Swiss Technology Transfer Association

What Swiss Technology Transfer Association does

swiTT (Swiss Technology Transfer Association) is a non-profit professional association founded in 2003 and headquartered in Bern, Switzerland. It serves technology transfer professionals active in moving technology from Swiss public research institutions, universities, university hospitals, and not-for-profit research organizations into the private sector. The organization operates a portfolio of programs and resources including swiTTlist (a curated database of available technologies from Swiss universities), swiTTreport (the annual benchmarking survey of Swiss public research organization technology transfer activities, published since 2009), swiTTacademy (professional training courses covering negotiation, patent valuation, technology evaluation, and export control), swiTTtalk (online peer discussion sessions hosted through LinkedIn), an annual conference, and a members-only portal.

The association generates revenue through a tiered annual membership model (Academic CHF 230, Business CHF 350, Supporting CHF 2,000) supplemented by training and event fees, with non-members paying premium rates for academy courses and the annual conference. Membership is governed by a board and acquired through professional networks, industry events, and collaborations with institutional partners such as Innosuisse and LES Switzerland. swiTT's strategic position rests on its 20-year incumbency as the recognized unifying body for Swiss technology transfer, with formal partnerships with the Swiss Innovation Agency (Innosuisse) and the NTN Innovation Boosters reinforcing its role as a policy interlocutor on IP and commercialization issues within publicly-funded research.

Name

Swiss Technology Transfer Association

Legal name

swiTT

Website

https://switt.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

swiTT is a non-profit Swiss professional association, founded in 2003, that supports technology transfer professionals moving research from Swiss public institutions to the private sector via membership services, training, a technology database, and annual benchmarking reports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from three categories: Academic members (CHF 230/year), Business members (CHF 350/year), and Supporting members (CHF 2,000/year). Membership provides access to member area, networking, and resources.
2. Training and Events: Revenue from swiTTacademy courses (negotiation courses, patent valuation, technology evaluation workshops), annual conferences, and various professional development events. Fees vary by event type and membership status.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

swiTT is a non-profit membership-based professional association that facilitates the transfer of technology from Swiss public research institutions (universities, university hospitals, and not-for-profit research organizations) to the private sector. It operates a central technology listing platform (swiTTlist), publishes the annual swiTTreport benchmarking survey, delivers structured professional training through swiTTacademy and swiTTtalk sessions, and runs the annual swiTT Conference. Members gain access to networking, benchmarking data, training, and visibility of available technologies for licensing or further development.

Product overview

swiTT (Swiss Technology Transfer Association) is an association of technology transfer professionals, not a software product company. It operates as a unified association platform providing services for knowledge and technology transfer (KTT) from Swiss public research institutions to the private sector. The portfolio consists of swiTTlist (technology database), swiTTreport (annual survey), swiTTacademy (training courses), swiTTtalk (online networking via LinkedIn), Success Stories (case studies), the Annual Conference, Technology Alert (notification service), and a Member Area portal. These services work together to facilitate networking, education, and technology commercialization within Switzerland's research ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• swiTTacademy: Training and courses focused on technology transfer activities for members and industry representatives
• swiTTtalk
• swiTTlist
• swiTTreport

Products and services

• swiTTlist Online database of available technologies posted by swiTT member institutions, enabling interested parties (typically industry R&D teams) to identify licensable technologies and initiate contact with the corresponding research institution or TTO to negotiate licence, assignment, or further development.
• swiTTreport Annual publication presenting the results of a benchmarking questionnaire sent to Swiss technology transfer offices; covers the volume, structure, and trends of TT activity in Switzerland, including technology transfer contracts, revenue, expenditure, and other key performance indicators.
• swiTTacademy Half-day (typically 4-hour) professional development workshops delivered by subject-matter experts from the swiTT community, covering specific technology transfer themes (for example, "IP & Licensing Strategy for Data"). Workshops are offered to both members and non-members, with members paying CHF 250 (and non-members CHF 450) per session.
• swiTTtalk Recurring online (virtual) information, training and networking sessions for the Swiss technology transfer community, delivered via Zoom to enable remote participation across Switzerland.
• swiTT Annual Conference One-day in-person flagship event of swiTT, gathering Swiss technology transfer professionals to hear expert presentations, view posters of available technologies, network, and review the results of the annual swiTTreport. Ticketing is structured in tiers (early-bird, regular, on-site, with discounted and free categories for members, students, and Strategic Partners).
• Technology Alert Email-based notification service that alerts subscribers to newly posted technologies on swiTTlist and other relevant technology transfer news.
• Success Stories Publicly browsable online collection of case studies documenting successful technology transfer outcomes (licensed technologies, spin-offs, assignments) originating from Swiss universities and research institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple successful technology transfer projects documented through annual success stories spanning 2009-2025

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered secondary and core.

• Innosuisse NTN Innovation BoosterssecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2021swiTT partners with Innosuisse and the NTN Innovation Boosters to address IP issues within the open innovation context, from ideation phase to development in public-private partnerships.
• InnosuissecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerswiTT collaborates with Innosuisse (Swiss Innovation Agency) on various initiatives including joint events, mentoring programs, and policy discussions around IP conditions in Innosuisse-funded research contracts. The organizations have conducted regional exchange meetings between swiTT members and Innosuisse mentors.
• LES SwitzerlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerswiTT and LES Switzerland co-host the Swiss Technology Transaction & Licensing Summit, combining their expertise in technology transfer and licensing to provide educational content and networking for members of both organizations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• AUTM: Association of University Technology Managers; the largest US-based professional association for technology transfer professionals at universities and research institutions, offering comparable training, annual meeting, and resources for the same target audience as swiTT.
• Alliance of Technology Transfer Professionals (ATTP): Global alliance providing the Registered Technology Transfer Professional (RTTP) certification for tech transfer professionals; works closely with national associations including swiTT and shares the same professional community.
• ASTP: Association of European Science and Technology Transfer Professionals; the closest direct peer as a pan-European membership association for knowledge/tech transfer professionals, offering training, networking, and an annual conference with a comparable mission to swiTT's.
• EARTO: European Association of Research and Technology Organisations; pan-European membership association for public research and technology organisations focused on tech transfer to industry, with a comparable membership-driven model and policy advocacy role to swiTT.
• PraxisAuril: UK's professional association for university knowledge exchange and technology transfer; offers training courses, an annual conference, and member resources in a very similar model to swiTT but serving the UK research base.

Others

• Innosuisse: Swiss Innovation Agency that funds and supports applied research and start-ups; swiTT has a formal strategic partnership with Innosuisse including joint events, mentoring programs, and IP policy collaboration, making it both a partner and ecosystem anchor.

Broad incumbents

• Licensing Executives Society International (LESI): Global professional society for IP and licensing executives; operates as a much larger, broader organization that overlaps with swiTT's mandate on technology licensing and co-hosts the Swiss Technology Transaction & Licensing Summit with swiTT via LES Switzerland.

Regional players

• Knowledge Transfer Ireland (KTI): Ireland's national knowledge transfer office network that facilitates public-research-to-private-sector commercialization; comparable in mandate and offerings (training, networking, industry engagement) to swiTT but serving the Irish research base.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=1869434

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Swiss Technology Transfer Association