Call for Applications: Internationalize with the Help of the Global Innovation Accelerator
Do you have an innovation that can contribute to a sustainable energy system? Are you interested in—and have already begun—expanding into an international market? Apply to the Swedish Energy Agency’s Global Innovation Accelerator (GIA).
The program is tailored for small and medium-sized enterprises that contribute to a sustainable energy system and are ready to enter international markets. The aim of the program is to offer participating companies individually tailored support for their internationalization and thereby accelerate the process. The program is designed for companies that already have knowledge and some experience of the chosen market/segment and therefore seeks to speed up an establishment that has already begun. The company should thus be past the market introduction phase and aim to close a deal within the program, or come close to doing so.
The program offers:
- Business development support from a consultant procured by the Swedish Energy Agency in the selected market
- Up to SEK 250,000 in financial support*
- Ongoing follow-up and support from the Swedish Energy Agency during the program period
* This grant is intended to address needs that the procured consultant cannot provide within the scope of GIA. Read more under “What can you apply for funding for?”
What can you apply for funding for?
In addition to consultancy support, there is an opportunity to apply for financial support of up to SEK 250,000.
The grant is intended to address needs linked to the selected international market and should be used in connection with international activities. Examples of activities the financial support can be used for include:
- Building customer relationships (participation in trade fairs or conferences; local business development consultants with, for example, necessary language skills or relevant networks)
- Building business readiness (contractual matters, specialist expertise, certification and standardization, supply chain issues, system integration, marketing materials)
- Building financing readiness (financing plan, advanced investor presentation)
- Building Intellectual Property (IP) management (strategy, novelty searches, database searches, cyber/information security)
- Building the team (specialist expertise, advisors, preparing physical establishment in the market)
The support cannot be used to finance travel costs or internal salary costs. Technical development is only permitted to a very limited extent, such as adapting a product for the specified market. Note that eligible costs in the application form on Mina Sidor only include the categories “Purchased services” and “Other”.
Who can apply?
Swedish-registered small and medium-sized enterprises that have:
- Innovative offerings that can contribute to a sustainable energy system
- An established market strategy with a defined geographic market or international target group
- Reached a certain level of technical maturity for their offering (at least Technology Readiness Level, TRL 8)
- A scalable product or service, i.e., potential for large-scale market deployment
- The necessary resources in terms of staff and finances to carry out the initiative during the program period
The application deadline is 2026-03-06!