Innosuisse Funding Ordinance
English is not an official language of the Swiss Confederation. This translation is provided for information purposes only, has no legal force and may not be relied on in legal proceedings.
Section 1 Contributions to Innovation Projects wit
(Art. 19 para. 1–2ter RIPA; Art. 38 RIPO)
Art. 7 Submission of the application
1 An application for a contribution for an innovation project that is conducted with implementation partners must be submitted jointly by at least two project partners; the project partners must comprise at least one research partner and at least one implementation partner. 2 The research partners may be: a. higher education research centres under Article 4 letter c RIPA; b. non-commercial research centres outside the higher education sector as defined in Article 5 RIPA; c. policy research institutions under Article 16 paragraph 3 RIPA that must conduct their own research projects for the proper fulfilment of their remit; d. federal research institutes under Article 17 RIPA. 3 Implementation partners must have a registered office in Switzerland. In specific cases foreign implementation partners may be permitted provided an essential part of the anticipated value created from implementation is generated in Switzerland. 4 The research and the implementation partners must be independent o
Art. 8 Assessment criteria
The application shall be assessed according to the following criteria: a. the innovative content of the project, measured against the current state of the science and the available solutions for the needs being addressed; b. the potential for effective implementation of the project results and the anticipated value creation for the Swiss economy or society; c. the quality of the project planning, qualitative and quantitative goals and implementation plans for generating the intended economic or social benefit d. the abilities of the personnel; e. the contribution to the sustainable development of society, the economy and the environment; f. the cost-benefit ratio.
Art. 9 Calculation of the contributions and payment of additional costs
1 The contribution shall be calculated on the basis of the following budgeted direct project costs incurred by the research partners: a. personnel costs under Article 10; b. material costs of carrying out projects that do not concern the basic equipment of a research centre; c. coordination costs in the case of multi-disciplinary projects involving a multi-system approach and several project partners. 2 The only costs taken into account shall be those that are essential for the proper conduct of the project and which are not covered by the financial contributions made by the implementation partners to the research partners in accordance with Article 11 paragraph 4. 3 Costs that exceed the budgeted project costs may be reimbursed without having to submit an additional application insofar as the expenditure: a. is required to carry out the project; and b. is due to minor project changes, to inflation or to other reasons over which the project partners have no influence. 4 The Innovation
Art. 10 Personnel costs
1 The gross salaries of the personnel actually paid for the time worked on the project are eligible. 2 The Innovation Council shall decide on the maximum amounts of the eligible gross salaries. The maximum amounts may only be exceeded if it is proven in the case in question that the contribution of more highly paid personnel is essential for the conduct of the project. 3 In addition to the gross salaries, the employer contributions effectively paid under the Federal Act of 20 December 1946 on Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance (OASIA), the Federal Act of 19 June 1959 on Invalidity Insurance (InvIA), the Loss of Earnings Compensation Act of 25 September 1952 (LECA), the Federal Act of 25 June 1982 on Occupational Old Age, Survivors’ and Invalidity Pension Provision (OPA), the Unemployment Insurance Act of 25 June 1982 (UIA) and the Federal Act of 20 March 1981 on Accident Insurance (AIA) are eligible. 4 The Innovation Council shall decide how the salary costs under paragraph 1 and the soc
Para. 3 — SR 831.10 Para. 3 — SR 831.20 Para. 3 — SR 834.1 Para. 3 — SR 831.40 Para. 3 — SR 837.0 Para. 3 — SR 832.20
Art. 11 Contribution of the implementation partners to the project costs
1 The implementation partners must contribute to the project costs to the extent of 40–60 per cent of the eligible direct overall project costs. A lower or higher contribution from the implementation partners is possible in accordance with Article 19 paragraphs 2bis and 2ter RIPA. 2 The contribution by the implementation partners comprises own contributions and financial contributions to the research partners. 3 The following are allowable as an implementation partner’s own contribution: a. the personnel costs incurred by the implementation partner for the working hours effective performed and required for the project, calculated on the basis of the maximum amounts in accordance with Article 10 paragraph 2; b. the effective material costs incurred by the implementation partner and required for the project. 4 The financial contributions must be agreed jointly by the project partners and must amount to at least five per cent of the direct overall project costs. 5 The research partner mus
Art. 12 Overhead contributions
1 The contribution towards overheads is calculated as a percentage of the project costs in accordance with Article 9. 2 The applicable percentage is defined for the subsequent calendar year and published on the Innosuisse website. Significant differences in the overhead costs may be taken into account when determining the percentage. 3 The applicable percentages are those that apply at the time that the application is submitted. 4 The contribution towards overheads shall be paid at the same time as the contribution instalments for the direct project costs and is apportioned according to the same percentage as the latter.
Art. 13 Administration of contributions
1 Where several research partners are involved in a project, they must designate a funding management body, which shall administer grant funding received. 2 The funding management body represents all project partners in dealings with Innosuisse, administers grant funding, submits reports to Innosuisse and is responsible for providing the project partners with information. 3 The project partners must provide the funding management body with all the reports, documents and receipts that are required by law or by contract. 4 The Innovation Council shall specify the tasks of the funding management body.
Section 2 Contributions to Innovation Projects wit
Art. 14 Submission of the application
Research partners in accordance with Article 7 paragraph 2 are eligible to apply for a contribution for an innovation project without implementation partners. The application may be submitted by one or more research partners.
Art. 15 Assessment criteria
The application shall be assessed according to the following criteria: a. the above average innovation potential of the project, measured against the current state of the science and the available solutions for the needs being addressed; b. the level of risk in implementing the innovation, given the current state of the science; c. the prospect of convincing potential implementation partners of the commercial potential of the research results and thus of the economic or social benefits to Switzerland; d. quality of the project planning, qualitative and quantitative goals and implementation plans for generating the intended economic or social benefit; e. the abilities of the personnel; f. the contribution to the sustainable development of society, the economy and the environment; g. the cost-benefit ratio.
Art. 16 Calculation of the contributions and maximum duration
1 The calculation of the contribution is governed by Article 9 and the calculation of the contribution towards overheads by Article 12. 2 The Innovation Council shall stipulate a maximum duration for projects without implementation partners.
Section 3 Contributions to Innovation Projects con
(Art. 19 para. 3bis RIPA)
Art. 17 Submission of the application
Companies that have their registered office in Switzerland and which were established no more than five years previously are eligible to apply for a contribution for an innovation project by a start-up company; in justified cases, a company that has existed for no more than ten years may be eligible.
Art. 18 Type of projects and assessment criteria
1 The innovation project must be based on scientific research work that is to be developed in the project and then quickly implemented. 2 The application shall be assessed according to the criteria set out in Article 8. In addition, it shall be assessed whether the start-up company has the financial capacity to provide its own contributions as required in the course of the project.
Art. 19 Calculation of the contributions and implementing provisions
1 The contribution shall be calculated based on the following budgeted direct project costs: personnel costs in accordance with Article 10 paragraphs 1–4; material costs of carrying out the project. 2 The only costs to be taken into account are those that are essential for the proper conduct of the project and which are not covered by another salary. 3 The percentage of costs under paragraph 1 that are covered by the contribution is determined by the following criteria: a. the project realisation risks; b. the potential for value creation and size of the user group that will benefit from any successful implementation; c. the start-up company’s financial resources. 4 The Innovation Council may specify a maximum amount, a maximum percentage and a maximum duration for contributions to projects by start-up companies. 5 It may make the payment of contributions dependent on the co-financing of the project by third parties. 6 The assumption of costs that exceed the budgeted project costs is g
Section 4 Contributions to Innovation Projects by
(Art. 19 para. 3ter RIPA)
Art. 20 Submission of the application
1 Small and medium-sized enterprises are eligible to apply for a contribution to an innovation project by a company in accordance with Article 19 paragraph 3ter RIPA provided they: a. have their registered office in Switzerland; b. are already established in the market; and c. are striving to achieve the rapid and effective implementation of the results of the project and scalability. 2 An application shall only be considered if Swiss companies are denied access to the funding offered for individual projects by the European Commission.
Art. 21 Type of projects and assessment criteria
1 The innovation project must meet the following criteria: a. it must have above average innovation potential; b. it must have the potential for a scalable product or a scalable service; and c. the product or the service is already close to market introduction or use. 2 The application shall be assessed according to the criteria set out in Article 8. In addition, it shall be assessed whether the company has the financial capacity to provide its own contribution as required.
Art. 22 Calculation of the contributions and maximum duration
1 The contribution shall be calculated based on the following budgeted direct project costs: personnel costs in accordance with Article 10 paragraphs 1–4; material costs of carrying out the project. 2 The only costs to be taken into account are those that are essential for the proper conduct of the project. 3 The percentage of costs under paragraph 1 that are covered by the contribution is determined by the following criteria: project realisation risks; the potential for value creation and size of the user group that will benefit from any successful implementation; the company’s financial resources. 4 The Innovation Council may specify a maximum amount, a maximum percentage and a maximum duration for contributions to projects by small and medium-sized enterprises. 5 The assumption of costs that exceed the budgeted project costs is governed by Article 9 paragraph 3.
Section 5 Innovation Cheques
(Art. 19 para. 4 RIPA)
Art. 23 Submission of the application
Small and medium-sized enterprises that have their registered office in Switzerland are eligible to apply for a voucher for a preliminary study (innovation cheque).
Art. 24 Type of preliminary study and assessment criteria
1 Preliminary studies must assist in determining the effective feasibility of innovation projects by companies. In particular, they may take the form of: a. idea studies and concept developments; b. analyses of the innovation and market potential of processes, products, services or technologies. 2 The application shall be assessed according to the following criteria: a. the innovative content of the project, measured against the current state of the science and the available solutions for the needs being addressed; b. the potential benefit to the company of the preliminary study; c. the contribution to the sustainable development of society, the economy and the environment; d. the cost-benefit ratio.
Art. 25 Innovation cheque
1 If the application is approved, the company shall receive an innovation cheque worth up to 15,000 francs and which may be redeemed within a limited period. 2 It may redeem the innovation cheque with a research partner under Article 7 paragraph 2. 3 The Innovation Council may specify a period within which a company that has been granted an innovation cheque may not apply for a further innovation cheque.