In the case of international innovation projects, the revised RIPA has enabled Innosuisse to adapt its funding conditions to international standards and eliminate competitive disadvantages for Swiss companies, in particular through direct partial funding for Swiss implementation partners in these projects. Demand rose sharply, reaching an exceptionally and unexpectedly high level with more than 500 applications. This represents an increase of 45% compared to the already strong previous year.

Switzerland’s prominent participation in the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs is particularly noteworthy: Innosuisse supported 38 Eurostars projects with a total approved funding contribution of 12.7 million Swiss francs. Demand in the area of international bilateral cooperation was also exceptionally high last year. For example, a record number of 108 applications were submitted in response to the call for projects with Innovate UK. Despite the high standard of applications overall, only 11 projects could be approved due to the limited budget for this call. It is worth mentioning in this context that the evaluations for funding instruments with direct contributions to companies are subject to strict financial due diligence processes in addition to innovation-related assessments to ensure responsible use of resources.

Advice and support for start-ups again saw significant growth, with a new record of 552 coaching applications received in 2024. By the end of the year, more than 640 start-ups were being supported by Innosuisse in this programme. The Swiss entrepreneurial scene is growing steadily and is in great need of support. The coaching programme is characterised by the quality and variety of its services and sets new standards.