Swedish Metals & Minerals

What Swedish Metals & Minerals does

Swedish Metals & Minerals is a government-funded, industry-led innovation program launched in 2024 within Impact Innovation, Sweden's strategic innovation initiative for the 2030s. It is backed by three Swedish government agencies — the Swedish Energy Agency, Formas, and Vinnova — and operates as a convening and funding vehicle that brings the Swedish metal and mineral industries together with the research community and national funding agencies. Its stated mission is to increase and secure the supply of metals and minerals while reducing the planetary footprint of extraction and production, with the explicit goal that extracted or recycled materials generate maximum useful function and minimum waste.

The program's core "products" are open calls for proposals organized across three pillars: Technological Innovation (prestudies addressing technological action areas), Social Innovation (prestudies and projects in social action areas), and Regulations and Policy Instruments (projects aimed at influencing rules affecting manufacturing, mining, and metal industries). The third pillar is run as a joint call with Impact Innovation - Net Zero Industry. Underlying activities include national and international value-chain collaboration, support for process and business-model innovation, and the development of policy proposals and social innovations that enable sustainable industry transition. The program is staffed by approximately 7-9 people based in Luleå, led by Program Director Maria Swartling.

The business model is that of a publicly funded innovation program, not a commercial enterprise: it does not generate commercial revenue, has no pricing or product sales, and instead distributes public research and innovation funding through competitive open calls administered largely via Vinnova's call platform. Marketing and stakeholder engagement are conducted through LinkedIn and a Mailchimp-distributed newsletter, and the program's website was under construction as of the latest available data.

Name

Swedish Metals & Minerals

Legal name

Swedish Metals & Minerals

Website

https://metalsandminerals.se

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Swedish Metals & Minerals is a government-funded industry-led innovation program within Impact Innovation that channels public research funding to Sweden's metal and mineral industries to secure materials supply and reduce environmental footprint through collaborative technology, social, and policy projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Innovation Funding Program

NAICS

Other Metal Ore Mining (212290)

SIC

Metal Mining (1000)

akta.pro primary industry

Minerals, Mining & Geologic Resources Administration (BPAIAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Construction & Demolition (C&D) Metal Recycling (Structural Steel, Rebar, Roofing, Wire) (IMAKAMAF), Tailings & Water Management Engineering (TSF Design/Construction, Dams, Water Treatment) (IMAKAOAF)

Keywords

• Innovation funding program
• Sustainable mining
• Metal industry transition
• Industrial research funding
• Policy innovation

Headquarters

HQ city

Luleå

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding Program: Swedish Metals & Minerals is a government-funded innovation program backed by Swedish Energy Agency, Formas and Vinnova. It does not generate commercial revenue but distributes funding through calls for proposals to the Swedish metal and mineral industries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Swedish Metals & Minerals is an industry-led innovation program within Impact Innovation that funds and coordinates research and innovation projects for the Swedish metal and mineral industries. It operates open calls for proposals covering technological innovation prestudies, social innovation projects, and regulations/policy instruments to enable sustainable transition of mining, metal production, and manufacturing. The program brings together Swedish metal and mineral industries, the research community, and national funding agencies to develop processes, business models, and policy proposals.

Product overview

Swedish Metals & Minerals is an industry-led program within Impact Innovation (Sweden's strategic innovation initiative backed by the Swedish Energy Agency, Formas, and Vinnova) focused on sustainable transformation of the Swedish metal and mineral industries. The program aims to increase and secure the supply of metals and minerals while reducing the planetary footprint of extraction and production. It operates through value chain collaboration nationally and internationally, developing processes, business models, policy proposals, and social innovations. The program organizes funding initiatives including technological innovation prestudies, social innovation projects, and regulations/policy instruments calls for sustainable industry transition. The website and program offering are currently under construction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Technological Innovation Prestudies Open call for prestudies addressing Technological Action Areas relevant to increasing and securing supply of metals and minerals while reducing planetary footprint of extraction and production. Open to Swedish metal and mineral industries and research community.
• Social Innovation Prestudies and Projects Open call for prestudies and projects that can pave the way for innovations in social sustainability and contribute to the program's Social Action Areas. Targets the Swedish metal and mineral industries and research community.
• Regulations and Policy Instruments Call Joint call with Impact Innovation - Net Zero Industry for projects with potential to influence development of regulations and policy instruments that affect conditions for sustainable transition in manufacturing, mining and metal industries, with the aim of reducing climate and environmental pressure.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced planetary footprint from metal and mineral extraction and production
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Impact Innovation - Net Zero IndustryflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint call partner for regulations and policy instruments work. This is a flagship collaboration between two Impact Innovation programs focused on sustainable industry transition.
• Swedish Metal and Mineral IndustriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partners forming the core constituency of the program. The program is industry-led and brings these companies together with the research community.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Formas: Swedish research council for sustainable development and one of the three founding funders of Swedish Metals & Minerals. Comparable as a public R&D funding body serving sustainability-oriented research and innovation.
• Vinnova: Sweden's innovation agency and the operator of open calls for Swedish Metals & Minerals. A broader incumbent funding multiple Strategic Innovation Programs across other sectors, with comparable program-management infrastructure.
• Swedish Energy Agency (Energimyndigheten): One of the three funding agencies behind Swedish Metals & Minerals. A broader incumbent in Swedish industrial innovation funding whose portfolio includes adjacent energy and heavy-industry transition programs.
• BMBF – Rahmenprogramm Raw Materials and Industrial Value Creation: German federal ministry program funding research and innovation along raw materials and industrial value chains. A broader incumbent in the same mission space with substantially larger budgets and longer history.

Emerging players

• CSIRO – Critical Minerals and Mining Programs: Australia's national science agency running applied research programs on critical minerals and sustainable mining. Comparable as a publicly funded, mission-driven program coordinating research and industry partners along the metals/minerals value chain.

Direct peers

• Impact Innovation – Net Zero Industry: Sibling program within Impact Innovation focused on sustainable industry transition. Already co-funds a joint call with Swedish Metals & Minerals on regulations and policy instruments, making it the closest peer in mission, structure, and funding mechanisms.
• EIT Raw Materials: EU-backed knowledge and innovation community coordinating industry, academia, and research across the raw materials value chain. Operates a similar industry-led, multi-stakeholder model to Swedish Metals & Minerals but at pan-European scale.
• European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA): European Commission–endorsed initiative to secure raw materials supply and strengthen European value chains. Highly comparable mission around supply security and reducing environmental footprint of metals/minerals.

Regional players

• Business Finland – Smart Industry and Energy Programmes: Finnish national innovation funding agency with programs targeting sustainable industry and materials. Operates a similar country-level public funding program with industry-led calls and matching instruments.
• Norwegian Research Council – PETROMAKS / DEMO 2000: Comparable Nordic public funding programs supporting petroleum and minerals sector innovation. Operates a similar government-funded industry-research coordination model but is anchored to Norwegian industrial priorities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metalsandminerals

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Swedish Metals & Minerals