Are you starting an innovation project? Innosuisse financially supports science-based innovation projects conducted jointly by industrial partners and private and public institutions in collaboration with a research partner. Together, you can develop innovative products, services or processes across all thematic areas.
This support offer is aimed at:
Implementation partners: SMEs, large companies, start-ups, administrative bodies, non-profit organisations, other private and public institutions
Research partners: researchers working at a Swiss research institution
Innovation projects explained in two minutes:
1. Submit application
Your organisation is planning to develop innovative products, services or processes. To do so, you need the expertise of a Swiss research institution. So why not join forces and realise your innovation project together? Innosuisse co-funds innovation projects conducted jointly by companies and private and public institutions in collaboration with research institutions.
Project partners who want to submit an application must meet certain requirements. Please note that research and development partners should be independent of each other in terms of financing and personnel (see Art. 12 Implementing provisions for funding innovation projects). They must also respect the code of scientific integrity. Projects or activities that are contrary to scientific integrity or good scientific practice are not eligible for funding.
As a company or private or public institution (known as the “implementation partner”)
As an implementation partner, you must meet the following four requirements:
Your company or private or public institution creates added value in Switzerland.
You assume the project costs incurred by your company in the amount of 40–60% of total project costs.
You are willing to cover expenses of the research partner (known as the “cash contribution”) in the amount of at least 5% of total project costs.
A Swiss research partner would like to implement an innovation project with you.
As a researcher
You work at a Swiss research institution. Your research institution (known as the “research partner”) belongs to one of the following categories:
Non-commercial research centres outside the higher education sector according to Art. 5 RIPA
Policy research institutions which are not federal research institutes but which must conduct their own research projects for the appropriate fulfilment of their remit according to Art. 16 (3) RIPA
Federal research institutes according to Art. 17 RIPA
Furthermore, a company wants to realise an innovation project with you as research partner.
Innosuisse supports projects from all fields of innovation as well as interdisciplinary projects.
When you submit an Innosuisse project application, extensive preliminary clarifications and preparatory work are required before your application can be evaluated. Important information in relation to the innovation content and value creation must already be available and specified in the application (for example, results from literature research, need assessments / proof of potential demand, market analyses including competitor analysis / analysis of existing solutions and providers in the field).
If you would like to submit an application, please include the required information explained in the following checklist. This list is not exhaustive. Please also refer to the descriptions of the individual sections when submitting your application on the Innosuisse application platform.
Submit your application on the application platform at least six weeks in advance of a decision meeting of the Innovation Council. If the evaluation process goes smoothly, your application can be dealt with at the next meeting. You will receive a decision on your application within six to eight weeks of submitting your initial application.
Dates of evaluation meetings of the Innovation Council:
The dates are fixed according to an annual schedule. Innosuisse reserves the right to postpone a meeting.
If you meet the requirements, you can now submit your application on the Innosuisse application platform. Once all the necessary information has been received, Innosuisse will start the evaluation process.
2. Evaluation and decision
Your application will first be reviewed by the Secretariat of Innosuisse to make sure it meets the formal requirements. The content of the application will then be evaluated by two independent experts according to the applicable criteria. Based on this evaluation, the Innosuisse Innovation Council will make a decision on whether to fund your project. This process usually takes six to eight weeks.
The experts assess the quality of the applications submitted on the basis of the following criteria:
Level of innovation: Is the scientific and economic approach novel? Specifically: What makes your innovation unique? What are the scientific, technological or social innovations?
Value creation for the Swiss economy or society: Will implementing the research results on the market have a positive impact on your organisation and make it more competitive? Specifically: What is the positive added value? Does your product have a unique selling proposition? What is the sales and earnings potential? What value can industry partners or other implementation partners add?
For innovation projects in social sciences: Will successful implementation of the project have a demonstrable impact on reducing social costs? Will it create added value for society? (e.g. by reducing poverty, increasing quality of life, improving the quality of education, reducing injustice or protecting biodiversity)
Methodological quality: Is the project structured in a way that will achieve results? (e.g.: Are the quantitative goals and milestones realistic? Is the cost-benefit ratio reasonable?)
Expertise of project partners: Do the project partners have the expertise needed to carry out the project and implement it on the market as envisaged?
Contribution to the sustainable development of society, the economy and the environment: Does the innovation contribute to the sustainable development of society, the economy and/or the environment? (e.g. to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals).
The Innosuisse Innovation Council makes a decision on your application in five thematic subgroups.
Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
Automation
Artificial/local/extended/networked intelligence
Blockchain
Communication technologies
Data sciences
Deep learning
eHealth
Gaming
IT security and cryptography
Machine learning
Neuronal networks
Robotics
Virtual factory
Virtual reality
Life Sciences (LS)
Agrotech
Biotechnology and processing
Chemical biology
Foodtech
Genetic engineering
Human medicine
Medical diagnostics
Medtech
Patient management systems
Personalised medicine
Pharmaceuticals
Psychology
Veterinary medicine
Engineering (ENG)
Acoustic
Advanced manufacturing
Chemical engineering
Civil engineering
Electrical engineering
Embedded systems
Material sciences
Measurement technology
Mechanical engineering
MEMS, MOEMS, and BioMEMS
Microprocessing
Optoelectronics
Photonics
Power electronics
Process engineering
Products engineering
Quality control
Semiconductors
Sensors
Surfaces sciences
Energy & Environment (E&E)
Bio-sourced materials and processing
Catalyst research
Chemical formulation
Energy efficiency
Energy biomass
Energy harvesting
Energy management
Energy storage
Environmental technology / cleantech
Fuel cells
Geothermal systems
Grids and smart grids
Hydropower
Life cycle assessment
Nano systems
Natural / science-based mobility
Noise protection
Nuclear power
Photovoltaics
Power-to-fuel
Recycling
Smart building technology
Solar thermal systems
Sustainable land use
Thermal engineering
Wind energy
Social Sciences & Business Management (SSBM)
Advertising
Architecture
Banking
Business management
Consumer goods business
Design
e-Business
Education
Finance
Fintech
Health research
Impact investing
Industrial design
Insurance tech
Knowledge ware
Logistics
Marketing
Midwife research
Mobility
New business models
New media
Nursing research
Public management
Real estate tech
Social entrepreneurship
Social work
Tourism
Urban and regional development
Once the Innovation Council has made a decision, Innosuisse will notify you if your project has been approved by e-mail. Projects may also be approved subject to conditions. Before starting your project, you must conclude a funding agreement with Innosuisse.
If the Innovation Council decides not to approve your application, Innosuisse will notify you of the decision by IncaMail within two weeks, outlining the reasons for the rejection. You can lodge an appeal against the decision with the Federal Administrative Court within 30 days. You are also welcome to contact Innosuisse directly to clarify any questions and discuss the next steps.
You can revise a rejected application at any time and re-submit it to Innosuisse as a new application, provided that the new application remedies the identified shortcomings. The changes made to your application must be easily identifiable: please explain them in an accompanying letter or highlight them in colour in the application. The newly submitted application will be re-evaluated according to the standard evaluation process.
3. Conclude contract and start project
The project partners must conclude a funding agreement with Innosuisse. You will receive this agreement by e-mail. You must sign this agreement and return it by e-mail to Innosuisse before you can start your innovation project as specified in the agreement.
You must start the project within three months of the date the agreement takes effect.
NOTE: Please notify Innosuisse of the effective start date of the project by e-mail to innoprojects@innosuisse.ch.
The project partners must specify the intellectual property and usage rights for the innovation project no later than three months after the start of the project. The Research and Innovation Promotion Ordinance (RIPO) defines in Art. 41 the legal conditions governing this agreement. Generally, the partners are not required to send the agreement to Innosuisse, just a signed copy of the IPR declaration by way of confirmation. In individual cases, Innosuisse may ask the project partners to submit the agreement for inspection.
NOTE: These negotiations are important and can prove complex. With that in mind, Innosuisse recommends that the project partners address this issue early on, and preferably reach an agreement at least in principle before starting the application process.
As project partner, you must submit various reports over the course of your innovation project. These reports keep Innosuisse informed about the project’s progress. You must also submit a request if you wish to make any major changes to your project.
NOTE: Please submit all your reports (status and final reports as well as financial reports) directly on the application platform. Please contact us at innoprojects@innosuisse.ch if you would like to submit an unscheduled report.
The letter of approval for your application and the funding agreement specify the number of reports you need to submit during your innovation project and the deadlines for each.
A status report is due ten days after reaching your project milestone. The conditions may also provide for several status reports.
Extensions: If you do not complete your innovation project within the timeframe specified in the project plan, you may apply for an extension without increasing the budget, accompanied by a duly completed status report.
An interim financial report only needs to be submitted at the express request of Innosuisse.
To enter the material costs, please refer to the document «Eligible material costs»:
The form «Timesheet» indicated below can be used as proof of the hours contained in the financial report. Please note that a detailed list of the hours worked on the project per collaborator and per day must be made available on request.
Significant changes to your project must be reported to Innosuisse by means of a status report, accompanied where necessary by a request to make changes to the financial plan (by uploading the completed Excel form together with the report). In particular, this applies to changes to the project partners, modifications to the scope of the project and project objectives, amendments to the project’s duration or planning, and changes with significant financial implications (cost increase >10%).
Minor financial changes (cost increase <10%) may be reported directly as part of the final report.
You can apply for an extension without increasing the budget by submitting a duly completed status report.
No later than one month after completing your project, you must send Innosuisse a final scientific report and the financial reports. These are used for quality assurance, financial auditing and impact measurement.
To enter the material costs, please refer to the document «Eligible material costs»:
NOTE: Please submit all your reports (status and final reports as well as financial reports) directly on the application plateform.
The form «Timesheet» indicated below can be used as proof of the hours contained in the financial report. Please note that a detailed list of the hours worked on the project per collaborator and per day must be made available on request.
Innosuisse is committed to measuring the impact of the support it provides in a targeted and meaningful way. Since March 2021, the impact analysis for innovation projects has been based on a 15-minute survey conducted once after project completion, and then again three years later. This enables Innosuisse to measure whether it is achieving the goals it has set. The results are also intended to facilitate strategic optimisation, demonstrate the economic benefits of funding, and allow international comparisons.
Parallel to this, Innosuisse is considering revising the way the impact analysis is designed and implemented. We will contact you once your project has been completed and send you further information on how to proceed, if necessary.
The platform Innolink is used to submit and manage applications to Innosuisse. Project partners and start-ups can submit new applications or edit existing ones, while Innosuisse members can access the projects and cases assigned to them.
Innovation mentoring
As an SME or small organisation, benefit from the advice of an innovation mentor. The mentors will help you structure your idea, find the right research partner or submit a project application.
Innovation cheque
As an SME or other small organisation, receive a voucher to carry out a preliminary study and test your innovative idea with the help of a Swiss research partner.
