Water Wise Societies is now setting Sweden on the path towards the mission of sustainable water for all by 2050. In the field of water, policy issues have a high impact that needs specific interventions in policy labs, where actors within the system “from source to coast” address specific challenges. Policy labs in this call will result in innovative solutions that improve governance, policy integration and practical implementation that facilitate transition and actively contribute to one or more of the ten missions that link to the three sub-goals of the Water Wise Societies mission.
Through the call, we provide an opportunity for stakeholders, public sector, business and civil society, researchers and experts to collaborate on specific policy improvements and jointly address the challenges in an innovative and operational way. By policy we mean laws, regulations, guidance, permits, supervision, standards, including practices and enforcement. A successful policy lab is made up of actors with clear authority to effect change and expertise in innovative and effective policy development.
The call should result in new ways of working and proposals for management models and policies that contribute to Water Wise Society’s mission Sustainable Water for All, the three sub-goals and underlying missions. Projects should have a clear link to at least one of the ten missions of the program.
The call is implemented within the Impact Innovation program Water Wise Societies which is part of the Impact Innovation, a joint initiative of the Swedish Energy Agency, Formas and Vinnova.
What can you apply for?
Who can apply?
Project constellations with a minimum of two and a maximum of five actors within the ‘source-to-coast’ system. We encourage constellations with actors from different sectors, such as business, civil society, research or the public sector. At least one party should be a stakeholder with a stake in the challenge at hand. At least one party must be a research performer. At least one project participant must have obtained a doctoral degree by the closing date of the call.
How much can you apply for?
You can apply for projects lasting between 24 and 36 months, with a minimum budget of SEK 3 million and a maximum of SEK 5 million per project.
The total budget for the call is SEK 30 million.
Important dates
Decision date: 2026-05-19
Digital matchmaking meeting on December 9: On 9 December from 13:00 – 15:00, a digital matchmaking meeting will be organized with information about the call and the opportunity for participants to be inspired and exchange ideas about policy labs within Water Wise Societies.
Book a guidance meeting
Would you like to discuss how your idea fits into the program’s framework and get tips on how your application can meet the call’s expectations? Book an individual guidance meeting to get support in the application process.
→ Book an appointment with Anna Maria Sundin: Guidance meeting Water Wise Societies Policy Lab
→ Book an appointment with Pyry Niemi: Guidance meeting Water Wise Societies Policy Lab
Background information
There are many barriers to the transition towards sustainable water supply, management and governance in legislation, regulation, enforcement, standardization, organizations and practices. To succeed in the transition, appropriate and enabling policies are needed that create space for the solutions that need to be implemented in different areas. The ongoing reviews of EU directives bring new demands for adaptation, flexibility and innovation, and new opportunities to develop better cooperation structures between different levels and sectors, as well as to make efforts to strengthen social acceptance, increase willingness to pay and create long-term sustainable solutions in Swedish water management.
The Swedish water supply, management and governance system faces inefficiencies and fragmentation, and challenges with both practical and structural aspects. The challenges are thematically broad and span several key areas, which are described in more detail in the Water Wise Society’s sub-goals and mission.
What is a policy lab?
Policy labs bring together a group of stakeholders with different competences to test, experiment and learn in policy development, and develop, for example, new approaches, guidelines, policies or regulations. Policy labs use methods that are designed to integrate multiple perspectives and competences. In this way, it is a useful tool for, for example, creating accurate policies that can handle complexity and are well supported by decision-makers and stakeholders. Moreover, a co-creative process can provide researchers and societal actors with different needs and interests with deeper insights and common understanding of each other’s perspectives and more powerful solutions, as well as foster continued collaboration across sectors.
A policy lab within the Water Wise Societies mission can be formed around existing instruments, regulations and policies and suggest how their implementation can be improved and used more effectively.