The Swiss Science Council SSC publishes its evaluation of Innosuisse
Bern, 04.06.2026 — Today, the Swiss Science Council SSC published its evaluation report on Innosuisse’s funding portfolio. The evaluation concludes that Innosuisse fulfils its statutory mandate and has a coherent funding portfolio. At the same time, the SSC identifies potential for targeted further development – amongst others in the involvement of implementation partners and in access to risk and equity capital.
Innovation is gaining strategic importance
Innovation has gained significant importance in recent years. New technologies, for example in the field of artificial intelligence, are opening up new opportunities for the economy and society. At the same time, innovation is also becoming increasingly important in the geopolitical context, for instance in relation to key technologies and resilient value chains.
The SSC’s evaluation of the Innosuisse portfolio was carried out on behalf of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI. In addition to its own analyses, the SSC based its evaluation on a self-assessment by Innosuisse as well as on external studies concerning the legal framework of Innosuisse (Prof. A. Lienhard, University of Bern) and on international innovation programmes (Technopolis Vienna).
Coherent funding portfolio within the Swiss innovation system
The SSC concludes that the Innosuisse portfolio is in line with its statutory remit. Overall, the portfolio is coherent, and the funding instruments complement one another well. The focus lies on bottom-up funding, while the Flagship Initiative enables the definition of thematic priorities and the proactive tackling of cross-cutting issues such as sustainable development. Furthermore, the Federal Council may commission Innosuisse to implement special programmes, thematic programmes and national initiatives. As a rule, these time-limited programmes are implemented according to the principles of Innosuisse’s project funding.
From a systemic perspective, the Innosuisse portfolio is well integrated into the broader innovation landscape. There is a clear division of responsibilities with other funding programmes. These include cantonal innovation funding, the New Regional Policy (NRP), departmental research, the funding instruments of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), and the EU research and innovation programmes. Swiss innovation stakeholders have no or only limited access to certain funding instruments at national and international level. These include the Small Business Innovation Research Programme (SBIR Programme) and the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA).
Further development of individual funding instruments and need for analysis
With regard to adjustments to the Innosuisse portfolio, the SSC reaches the following conclusions, amongst others: There is potential for better coordination or consolidation in projects without implementation partners, as well as in services related to networking, coaching and training. In addition, the flagship initiative should be aligned more closely with the Federal Council’s cross-sectoral priorities.
The SSC further proposes removing barriers for implementation partners in Innosuisse projects and involving stakeholders from industry, society and public institutions more strongly. It also recommends facilitating access to risk and equity capital.
The evaluation report also identifies a need for further analysis in several areas. This concerns the success rates of applications and their impact on the Innosuisse funding portfolio, the question of direct funding of companies and company-specific funding, and the strategic assessment of dual-use and military research and development.
The evaluation report, the external studies and Innosuisse’s statement are available on the Swiss Science Council’s website: