Swiss start-ups receive financial support from Horizon 2020 SME instrument

Since January 2017, Swiss researchers and organisations are able to fully participate in Horizon 2020, the European Union's research and innovation funding programme. Since then Swiss SME including start-ups are eligible to apply for the Horizon 2020 SME instrument. Provided with about € 3 billion in funding over the period 2014-2020, the SME Instrument helps high-potential SMEs to develop groundbreaking innovative ideas for products, services or processes that are ready to face global market competition.

This week the first Swiss companies were announced which were selected for funding through the SME instrument. These include.

AMPHIRO (Cleantech): connected shower consumption meters

Daedalean (ICT): autonomous flight control for the electric personal aircraft of the near future

DEPsys (Cleantech): smart grid optimisation platform

SENSARS NEUROPROSTHETICS (Medtech): neuroprosthetic device allowing amputees to feel again from missing limbs

Each project will receive €50’000 to finance a feasibility study for innovative products that can disrupt the market. Companies also receive business support services and up to three days of free business coaching.

These companies were selected for a Phase 1 project and may in future apply for a Phase 2 financing scheme, allowing to benefit from a further financing - up to €2.5M - for activities focusing on bringing innovative ideas (product, process, service etc.) to industrial readiness and maturity for market introduction, focusing on demonstration, testing, prototyping, piloting, scaling-up, miniaturization, design, market replication and the like.

To get more info on SME Instrument functioning, eligibility criteria, best practices for proposal preparation, next application deadlines (next one for Phase 1 is on September 6), etc. companies can get in touch with Euresearch SME Contact Points available for support through Euresearch regional offices. Basic information on SME Instrument, as well as on all Horizon 2020 opportunities for companies, is available through the Companies section of Euresearch website.

Euresearch is the Swiss network mandated by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation providing free of charge targeted information, hands-on advice and transnational partnering related to European research and innovation programmes.