A high level of demand: 270 SME projects submitted
The latest call for projects for SMEs has attracted a great deal of interest: 270 applications have been submitted. This strong turnout proves that Swiss companies see innovation as the answer to today’s economic challenges.
In response to the call for project proposals, which was launched in June 2025, a total of 270 applications were receivedby the submission deadline of 10 September 2025, significantly more than originally expected. The high response rate illustrates that, in this challenging economic and geopolitical environment, Swiss SMEs are increasingly focusing on innovation to ensure their competitive positions.
The submitted projects cover a wide range of industries: most of the applications come from the fields of Engineering and ICT, followed by projects from the Life Sciences, Energy and Environment, and Social Sciences and Business Management fields.
The high pressure to innovate among Swiss SMEs is not only evident in this call for projects, but also from the increased interest in other Innosuisse support offers, such as innovation cheques, innovation mentoring and Start-up Coaching. This underlines the great importance that companies currently attach to innovation promotion.
Surveys carried out by third parties also confirm this trend: according to a survey presented at the half-yearly media conference of the Swissmem industry association, 48 per cent of the 385 surveyed member companies from the mechanical, electrical and metal industries are planning to invest specifically in innovation over the coming months in order to strengthen their competitiveness.