Vinnova

What Vinnova does

Vinnova is Sweden's national innovation agency, a government authority operating under the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation. Its mandate is to strengthen Sweden's innovation capacity for sustainable growth by funding research and innovation projects, convening stakeholders across sectors, and supporting startups, scaleups, universities, public sector organizations, and large enterprises. The agency is headquartered in Stockholm at Mäster Samuelsgatan 56, with international offices in Brussels, Singapore, and Silicon Valley.

Vinnova's core offering is a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a single product. The flagship programs include the National Incubator Program (NIP), co-managed with Swedish Incubators & Science Parks (SISP) and supporting over 30 regional innovation environments; the Challenge-Driven Innovation (UDI) program, with three funding stages ranging from 500,000 SEK to 20 million SEK (concluded in 2023); 17 strategic innovation programs across thematic areas including Bioinnovation, Drive Sweden, Medtech4Health, and SWElife; and support for Swedish participation in the EU's Horizon Europe framework. Methodological assets include the OECD Innovation Playbook (adapted into Swedish) and an Ecosystem Playbook developed with Rambøll and Dansk Design Center. Digital infrastructure consists of an e-services portal (etjanster.vinnova.se) for applications and project reporting, a directory of Swedish test beds, and a podcast ("På spaning innovation").

The revenue model is government appropriation: Vinnova receives annual funding from the Swedish government and redistributes it as grants to eligible recipients. Individual grant disbursements documented (27M SEK for 54 projects, 80M SEK for 10 projects, 7.5M SEK for Digidrick) are program-level allocations against the broader appropriation. The agency does not charge for services; rather, it serves as intermediary between public funding sources and the Swedish innovation ecosystem. Customers/recipients span Swedish companies, universities, public sector agencies, and civil society organizations, with no individual customer representing material revenue concentration.

Name

Vinnova

Legal name

Vinnova

Website

https://vinnova.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Vinnova is Sweden's national innovation agency, a government authority that distributes public funding and convenes stakeholders to strengthen Swedish innovation capacity across startups, universities, public sector, and enterprises.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Innovation Funding

akta.pro primary industry

Science, Technology & Innovation Administration (National R&D Policy) (BPAIAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Project Preparation Facilities & Technical Assistance Windows (BPADAOAI), Public Research Universities with Major Extension & Outreach Missions (EDAHAAAG), Technical Universities with Strong Industry Partnerships (EDAHAEAG)

Keywords

• Innovation funding
• Research grants
• Government grants
• Public sector R&D
• Innovation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding Appropriation: Vinnova operates as a Swedish government agency funded through annual appropriations from the Swedish government. They distribute this funding as grants to research and innovation projects that align with their mandate to strengthen Swedish competitiveness and innovation capacity for sustainable growth.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Vinnova is Sweden's government innovation agency that funds research and innovation projects across companies, universities, and the public sector. It awards grants through national innovation programs (including NIP), UDI verification funding, and strategic innovation programs, and supports internationalization through liaison offices in Brussels, Singapore, and Silicon Valley.

Product overview

Vinnova is Sweden's innovation agency, functioning as a government authority that funds and supports innovation across multiple sectors. The organization operates a portfolio of programs and services including: the National Incubator Program (NIP) supporting startups across 30+ regional environments, the Challenge-Driven Innovation (UDI) program with three funding stages, strategic innovation programs across 17 thematic areas, and support for Horizon Europe participation. Vinnova also provides methodological tools and playbooks for innovation including the OECD Innovation Handbook and Ecosystem Playbook, and maintains a directory of Swedish test beds. The offering is structured as a platform of interconnected programs rather than a unified software product, with services ranging from direct funding (grants up to 20 million SEK) to knowledge resources (expertise areas, publications, podcasts) to digital infrastructure (e-services portal).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Innovation Programme (NIP) National innovation program providing grant funding to innovation-active organizations in Sweden across multiple thematic priorities.
• UDI Verification Funding (Verifieringsmedel för innovation) Grant funding instrument helping Swedish innovators verify and validate new ideas, concepts, and technologies before commercialization.
• Strategic Innovation Programs Long-term thematic innovation programs targeting designated strategic areas for Sweden, supporting cross-sector collaboration between industry, academia, and the public sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of research and innovation projects facilitated
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Swedish Incubators & Science Parks (SISP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-management of the National Incubator Program (NIP), supporting over 30 regional innovation environments. SISP represents Swedish incubators and science parks, providing the delivery network for startup support across Sweden.
• RambollminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaborated on developing the Ecosystem Playbook for regional innovation ecosystems, providing practical guidance for regions and development environments.
• Dansk Design CenterminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaborated on developing the Ecosystem Playbook for regional innovation ecosystems, contributing international perspectives on innovation ecosystem coordination.
• OECD/OPSIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVinnova has translated and adapted OECD's Innovation Playbook for the Swedish public sector. The playbook provides a three-step approach for innovation in public organizations, supporting implementation of OECD's Declaration on Public Sector Innovation.
• Nordic Innovation HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFellowship program at Nordic Innovation House in Silicon Valley, enabling Swedish innovators to access the US tech ecosystem and build connections with American partners and investors.
• EU (Horizon Europe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational contact point for EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation program, helping Swedish researchers and companies access European collaboration and funding.
• EurekacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational cooperation for industrial research and development, including Innowwide program for international innovation projects and Eureka clusters financing international industrial collaboration.
• National contact pointscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational contact persons and networks across multiple countries to support Swedish innovation collaboration globally, including presence in Singapore and Brussels.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Innosuisse: Switzerland's federal innovation promotion agency that funds knowledge and technology transfer between research and market. Shares Vinnova's mandate of bridging research institutions, startups, and industry through public grants.
• Innovate UK: The UK's national innovation agency, funded by government to support business-led R&D, run grant programs, and convene innovation stakeholders. Closest analog to Vinnova in mandate, structure, and funding-distribution role.
• Innovation Norway: Norwegian state-owned enterprise supporting innovation and development of Norwegian enterprises and industry. Comparable in providing innovation funding, incubator support, and internationalization services to a Nordic economy.
• Business Finland: Finland's government organization for innovation funding and internationalization, distributing grants and loans to innovative Finnish companies. Directly comparable as a Nordic national innovation and funding agency.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA): U.S. federal agency supporting small business through funding, counseling, and contracting programs. Comparable as a government innovation and entrepreneurship support body, though much broader and more diversified in scope than Vinnova.
• National Science Foundation (NSF): U.S. federal agency that funds fundamental research and innovation across disciplines. Shares the public funding of research and innovation mandate, though NSF is much larger and more oriented toward basic research grants.
• German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) - Innovation Funding: Germany's central federal ministry that runs major industrial innovation and R&D funding programs. Overlaps with Vinnova in distributing national innovation funds and coordinating cross-sectoral R&D initiatives, but at federal ministerial scale.

Regional players

• Enterprise Singapore: Singapore government agency driving enterprise development and innovation, with which Vinnova maintains a partnership office. Comparable in funding and supporting innovative companies, but focused on the Singapore market.

Others

• OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI): OECD initiative that Vinnova has partnered with to adapt the Innovation Playbook for Swedish public sector. Comparable as a thought-leadership body in public-sector innovation, complementing Vinnova's convening role.
• Eureka Network: International network for industrial R&D collaboration in which Vinnova participates as a national funding body. Comparable as a cross-border innovation funding channel that Vinnova uses to extend its programs beyond Sweden.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/VINNOVASE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vinnova
• Xx.com/vinnovaintl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments93 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vinnova