Mission:

CTI the Innovation Promotion Agency is the Swiss Government's premier tool to support knowledge and technology transfer between businesses and universities. Within the scope of Swiss economy policy CTI contributes to strengthen the innovation performance of Switzerland’s business sector through acceleratingthe process of turning new scientific knowledge into innovative products, processes and services.

Budget:

For the fiscal year 2007, € 65 m

Activities:

CTI's main activity (60% of its annual budget) is funding of R&D projects carried out by business enterprises in collaboration with public research institutions. Projects are generated bottom-up. CTI funding covers the costs of the research institutions (salaries of research staff), around 50% of total project costs.

Support of R&D-consortia, i.e. associations of research institutions, businesses and public service organisations focussed on a thematic or sector-specific subject with a long-term perspective. R&D-consortia (networks, clusters) are generated bottom-up. The main objective is to enhance the capabilities of its participants to generate joint R&D-projects and thus create economic and social added value.

Support of knowledge and technology transfer between public research institutions and business enterprises is done with special emphasis on the demand-pull by SMEs. Professional coaching of SMEs is provided through technology and business experts. This program is run conjointly with Switzerland’s major industry associations.

Encouragement of entrepreneurship in Switzerland is done by means of two specific programmes. Through its venturelab education and training programme CTI aims to encourage university students to set out on their own enterprise. Since 1996, CTI has also been supporting individuals to set up new companies through its initiative CTI Start-up. Until today, more than 1500 projects have been reviewed. Of these, 122 have been awarded the CTI Start-up label, which is by now regarded as a prestigious quality-label.

CTI also supports researchers and businesses in joining international innovation programmes, e.g. EUREKA, EU-FRP, Intelligent Manufacturing Systems IMS, as well as bilateral international R&D co-operations with emerging economies.

Staff:

22 employees
In addition 95 external scientific and business experts and start-up coaches

Contact:

Beat Hotz-Hart, managing director a.i.
Franziska Schwarz, international affairs
Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology
Innovation Promotion Agency CTI
Effingerstrasse 27
CH-3003 Berne

www.kti-cti.ch
www.bbt.admin.ch