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 Training Measures and Measures to Raise
(Art. 20 para. 1 RIPA)
Art. 26 Training measures
1 Training for science-based entrepreneurship shall be provided in the form of courses, events, webinars or publications in particular. 2 They shall be geared towards persons who: a. wish to establish or have established a science-based company in Switzerland; b. are interested in taking over a science-based company that is registered in Switzerland; or c. wish to reorientate their business activities in Switzerland in particular in order to be more innovative. 3 Innosuisse may commission third parties to implement training measures.
Art. 27 Measures to raise awareness
1 Measures to raise awareness of science-based entrepreneurship shall be implemented in the form of events, webinars or publications in particular. 2 The measures to raise awareness shall be geared towards persons who are interested in establishing or taking over a science-based company or wish to reorientate their business activities in particular in order to be more innovative. 3 Innosuisse may commission third parties to implement such measures.
Section 2 Provision of Information and Advice
(Art. 20 para. 1 and 2 let. d RIPA)
Art. 28
1 The provision of information and advice on science-based entrepreneurship may focus on entrepreneurship in general or the business environment for start-up companies in Switzerland in particular. 2 Third parties may be commissioned to provide the information and advice.
Section 3 Coaching
(Art. 20 para. 2 let. a RIPA)
Art. 29 Purpose
Coaching has the aim of: a. examining and developing the business model and the business plan with regard to marketability and to assess the development status of the planned or established business (initial coaching); b. examining, developing and implementing the business model and the business plan with the aim of entering the market or increasing the market share (core coaching); c. examining, developing and implementing the growth strategy (scale-up coaching).
Art. 30 Submission of the application
1 Start-up companies and their founders are eligible to apply for coaching provided that: a. the start-up company will have its registered office in Switzerland or the start-up company that has its registered office in Switzerland was established no more than five years previously, subject to paragraph 2; in justified cases, a start-up company may be eligible where it has existed for up to ten years; and b. the start-up company is expected to create value in Switzerland. 2 The Innovation Council may specify that for some types of coaching start-up companies that have existed for up to ten years are eligible to apply. It may also specify criteria for the assessment of the justified cases mentioned in paragraph 1 letter a. 3 An application for core coaching shall only be considered if the applicant completes or has concluded initial coaching provided by Innosuisse. 4 An application for scale-up coaching shall only be considered if the number of jobs in the start-up company corresponds to
Art. 31 Assessment criteria
1 The application shall be assessed according to the following criteria: a. the innovative content, measured against the current state of the science and the solutions available for the needs being addressed; b. the market potential; c. the potential of the founders and of their team to implement the business model; d. the stage of development; e. the level of competitiveness; f. the growth potential; g. the performance record and ambitions of founders and their teams; h. the contribution to the sustainable development of society, the economy and the environment. 2 The weighting and assessment of the criteria are determined by the type of coaching requested.
Art. 32 Voucher
1 If the application is approved, the applicant shall be granted a voucher that may be redeemed within a limited period. 2 The amount of the voucher is as follows: a. for initial coaching: a maximum of 10,000 francs; b. for core coaching: a maximum of 50,000 francs; c. for scale-up coaching: a maximum of 75,000 francs. 3 The coaching services may be obtained from the service providers mentioned in Article 20 paragraph 3 RIPA. The coaches shall be paid directly by Innosuisse for the services that they provide. 4 The Innovation Council shall determine the eligible costs.
Art. 33 Confirmation via core coaching
1 Innosuisse may issue the founders or the start-up companies that undergo core coaching with confirmation that the start-up company have met the requirements for longer-term growth. It shall assess this based on the following criteria: a. the durability of the basis and potential to manage growth; b. the financial situation and potential for future funding; c. the abilities of the management team; d. the degree of the access to the market and potential to expand this. 2 The participants in core coaching have no legal right to receive the confirmation while coaching is still underway.
Section 4 Internationalisation Programmes and Inte
(Art. 20 para. 2 let. b RIPA)
Art. 34 Submission of the application
1 Start-up companies and their founders are eligible to apply to participate in an internationalisation programme or at an international trade fair provided they: a. have a valid voucher from Innosuisse for coaching or have successfully concluded core coaching within the past three years; and b. wish to participate in a programme or at a trade fair in order to: 1. familiarise themselves with suitable target markets, 2. validate their business idea in foreign target markets, 3. develop international networks and partnerships, 4. prepare for entry to and enter foreign target markets and thereby potentially generate added value for Switzerland. 2 The Innovation Council may specify the following: the maximum number of applications that a start-up company and its founders may submit; or a maximum amount of support provided to each start-up company and its founders beyond which no further application may be submitted.
Art. 35 Assessment criteria
The application shall be assessed according to the following criteria: a. the potential to achieve the goals in Article 34 letter b; b. the stage of development of the start-up company with a view to achieving the goals pursued through participation; c. the suitability of the internationalisation programme or trade fair for achieving the goals in Article 34 letter b.
Art. 36 Range of services on offer
1 Innosuisse shall offer the following services within the scope of internationalisation programmes or international trade fairs: a. funding to cover part of the cost of participation; b. advice, support and the provision of networking opportunities. 2 It may commission third parties to offer these services. 3 The Innovation Council shall determine the eligible costs under paragraph 1 letter a.
Section 5 Contributions to Improve the Business En
(Art. 20 para. 2 let. c RIPA)
Art. 37 Submission of the application
Organisations, institutions or individuals that are pursuing at least one of the following goals with appropriate measures are entitled to apply for a contribution to improve the business environment: a. improving cooperation between actors in the environment for start-up companies in Switzerland and improving the exploitation of synergies; b. accelerating and guiding the development of the environment for start-up companies in Switzerland in directions relevant to the economy and society; c. creating or developing a significant differentiation in the environment for start-up companies in Switzerland in comparison with other countries.
Art. 38 Assessment criteria
The application shall be assessed according to the following criteria: a. the suitability of the measures for achieving the goals in Article 37; b. the quality of the plan for implementing the measures; c. the ability of the organisation, institution or individual person to implement the measure; d. the potential to generate a positive impact on the environment for start-up companies in Switzerland; e. complementarity with existing offers and the need to support the implementation of measures; f. the cost-benefit ratio.
Art. 39 Calculation of the contributions
1 The contribution covers 50 per cent of expenditure indicated to implement the measures. 2 In justified cases, the contribution may cover up to 80 per cent of the expenditure indicated: a. the institution, organisation or individual person lacks adequate financial resources; or b. the benefit of the measure for the business environment is high. 3 The contribution may cover less than 50 per cent of the expenditure indicated if the financial resources of the institution, organisation or individual person so permits. 4 The Innovation Council shall determine the eligible costs.