BRIDGE is a joint initiative by Innosuisse and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), designed to accelerate the journey from academic research to market-ready innovation. With non-dilutive grants and tailored support, BRIDGE empowers both young and experienced researchers to turn scientific discoveries into practical solutions, strengthening Switzerland’s economy and global competitiveness. The program offers two main funding tracks: “Proof of Concept” for early-stage ideas and “Discovery” for more advanced projects, making it an invaluable resource for FinTech founders and academic entrepreneurs.
Why is BRIDGE needed and what does it set apart?
There is fierce competition for limited funding resources. Funding agencies receive far more proposals than they can support, resulting in low acceptance rates-often below 10% for many grants. Funding bodies impose strict criteria regarding applicants’ qualifications, institutional affiliations, and research track record. Early-career researchers or those without an established history may find it especially hard to qualify or be competitive. BRIDGE targets the critical phase between basic research and market-ready innovation, a stage often underfunded by traditional grant schemes.
BRIDGE proposals are evaluated by panels comprising experts from science, business, and industry, ensuring a balanced assessment of both scientific merit and innovation potential. This multidisciplinary evaluation helps reduce bias toward traditional metrics and encourages diverse project types. BRIDGE emphasizes not just research quality but also the potential for real-world impact, including economic, societal, and environmental benefits. This aligns funding decisions with broader public and market needs, helping researchers demonstrate relevance.
How fast and easy is the application process?
The evaluation process for Proof of Concept projects typically takes about 3 months from the application deadline to the funding decision. This is a relatively short turnaround in the context of research funding, allowing young researchers to move quickly from proposal to project start. The evaluation process for Discovery projects is longer, generally taking about 6 months from submission to decision. This reflects the larger scale and complexity of these projects.