The Innovation Council is the specialised body of Innosuisse that is at the centre of the agency’s innovation promotion activities. The main duty of the Innovation Council is to review, analyse and take decisions on funding applications and to support the execution of funding activities. To carry out its work, the Innovation Council has access to a pool of experts with dedicated specialties. The Innovation Council also plays a key role in drafting the funding strategy to be approved by the Board of Innosuisse.
In its selection of innovation councillors, the Board of Directors focuses on personalities that have an excellent track record in innovation, who are professionally active and can put their experience to the best use for its tasks for Innosuisse. The Innovation Council also has a diverse composition in a cultural sense: twelve members work in German-speaking Switzerland, nine in Romandy, and two each in Ticino and abroad.
The members of the Innovation Council are elected for a period of four years.
Members
Chairwoman
- Christoph Rüttimann, Bystronic Group
Vice Chairman
- Leila Schwery, Cilag GmbH International
Members
- Gaëlle Andreatta, Apheros
- David Brown, Logan Brown Sàrl
- Nicoletta Casanova, FEMTOprint SA
- Nathalie Casas, EMPA
- Toufann Chaudhuri, DLMS User Association
- Elena Cortona, Belimo Automation
- Alethia De Leon, Senes Science GmbH
- Nicolas Demartines, CHUV
- Bettina Ernst, PRECLIN Biosystems AG
- Vanina Farber, IMD
- Nicole Herzog, Agilentia AG (Sherpany)
- Renat Heuberger, South Pole Group
- Samira Jafari, Dätwyler Schweiz AG
- Malick Kane, Swiss University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland (HES-SO)
- Christian Lovis, University of Geneva (UNIGE) and Geneva University Hospital (HUG)
- Claudia Pletscher, Metall Zug AG
- Thomas Puschmann, Swiss FinTech Innovation Lab
- Silvia Quarteroni, Swiss Data Science Center
- Raphael M. Reischuk, Zühlke
- Philippe Renaud, ETH Lausanne
- Gisbert Schneider, ETH Zurich and Singapore-ETH Centre
- Stelio Tzonis, Eduxia SA
Vested interests
Thematic and cross-thematic units of the Innovation Council and the tasks assigned to them
Thematic units
Cross-thematic units
The thematic units make decisions within the remit of the Innovation Council on funding applications for all funding instruments that are thematically assigned to them. They also provide scientific guidance to accompany the funding, where the responsibility is not assigned to the plenum, an individual member of the Innovation Council or a cross-thematic unit.
There are five thematic units, as follows:
- Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
- Life Sciences
- Engineering
- Energy & Environment
- Social Sciences & Business Management
Flagship
The Flagship unit is responsible for accompanying the implementation and further development of the funding within the framework of the Flagship Initiative. In this context, it makes decisions e.g. on funding applications submitted under a call for proposals by the Flagship Initiative. It also prepares a process for the plenum of the Innovation Council concerning the definition of future topics.
Swiss Accelerator
The Swiss Accelerator unit is tasked with attending the presentations during the third and final phase of the evaluation and decision-making process in the case of calls for proposals under the Swiss Accelerator, as well as making the funding decisions for this phase. In addition, the Swiss Accelerator unit accompanies the projects during the funding period.
Knowledge and Technology Transfer (KTT)
The KTT unit is responsible for making all decisions within the remit of the Innovation Council regarding contributions to Innovation Booster and Neworking Event Series.
Entrepreneurship
The Entrepreneurship unit is tasked with taking decisions on contracts with third parties in the areas of information and advisory services, training and awareness-raising measures, and internationalisation programmes and international trade fairs, where these decisions do not fall within the remit of the Innovation Council plenum.
Further information
Last modification 05.01.2024
