Interview with: Dominique Gruhl-Bégin

Could you briefly introduce Innosuisse, its mission and role as the Swiss Innovation Agency?

Innosuisse is the Swiss Innovation Agency. The key to economic success lies in staying ahead, which requires a combination of knowledge, foresight, courage, research and development, and effective implementation. That's why Innosuisse promotes innovation: efficiently, close to the market and in strong collaboration with partners We support SMEs, start-ups, research institutions and other Swiss organisations in their research and development and innovation activities. Innosuisse is a springboard for national or international innovation. The agency facilitates knowledge transfer and supports the partnership between academia and the market with innovation projects and networking. In addition, it offers start-up funding, training and coaching, thereby laying the groundwork for successful Swiss start-ups as well as innovative products and services created by SMEs and other innovative organisations.

Could you highlight Innosuisse’s main tools for backing AI innovation—for instance, innovation projects with implementation partners, funding instruments, coaching, internationalisation?

Organisations from all sectors are eligible for funding from Innosuisse – including, of course, those working in the field of AI. Our most important support offer is national innovation projects between a Swiss company (e.g. an SME, a start-up, a large company or other organisations) and a research partner (e.g. a university, a federal institute of technology or a university of applied sciences). The aim of these projects is to use the latest research findings to develop innovative products and services that offer added value for the Swiss economy and society on the market.

The Innosuisse Guide provides a good overview of all our funding opportunities: www.innosuisse.guide.

What is the differentiator in working with Innosuisse for an SME, a start-up or a research institution exploring AI?

Innosuisse’s funding enables smaller companies without their own research departments to pursue science-based innovation and to gain access to the knowledge of Swiss universities. To provide additional support to organisations with up to 250 FTEs, 41 innovation mentors accredited by Innosuisse assist companies in the process of developing an innovation project. For example, they help them to find a suitable research partner or to initiate a concrete project. For startups, Innosuisse funds research projects that will allow them to accelerate their market entry and also supports them through personalised coaching from experienced entrepreneurs to support their growth.

Any recent AI-related success stories or initiatives where Innosuisse support was pivotal (e.g. funded innovation projects)?

Innosuisse supports many start-ups, SMEs and other organisations in the field of AI on their innovation journey.

For example, the Ticino-based SME Cube Finance has developed an intelligent system designed to detect fraudulent banking transactions more efficiently, thereby helping to counteract money laundering. Currently undergoing trials in Ticino, this system aims to provide financial institutions with the means to reduce costs and enhance their compliance strategies.

A second example is that of the start-up amaise. Artificial intelligence extracts the relevant facts from unstructured medical data and answers experts’ questions at a high medical level and in natural language. Those who use the software from the Innosuisse-supported start-up are up to 80 per cent faster and four times more accurate. This reduces the duration of proceedings in the event of accidents – a decisive factor for the reintegration of accident victims and patients.

Innosuisse also supports an Innovation Booster in the field of artificial intelligence. The Innovation Booster cultivates open and collaborative responses to meet today’s challenges. It allows participants to develop radical ideas that can then be tested in practice through co-creation.

How and where can SMEs sign up and register for the Innosuisse AI innovation programe?

There is no specific AI support offer; all our support offers are open to all disciplines. Many of our support offers are opened to applicants on ongoing basis. The conditions and criteria for all funding offers can be found on our website.

About Innosuisse

Innosuisse’s role is to promote science-based innovation in the interests of industry and society in Switzerland. It especially promotes the partnership between the market and academia with innovation projects, networking, training and coaching, thereby laying the groundwork for successful Swiss SMEs and start-ups, products and services.

The Innosuisse Guide helps you find the right support offer in just a few steps (www.innosuisse.guide).

Visit our website: https://www.innosuisse.admin.ch/en

About the Swiss AI Summit

Swiss AI Summit takes place on 17 November 2025 at Park Hyatt Zürich, featuring diverse industries such as Finance, Sustainability, Manufacturing, Cybersecurity, Life Science & Healthcare, and Quantum Computing and aims to bring together leaders, experts and founders in the field of artificial intelligence to explore the latest trends and foster peer to peer networking among decision makers. The Summit is more than just an event, it is the first Swiss AI business platform with its own media arm – Swiss AI Magazine - and community offering a unique playing field for collaboration, visibility, and innovation. With its three main pillars (flagship event, magazine & community) SWAIS empowers premium partnerships and helps accelerate AI adoption across sectors.

Visit our website: www.swissaisummit.com

Disclaimer

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