Start­up instead of valley of death

BRIDGE offers researchers the opportunity to turn their results into marketable products. The programme was launched in 2017 and already has a number of success stories to its name. “Without BRIDGE my discovery would have ended up in the valley of death,” says Olga Dubey. During her doctorate, the biologist discovered a natural substance to fight fungi on fruit and vegetables. “It makes it possible to reduce crop losses without using chemicals.” In September 2017, Olga Dubey received a BRIDGE grant. In 2018, she set up her own business and applied for a patent. This year, she intends to present her product to agribusinesses.

“That’s exactly what we are hoping to achieve: promising discoveries should not disappear into thin air but contribute to innovation,” says Chris Boesch, member of the BRIDGE Steering Committee. Since 2017, over 60 projects featuring such discoveries have been awarded funding. Until 2020, a programme budget of 70 million francs is at the disposal of the SNSF and Innosuisse.