How Innosuisse takes funding decisions and manages conflicts of interest
Since its establishment, the integrity and independence of funding decisions have been a fundamental principle of Innosuisse’s governance. Innosuisse’s governance is based on a clear separation of responsibilities, as well as strict rules regarding vested interests and recusal. These mechanisms are designed to ensure that funding decisions are taken independently and that no person in a conflict of interest may participate in the relevant procedure or decision.
Innosuisse promotes science-based innovation in the interests of the economy and society. To ensure that funding decisions are made independently, transparently and in accordance with clear rules, strategic management, funding decisions and operational implementation are institutionally separate.
This separation is enshrined in law. It was one of the key objectives of transforming the former Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI) into today's Innosuisse, a federal entity under public law with a separate legal personality.
Innosuisse's organisation and responsibilities are based in particular on the Federal Act on the Swiss Innovation Promotion Agency (Innosuisse Act, SIAA; SR 420.2), which regulates its tasks, bodies and the way in which they interact. The Federal Act on the Promotion of Research and Innovation (RIPA; SR 420.1) defines the types of innovation promotion measures that Innosuisse may implement.
Clear separation of responsibilities
Innosuisse's governance structure comprises three levels:
- The Board of Directors is Innosuisse's supreme governing body and is responsible for strategic management. It does not decide on individual funding applications.
- The Innovation Council is Innosuisse's specialist body. In particular, it makes the substantive funding decisions and therefore decides whether or not an innovation project is supported.
- The Executive Committee is Innosuisse's operational body. Together with the Innosuisse Office, it implements Innosuisse's tasks, in particular its funding activities. They conduct the procedures and ensure their implementation. They do not decide whether individual innovation projects are approved.
Applications are also assessed by independent experts. Decisions are therefore based on specialist, scientific and economic assessments in accordance with the criteria laid down by law.
Where does the funding go?
For innovation projects with implementation partners, which are Innosuisse's main funding instrument, federal contributions are not paid to the participating companies. They are paid to the research partners, for example universities or other research institutions.
The participating companies are implementation partners. They contribute their practical experience, participate actively in the project and may subsequently use the results. They themselves make a substantial contribution: As a rule, implementation partners cover around 50% of the project budget, for example through in-kind or financial contributions.
This means that the company benefits from the project results but, in these cases, does not receive any federal contributions directly from Innosuisse.
Innosuisse also has specific instruments through which it can directly support science-based start-ups. These instruments are subject to their own requirements, procedures and control mechanisms.
Why does Innosuisse work with people from the innovation ecosystem?
Innosuisse operates a militia-based system. Experts and members of the Innovation Council are generally active in business, research, technology or innovation. This is deliberate and is also enshrined in law. Under Article 9 paragraph 3 SIAA, the appointment criteria for members of the Innovation Council are a recognised track record in science-based innovation and close links to practical activities in business and society. Experts must meet the specialist requirements set out in Article 7 of the election regulations, which likewise require an outstanding track record in science-based innovation and close links to practical activities in business and society.
This system ensures that Innosuisse can draw on up-to-date specialist knowledge and practical experience from the innovation ecosystem. It is also indispensable. Without it, Innosuisse would be unable to assess applications properly unless it had them reviewed by experts abroad, which would mean sharing confidential information outside Switzerland.
Vested interests can arise precisely because these members of Innosuisse militia bodies are part of the innovation ecosystem. The aim is therefore not to exclude all links with this ecosystem, but to ensure that vested interests are declared, potential conflicts of interest are identified and the people concerned consistently recuse themselves.
How are conflicts of interest managed?
Since Innosuisse began operations on 1 January 2018, the applicable rules of conduct have been specified and set out in various documents that supplement and, where appropriate, clarify the existing legal provisions:
- Innosuisse Code of Conduct
- Innosuisse values: integrity, open-mindedness and drive
- Board of Directors directive “Vested interests of members of the Board of Directors, members of the Innovation Council and experts”
For Innosuisse employees, that is, members of the Innosuisse Office, an Executive Committee directive governs conflicts of interest, personal account transactions, secondary employment, gifts, other benefits and invitations.
Innosuisse has a compliance management system validated by an external body. It complies with ISO 37301, formerly ISO 19600, and therefore meets the formal and de facto global benchmark for compliance programmes. All regulations are reviewed periodically within the compliance management system (CMS) and amended where necessary.
Innosuisse has clear and strict rules on the declaration of vested interests and the duty to recuse.
Experts, members of the Innovation Council and members of the Board of Directors must declare their vested interests and keep them up to date.
In procedures for assessing funding applications, the Innosuisse Secretariat checks for any obvious conflict of interest when assigning a dossier to experts and members of the Innovation Council and adjusts the assignment accordingly where necessary. Before accepting an assignment to assess an application, experts and members of the Innovation Council receive information about the project and the applicants. They must decline the assignment if there is an actual or potential conflict of interest.
At Innovation Council decision meetings on funding applications, the duty to recuse is expressly reiterated. Members of the Innovation Council must disclose any case in which they are biased or could appear to be biased. In such cases, they take part neither in the deliberations nor in the decision.
Funding decisions on innovation projects are not made by individuals. They are taken collectively by the competent body of the Innovation Council. If a member recuses themselves because of a conflict of interest, the remaining members who are not affected make the decision.
Technical safeguards are also in place: people with a conflict of interest are recorded as such in the case management system. They then no longer have access to the data relating to the cases concerned.
What happens when a company linked to a member of the Board of Directors, the Innovation Council or an expert submits a project?
Companies, research institutions or organisations linked to members of the Board of Directors or the Innovation Council, or to experts, are not automatically excluded from Innosuisse's funding instruments. A general exclusion of this kind would be disproportionate, it would infringe constitutional guarantees, in particular the principles of equal treatment and the prohibition of arbitrary action.
What matters is that the person concerned has no influence on the specific procedure or decision. If a project concerns a company linked to a member of the Innovation Council or an expert, that person must declare the conflict of interest and recuse themselves. They take part neither in the assessment nor in the decision. The same applies to members of the Executive Committee and Innosuisse employees.
Members of the Board of Directors, members of the Executive Committee and Innosuisse employees do not in any event take part in the assessment of or decision on individual funding applications. This also applies to the Chair of the Board of Directors.
What role does the Executive Committee play in deciding which projects receive funding?
The Innosuisse Executive Committee is responsible for operational management. It does not participate in the specialist evaluation of funding applications and does not decide whether innovation projects are approved. Funding decisions are the responsibility of the Innovation Council.
How were the thematic areas of the joint Flagship call with armasuisse defined, what role did the Board of Directors play and how were potential conflicts of interest managed?
Innosuisse is a federal entity under public law with a separate legal personality. Within the legal framework and the Federal Council's strategic objectives, it decides independently on its funding programmes.
For the joint call with armasuisse (see the press release of 30 April 2026), armasuisse proposed three technological thematic areas. These were based on needs in the fields of security and defence and also had potential for civilian applications.
The thematic areas were submitted to the Innosuisse Board of Directors for approval. The Board of Directors was therefore the final decision-making body on the Innosuisse side for launching the call.
Applications submitted subsequently are not assessed by the Board of Directors. They are assessed by experts under the usual procedures and then decided on by the Innovation Council.