Innovation award 2021
The award wants to limelight scientists, individuals, companies or organizations who has developed innovative and sustainable research projects or ideas in cooperation with SLU Skara. The total prize money is 100.000: - SEK and will be shared between the Innovation Award of 75.000 SEK and the growth award of 25.000 SEK
Note! Download the application form on your computer to fill in your details!
Last day for application is March 31.
The call in detail:
The green sector is important to the Skaraborg region. The entire sector is in need of big changes and development, not least in the sustainability area. Innovation and entrepreneurship will be key in working through these changes.
There are many skilled scientists at SLU who, in cooperation with their project partners, can act as driving forces towards higher levels of sustainability through innovation on different levels.
We therefore welcome project applications that in the future could develop into a commercial product, service, process or social innovation. The nature of these ideas could take many shapes and forms, and all are welcome, disregarding whether they are products, services, methods or something else as of today not yet recognized.
Apply for the SLU Skara and Sparbanken Skaraborgs Innovation Award and win up to 75.000 SEK!
Who can take part?
The call is open for all projects, or ideas, where SLU Skara is or have been a partner. We invite scientists as well as entrepreneurs, private individuals, enterprises or organizations who in some way have been active within – or cooperated with - SLU Skara. The innovations can be product related as well as service orientated but must not have reached the commercial development face. The award is personal and is presented with the purpose of contributing to an innovation promoting culture that will enable more of the University´s collective knowledge to be turned in to utilizable innovations in society.
If there are other partners who have been involved in the creation of the innovation, or has worked on developing it, you must check off with them before applying. Our recommendation is that in cases of uncertainty you should apply together where upon the award sum will be shared between the applicants.
The award
SLU och Sparbanken Skaraborg Innovation Award consists of a stipend of 75.000 SEK.
A Growth Award of 25.000 SEK is granted to an award application who deserves to be mentioned and where there is interesting development potential. This award is also granted in the form of a stipend.
In case a project/idea originates from more than one person, the sum is shared equal between these persons.
The award is personal and there are no demands of delivering a formal report. We would, however, appreciate if the award winners come back to us after 12 months with a short summary of how the award money influenced their possibilities of developing the project further.
The prize sum is awarded to the main applicant by the Sparbanksstiftelsen Skaraborg and is normally not taxable. The applicant is personally responsible for checking this with the tax authorities.
Assessment criteria
The applications are assessed on the following:
• Innovation height – How trail-blazing is the idea and how does the innovative height compare to alternative, already existing, solutions on the market or in society?
• Commercial or societal potential for the green sector?
• How strong is the connection to the 17 UN Sustainability goals and their influence on economic, social and environmental goals?
• Novelty value – How new and ”unexpected” is the imagined innovation? The more unexpected and unique an idea – the greater the novelty value.
• Implementation potential- What is the potential to carry the idea through to implementation in society/industry?
Important dates
The last application date is the 31 of march 2021.
The winners will be announced during September at the award ceremony which will be held on Campus during Smedjeveckan, SLU´s popular science event in Skara in September 2021. The winners will also be published on SLU Holdings website.
Why an Innovation Award?
The green sector faces large demands for change and development. A very large part of our carbon dioxide emissions can be traced back to various parts of the food production chain and the need for a sizeable diminishing of these is acute. The sector will be asked to make big changes and in order to achieve this, new ways of doing things and strong driving forces will be needed.
SLU plays a key role in driving the green sector towards higher levels of sustainability through innovations on several levels. SLU is very active on this issue and continuously delivers new scientific findings to contribute to a sustainable industry.
To complement the new scientific findings, a driving force to implement them is also needed. A force to develop new business models and new businesses to really bring the change ashore. In addition to the scientific results, we believe that the entrepreneurial drive of our researchers and students is important for the necessary changes that our sector, and the world, is facing. A world where innovations and entrepreneurship unavoidably will be needed to change a sector that might otherwise need more time to change than what is available to us.
Through the Sparbanksstiftelsen Skaraborg the Sparbanken Skaraborg promotes growth and development within its area of activity. SLU contributes to this by producing scientific results that are useful to the green sector and the society. The Innovation Award is there to acknowledge bright scientists and innovators who makes it all happen.
Secrecy
Applications for the Innovation Award will be handled confidentially, and the innovation will remain in the ownership of the applicant after the competition.
Contact information
Mats Wiktorsson, Senior Innovation & Business Advisor
0511-671 15, 0722-09 66 03
Financier
