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Mission InnovationMission Innovation | Our members | Sweden | Highlights in 2020

Highlights in 2020
Highlights in 2020

High impact innovation activity triggered by MI

Mission Innovation gives increased weight to national efforts on clean energy research and innovation through the synergies of ambition and objectives.

It adds interest and opportunities for visibility for start-ups, innovation and new products and services.

MI shows the state and pace of clean energy innovation and demonstrates the needs for Swedish researchers, companies and other actors to be part of the development, as well as the global demand for new solutions.

Update on clean energy innovation policies and strategies

The Energy R&I programme continues; the 2021 budget is 1,515 million SEK.

The Industry Leap programme supports pilot studies, research, demonstration, and investment to decrease greenhouse gas emissions from industry, to achieve net-zero emissions and to strategic industry projects contributing to climate mitigation. The 2021 budget is 750 million SEK.

The government has launched work on a national strategy for electrification of industry and transport with a 2045 perspective.

An electrification commission was established to advice the government on a quicker electrification of the transport sector

The Swedish Energy Agency has initiated a programme for pilot and demonstration projects with annual calls.

The Swedish Energy Agency supports the creation of an electromobility test centre, to open in March 2023. The agency also supports special efforts in electromobility research broadly, e.g. on batteries, fuel cells, charging, shipping, aviation, and machinery.

Sweden participates in a European Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) called European Battery Innovation.

The Swedish Energy Agency supports a special R&I effort for aviation biofuels or electric aviation with a funding of 50 million SEK 2021 and 50 million SEK 2022.

A special R&D effort of 50 million SEK 2021 and 50 million SEK 2022 on construction equipment, tractors, excavators etc.

Major innovation initiatives and programmes in 2020/21

The Swedish Energy Agency continues to support Small and Medium Enterprises for product development and commercialisation. An evaluation from 2020 shows that portfolio companies increase their revenue and their numbers of employees in a promising way.

The Swedish Energy Agency is one of the leaders for the new European partnership Clean Energy Transition to be part of the coming Horizon Europe framework programme on RD&I.

Sweden has taken an active position in the planning for the EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities through its Strategic Innovation Programme Viable Cities. In December 2020, the first climate contracts in Europe were signed by nine Swedish cities, four Swedish government agencies and Viable Cities, meaning that the cities must reach their set climate goals and contribute sustainable, climate neutral cities by 2030.

In the budget bill for 2021, the Swedish government proposed a system of state credit guarantees for green investment projects. The proposal aims to enable large industrial investment projects in Sweden that contribute to achieving environmental goals and the climate policy framework. In 2021, the credit guarantees amount to a maximum of 10 billion SEK.

The Swedish Energy Agency has been asked to develop a hydrogen strategy.

A support scheme for vehicle charging stations has a budget of 500 million SEK in 2021 and 550 million SEK in 2022; including support for regional electrification pilots, where local governments and companies collaborate to establish pilot projects for electrification of goods transport.

Private sector engagement in 2020/21

A large part of the national energy research and innovation programme is implemented in collaboration with the industry and business sector.

This includes applied research programmes, centres, and consortia, as well as specific development, pilot, and demonstration projects.

The overall financing of the programme is 45 % by the Swedish Energy Agency and 55 % for industry and others.

Some high-profile projects of the latter type include the Hybrit fossil free steel project, the NortVolt batter development and production plant, the development and demonstration of electric roads (ElvägE16 and eRoadArlanda), a successful demonstration of electrified trucks for copper or at the Aitik copper mine, as well as a major RD&D effort to develop application and uses for the lignin, a rest product from the forest industry.

Also, a number of innovative start-ups supported by the Energy Agency have had considerable success:

  • The Swedish innovative company Exeger, which produces solar cell products, has received capital investment of more than 200 million SEK during the last year.
  • The Swedish company Climeon has received investments from the Breakthrough Energy Ventures and are now building baseload renewable electricity generation plants in in Japan, California and on Iceland.
  • The Swedish MI Champion company Azelio is seeing a large interest in their energy storage technology.
  • The Swedish financing company Trine has so far funded solar projects around the world for about 450 million SEK, giving almost 3 million persons access to clean electricity.

Major activities in support of the Innovation Challenges in 2020/21

Sweden has participated in the IC5 on Solar fuels, and the IC7 on affordable heating and cooling. In addition, Sweden has taken a leading role in the joint programming activities of the MI Call, and in the Net-Zero Compatible Innovations Initiative.

Sweden participated in the 2020 second cohort of Champions.

Other Mission Innovation related activity in 2020/21

Sweden has during 2020 participated in the MI Steering Committee and in the Analysis and Joint Research working group (AJR).

Public sector RD&D investment

New Collaborations

  • Collaborator: IC7, IEA HPT, IEA ES ; 7 countries
    • Name of collaboration
      • Comfort & Climate Box
    • Brief Description
      • NL leading with SE Co-lead CCB project on speeding up market development for integrating heat pumps and storage packages. CCB concept denotes a combined package, consisting of a Heat Pump, an Energy Storage Module and Controls.
    • Sectors
      • Public-private
    • Type of collaboration
      • Research, development, demonstration and innovation
    • Duration
      • 2019 – 2021
    • Funding amount
      • 2,6 MEUR total, 400 000 EUR SE budget
    • Additional information

 

  • Collaborator: SE, AT, DE, DK, FI, IN, UK, IT

 

 

  • Collaborator: IC5, EC; 8 MI countries.

 

  • Collaborator: SE, EC, India et al
    • Name of collaboration
      • Net-Zero Compatible Innovations Initiative / Avoided emissions framework
    • Brief Description
      • Project supporting efforts to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, including the development of an avoided emissions framework that provides guidance for how to quantify the potential for clean energy innovations to reduce emissions in society.
    • Sectors
      • Public-private
    • Type of collaboration
      • Analysis, research
    • Duration
      • 2018 – ongoing