SERI confirms CHF 58 million SERI-funded EIC Accelerator Grants for 24 start-ups

Switzerland is currently considered a non-associated third country in the Horizon Package 2021–2027 (Horizon Europe, Euratom programme, Digital Europe Programme and the ITER research infrastructure). As a result, positively evaluated projects are not funded by the European Commission. The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) announced transitional measures for Horizon Europe to directly fund Swiss projects approved in the Accelerator funding instrument of the European Innovation Council (EIC). 

In the 2021 calls, 24 project applications from Swiss start-ups were positively evaluated in the European Commission’s highly competitive selection process. The start-ups will receive a ‘SERI-funded EIC Accelerator Grant’ from the federal government.  

Besides the earlier announced start-ups (Nagi Biosciences, Bloom Biorenewables, Qnami, Scrona, Insolight and Deasyl), the following start-ups have also obtained funding. The majority of the projects already kicked off at the beginning of 2022. 

OxyPrem AG | OXYPREM | CHF 2.2M –Preventing death and disabilities for preterm children.

Plair SA | Rapid-C | CHF 2.7M – Automatic and real-time bio-contamination monitoring for the pharma industry, life sciences and beyond.

Neurosoft Bioelectronics SA | SOFT ECoG | CHF 2.55M – Soft & High-Resolution Neural Interfaces for Epilepsy Surgery Monitoring.

Avantama AG | Perovskite-QDD | CHF 2M – The most cost-efficient quantum dot material technology for stunning colours and energy efficiency in QLED televisions.

Piomic Medical AG | Piomic | CHF 2.7M – Kickstarting chronic wound healing.

Miraex SA | Miraex | CHF 2.7 M – Photonic Sensing Solutions For Extreme Environments.

OXARA AG | Oxara | CHF 1.86M– An admixture technology as a materials solution for sustainable and affordable housing.

Artiria Medical SA | SmartGUIDE | CHF 2.69 M – A breakthrough smart guidewire device for a fast and reliable stroke treatment that will save lives.

Ariadne.ai AG | LMtrace | CHF 2.2m – Revolutionising drug discovery for neurological diseases by combining human and artificial intelligence.

DePoly SA | CycloPlast | CHF 2.7m – the first PET plastic depolymerisation recycling technology to recover 99% of PET materials for the first truly circular plastics economy.

Legacy Healthcare (Switzerland) SA | Coacillium | CHF 2.6M – The world’s first broad-spectrum drug for treating Alopecia associated with an autoimmune condition.

embotechAG | ProRange | CHF 0.56M – Energy-conscious autonomous driving software.

Dimpora AG | SaneMembrane | CHF 1.8 – Non-harmful membranes enabling a sustainable circular economy.

KOVE medical AG | KOVE | 2.1M – Saving babies before birth.

Lumiphase AG | INFERREO | CHF 2.7M – integrated Ferroelectric Electro-Optical Chips.

Swiss Airtainer SA | ATCC | CHF 2.7M – Eco-friendly, cost-competitive and energy self-sustaining temperature-controlled container for the air transport of temperature-sensitive pharma products.

Nuclidium AG (formerly Swiss Nuclides AG) | CuTrace | CHF 2.4 M – Novel, broadly available PET tracers for personalised cancer diagnostics.

gr3n AG | cPET | CHF 2.5M – Turning unrecyclable plastic waste PET into 100% virgin material for a complete circular economy.

Start-ups can still participate in a number of Horizon Europe programmes, thanks to transitional measures from SERI. However, Swiss companies are currently completely excluded from the EIC Accelerator. The Federal Council, therefore, adopted transitional measures on 4 March 2022. Innosuisse will publish the corresponding ‘Swiss Accelerator’ call for proposals on 1 April 2022.

(Press release / RAN)