or research institute). Needs-holders, meaning organisations that can use and implement the project results, must participate either as a project partner or as a member of the project reference group. The call is framed around Swedish activity, and the state aid rules referenced are those applicable to R&D and innovation in the energy sector. Companies must meet SME definitions where relevant, and the call's formal requirements are set out in the full call text.

Key requirements

• ✓Consortium of minimum three project partners required
• ✓At least two partners must be companies operating in Sweden
• ✓At least one partner must be a research actor (university, university college, or research institute)
• ✓Needs-holders (organisations that benefit from and implement results) must participate as project partner or reference group member
• ✓Projects must focus on resource-efficient/circular production, fossil-free/climate-neutral processes, or advanced digitalization/AI in metal and mineral industry

Funder contact

The notice names a programme contact you can speak to before applying.

Frequently asked questions

Who can apply for Impact Innovation: Digitalization, Circularity and Climate Neutrality in the Metal and Mineral Industry February 3, 2026?

Eligibility covers organisations in SE; large-company, sme, university, research-institution, consortium. See the eligibility criteria above for the full conditions.

Relevant sectors

About this sector

Industrial decarbonisation funding helps heavy industry cut emissions through electrification, fuel switching, process change and efficiency. Support is often capital-intensive and tied to a specific site, with feasibility studies leading to larger deployment calls. Applicants need emissions baselines, engineering studies and a plan to keep production running during the change.