Innosuisse

What Innosuisse does

Innosuisse is the Swiss Innovation Agency, a federal government entity established in 2018 and operating under the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). Headquartered in Bern with 101–250 employees, the agency promotes science-based innovation in Switzerland by providing non-dilutive funding, advisory services, and international market access to Swiss SMEs, start-ups, research institutions, and other organizations engaged in research and development. Its core service portfolio comprises national and international project funding, project set-up assistance, networking support, and specialized start-up support including the Innosuisse Certificate investment-readiness label.

The agency's product surface is administrative rather than technological. The Innolink application platform manages the full lifecycle of grant applications from submission through case assignment to Innosuisse staff, while the Innosuisse Guide is an interactive tool that routes users to the appropriate funding and advisory offerings. Internationally, the agency coordinates Swiss national pavilions at CES, VivaTech, BIO, and Slush through the Swisstech Campaign, typically deploying 17–31 startups per delegation. Bilateral cooperation programmes with the United Kingdom, Poland (NCBR), and South Korea generate recurring cross-border R&D pipelines, and flagship national consortia such as the CHF 18.25M NAIPO (AI in oncology) and CHF 11.2M SwissNeuroRehab demonstrate capacity for large multi-institutional program orchestration.

Innosuisse does not generate commercial revenue. It is fully financed through Swiss federal budget allocations, with funding awarded on a competitive, merit-based application process. The agency's economic model is therefore that of a public-policy instrument: it does not seek ROI on deployed capital but measures impact in funded projects, commercialized innovations, and supported startups. This structure subjects the agency to the EP27 federal budget relief programme, under which a proposed 10% cut would reduce the number of funded innovation projects by approximately 120 annually across the 2027–2029 horizon.

Name

Innosuisse

Legal name

Innosuisse (Swiss Innovation Agency)

Website

https://innosuisse.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Innosuisse is the Swiss federal innovation agency that provides non-dilutive funding, advisory services, and international market access to Swiss SMEs, start-ups, and research institutions engaged in R&D. It is fully financed through Swiss federal budget allocations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Innovation Funding Agency

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery) (BPADAEAA)

Keywords

• Innovation funding programs
• Research and development support
• Startup support services
• SME innovation grants
• Technology transfer programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Berne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Innosuisse is Switzerland's federal innovation agency that provides non-dilutive funding and support services to Swiss SMEs, start-ups, research institutions, and other Swiss organisations for science-based R&D and innovation projects. Its offerings include national and international project funding, project set-up and networking assistance, specialised start-up support covering creation, growth, and international market entry, and the Innosuisse Certificate program signaling investment readiness. The agency facilitates collaboration and knowledge transfer between industry and research institutions and operates the Innolink application platform and Innosuisse Guide tool to manage applications and help applicants find suitable support offers.

Product overview

Innosuisse is the Swiss Innovation Agency offering a unified portfolio of funding programs and support services for Swiss SMEs, start-ups, research institutions and organisations. The core offering consists of national and international project funding programs, supplemented by the Innosuisse Guide (an interactive support-finding tool) and the Innolink Application Platform for managing funding applications. Additional services include project set-up assistance, networking support, and specialized start-up support covering creation, growth, and international expansion. Innosuisse does not offer a software product in the traditional sense—it provides non-dilutive funding, advisory services, and networking opportunities to foster Swiss innovation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Project Funding
• International Project Funding
• Project Set-up Assistance and Networking
• Start-up Support
• Innosuisse Guide
• Innolink Application Platform

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Swiss Biotech AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026Swiss Biotech Association collaborates with Innosuisse and Switzerland Global Enterprise to organize the Swiss pavilion at BIO 2026 in San Diego, featuring 21 Swiss biotech startups and established companies showcasing innovations in drug discovery and development.
• armasuissecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2026Innosuisse and armasuisse jointly launched a call for projects in the field of dual-use technologies, addressing a priority of the Federal Council's armaments policy to strengthen research and innovation in security. The initiative was launched by André Kudelski, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Innosuisse, and Urs Loher, National Armaments Director at armasuisse.
• EnerdrapeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Enerdrape, a geothermal panel technology company, received the Innosuisse Certificate in late 2025, a readiness label signaling sustainable growth and external investment readiness. The company serves over 25 customers across Switzerland, France, and the USA.
• 4K-MEMSminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 20254K-MEMS, a compact infrared emitter developer founded in 2020 in Neuchâtel, received the Innosuisse Certificate and has raised CHF 3.7 million, planning to close a seed round for product industrialization.
• Switzerland Global EnterprisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwitzerland Global Enterprise collaborates with Innosuisse to organize Switzerland's official presence at international trade events including BIO 2026, VivaTech 2026, CES 2026, and Slush, showcasing Swiss innovation under the Swisstech Campaign.
• NCBR (National Centre for Research and Development, Poland)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Swiss-Polish Cooperation Programme, implemented by Innosuisse and NCBR, strengthens partnerships through increased project proposals in applied research, especially in engineering and technology. The second call for projects saw a 47% increase in proposals, with projects scheduled to run until 2029.
• Presence SwitzerlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresence Switzerland partners with Innosuisse and Switzerland Global Enterprise to organize Swiss national pavilions at international technology events including CES and Slush, promoting Swiss innovation globally under the Swisstech Campaign.
• SwissNeuroRehab ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMindMaze Therapeutics participates in SwissNeuroRehab, a CHF 11.2 million Innosuisse-backed national consortium involving Swiss university hospitals, focused on digital neurorehabilitation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Business Finland: Finnish government organization for innovation funding and internationalization, providing grants and services to Finnish SMEs and startups. Highly comparable in mandate (innovation funding + trade fair delegation support) and in supporting a small, advanced economy's startup ecosystem.
• Israel Innovation Authority: Israel's national innovation funding agency providing grants to Israeli high-tech and innovation companies. Comparable as a small-country innovation funding body with strong international trade delegation programs and deep tech focus.
• Innovate UK: UK's national innovation agency (part of UKRI) that funds business-led R&D and innovation across sectors. Closely aligned with Innosuisse in mission, funding mechanisms (competitive grants for SMEs and research institutions), and bilateral cooperation programs (notably a Switzerland-UK call).
• Vinnova: Sweden's innovation agency funding research and innovation projects. Comparable as a small-country national innovation funding body with grant programs for SMEs, startups, and research institutions, and a similar scale of operations.
• Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG): Austria's national funding agency for industrial research and development, operating under the Federal Ministry for Climate Action. Comparable as a small European country's national R&D funding body serving SMEs, startups, and research institutions.
• CDTI (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico e Industrial): Spain's public innovation agency under the Ministry of Science and Innovation that funds R&D projects for Spanish companies. Comparable as a national government innovation funding body with grant and loan instruments for SMEs and large companies.

Broad incumbents

• Bpifrance: France's public investment bank and innovation agency that funds French SMEs, startups, and R&D projects through grants, loans, and equity. Directly comparable as a national government-backed innovation funding body serving a similar SME/startup customer base with non-dilutive and dilutive capital instruments.
• Horizon Europe / European Innovation Council (EIC): EU's flagship research and innovation funding program with the EIC as its innovation-focused arm. Relevant as a larger supranational alternative for Swiss applicants (Switzerland's association status has been uncertain), and as a benchmark for the scale of EU innovation funding.

Regional players

• Enterprise Singapore: Singapore government agency supporting enterprise development and innovation, including grants and internationalization programs. Comparable as a national innovation agency with government backing, grant funding, and international market access programs for SMEs and startups in a small advanced economy.

Others

• Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF): Switzerland's main research funding body, also affected by the EP27 budget cuts. Complementary rather than directly competitive with Innosuisse (SNSF funds basic academic research; Innosuisse funds applied/innovation projects), but jointly forms the Swiss federal R&D funding ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Innosuisse
• Facebookfacebook.com/Innosuisse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/innosuisse
• Xx.com/Innosuisse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments237 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Innosuisse