Assessing and implementing innovation potential

Aiming to enhance the innovation potential of scientific research, the SNSF and the CTI jointly launched the BRIDGE funding programme in 2016. BRIDGE strengthens cooperation between science, the private sector and society and comprises two distinct funding lines. The first line – Proof of Concept – promotes young researchers who wish to develop an innovative application based on their own research results. Projects generally last for 12 months and can be submitted by scientists from all research fields. A total of 102 projects were submitted in response to the first call in October 2016. As a second funding line, Discovery is aimed at experienced researchers seeking interactions between basic and applied research in order to assess and realise the innovation potential of research results. However, only technological innovations with a strong societal or economic impact will be funded. A Discovery call for projects that last a maximum of four years was launched in December 2016.