This is the first call for Sandbox Projects within Digital Futures, designed to support initiatives that create or leverage testbeds for societal and industrial innovation.
Important dates
- Call opens: 18 December 2025
- Proposal Submission Deadline: 1 March 2026
- Expected decision on projects: May 2026
- Expected start of projects: 1 July 2026 (subject to project contract negotiations)
Researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University (SU) and RISE are eligible to apply for funding under this call.
Purpose
Digital Futures aims to generate impact, in collaboration with industry and the public sector such as the City of Stockholm and Region Stockholm. The Sandbox Projects are a new instrument to support initiatives that create or leverage testbeds related to the open experimental arena, Stockholm Digital Sandbox.
Sandbox Projects should:
- Contribute to building up the Stockholm Digital Sandbox
- Utilise or develop current Stockholm Digital Sandbox testbeds or create a new testbed related to the Stockholm Digital Sandbox
- Involve industry and/or public actors
- Demonstrate pathways toward wide-scale adoption through testbed experimentation
Background
Stockholm Digital Sandbox is a Digital Futures initiative to create a testbed environment that propels AI and digital innovation in support of a sustainability transition of society. The initiative connects Digital Futures faculty and researchers, industrial and societal partners, and experts from different authorities to bridge the gaps between technological advancement and regulatory frameworks.
Stockholm Digital Sandbox will connect and leverage several different existing and new physical testbeds in the Stockholm region. Testbeds are open experimental facilities that enable and facilitate challenge-driven and applied research and innovation projects.
Examples of testbeds are the Kista Innovation Park managed by Ericsson, Innovation Zone Hornsgatan managed by the City of Stockholm, and the 5G Healthcare testbed at Södersjukhuset managed by Region Stockholm, to support challenge-driven and applied research and innovation projects.
Sandbox Projects should align with the Digital Futures research matrix. The projects aim to enhance the creation and utilisation of testbeds, delivering usable environments and/or data sets to Stockholm Digital Sandbox as one of the project outcomes.
Eligibility
The following positions/titles/roles are eligible to apply as PI or co-PI:
- Assistant Professor
- Associate Professor
- Full Professor
- Permanent full-time Researcher or equivalent (”tillsvidareanställning”) with a PhD degree and 80% employment or more at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University or RISE.
Sandbox Projects must feature collaboration with industry and/or public sector. Each project can have multiple co-PIs.
PIs or co-PIs do not need to be Digital Futures faculty when applying, but will become Digital Futures faculty if the project is granted.
NOTE that for this project call, researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University (SU) and RISE are eligible to apply for funding. SU will fund up to two PIs/Co-PIs in this call.
Project Duration and Funding Conditions
- Maximum project duration: 2 years
- Maximum project funding: 2 MSEK from Digital Futures (apply in multiples of 100k SEK)
Researchers may participate in multiple Digital Futures projects. The Sandbox Projects are excluded from the Digital Futures funding cap.
Matching Conditions
Sandbox Projects require matching co-funding from partners, following two variations. The same amount as is applied from Digital Futures needs to be matched.
- Matching co-funding, 50% cash + 50% in kind (access to available infrastructure or data) (for access to/use of existing testbeds)
- Matching co-funding, 100 % cash (for new testbed creation)
Minimum contribution from partner(s) is in total 500 kSEK cash per project. All proposals must include a Data Management Plan as well as Letter of Intent from partners outlining their contributions.
Information Meeting
An optional Q&A session will be held on 6 February 10:00 AM online via Zoom. No registration is required. Zoom link: https://kth-se.zoom.us/j/62096905838
Evaluation
Proposals will be evaluated in two steps:
- External review based on:
- Project feasibility (resources, risks, mitigation strategies) and relevance to the scope and purpose of Stockholm Digital Sandbox
- Quality of the project plan
- Consortium qualification (competence, collaboration plan, partner commitments)
- Potential for follow-up research
- Potential for societal and industrial impact
- Board recommendation: Feedback from Step 1 will inform the Digital Futures Industrial and Societal Board, which will then recommend funding to the Governing Board.
How to apply
- Prepare your application using the Sandbox Project template.
- Submit to call@digitalfutures.kth.se with subject line: “Sandbox Projects Call”.
Contact & Questions
Contact call@digitalfutures.kth.se for further questions. Please include “Sandbox Projects Call” in the subject of your email.