An easy way to a global network for market-oriented researchers

By connecting scientists from top institutions in Switzerland, Brazil and India, the Academy-Industry Training Camps promote an international network and access to two of the most promising markets and intellectual capital in applied research. The goal is to bring high level applied research into the market and to support researchers on their way to become entrepreneurs. In addition the camps are an ideal opportunity for networking among the participants to foster new partnerships and collaborations. Another important goal is to enhance the knowledge and skills of future entrepreneurs for a possible market application of their research product.

Wiktor Lisowski, researcher at EPFL and founder of Biosemic, was one of the participants of the AIT camp India in 2014 and the AIT Camp Switzerland in 2015. In an extensive interview published on the venturelab website he describes his experience. The AIT camps helped him to validate his business hypothesis, to make relevant connections and to discover the rich entrepreneurial ecosystem of Bangalore.

In addition Wiktor Lisowski won the AIT Innovation Grant of CHF 10,000 at the end of the program with Ulrike Kettenberger (ZolidBone) and  Endre Horvath (Swoxid), two EPFL scientists as well. Swiss-based participants of the next AIT camps will also have the opportunity to win this grant. It will be awarded at the AIT camp in Switzerland taking place in April 2016 and marking the end of AIT cycle.

The programme, co-organised by EPFL, venturelab, swissnex India and swissnex Brazil is open to high-level and carefully selected researchers: Master, PhD, Postdocs and researchers of Swiss Universities, Universities of Applied Science and research institutes or centres of technological excellence with research track record working on a non-profit basis (cf. LERI Art. 15 for details) - seeking to explore the successful market application of their high-level applied research.

Applications are open until 12th of August 2015. The camp in Brazil will take place in October, the camp in India in November 2015. More information on the venturelab website.

Picture: swissnex Brazil