Objective of the Innovation Boosters: To create scientific and competitive advantages for Swiss organizations and SMEs.
Number of IBs for the period 2024-2027: 8
Funding: 500K/ year max over 4 years
IBs are temporary initiatives managed by a leading house supported by an alliance of key players around an innovation theme. These key players are ready to support and stimulate a particular innovation theme to bring out radical innovations.
The alliance includes participants from research, business, politics and society.
If the leading house does not contain all alliance members, then it must create appropriate structures to involve the other alliance members.
In addition, the alliance members must demonstrate their motivation and involvement through appropriate supporting statements.
Innovation themes can focus on technological, managerial or social innovation. The IB theme must present a promising basis for the development of new products, processes or services with significant potential for generating added value for the Swiss economy or society.
The choice of theme is defined by the leading house and the alliance: these themes must present a significant potential for added value for the Swiss economy or society, as well as for a wide range of stakeholders in Switzerland and in different sectors.
The innovation theme should identify a series of important challenges and significant opportunities for radical innovations.
A theme that is likely to be of interest to a large number of sectors, industries and communities must remain sufficiently focused to allow for targeted and effective innovation cooperation.
IBs use open innovation and knowledge transfer along the entire value chain surrounding their innovation theme.
It is imperative that alliances demonstrate that they have access to the relevant stakeholder network and communities for their theme, and that they collectively have or have access to the required skills and knowledge.
The IB must demonstrate its ability to stimulate, organize and manage early stage innovation activities to generate radical ideas that have the potential to lead to radically new products, processes or services in the foreseeable future.
IBs develop a two-stage process:
- 1 Challenge stage: engage stakeholders who will form innovation teams to identify existing challenges and examine problems with user-centered methods. the IB thus helps uncover opportunities for radical innovations and design ideas for radical solutions.
- 2 Idea stage: IB provides innovation teams with direct financial and methodological support as needed.
Innovation teams consist of at least one research partner and one development partner. They use IB support for the initial viability, opportunity and feasibility testing of their radical solution ideas.