Gebert Ruf Stiftung InnoBooster
Gebert Ruf Stiftung · Spin-off grant
$184KUp to CHF 150,000 (~$185k) for up to 1.5 years, paid to the university, for salaries and materials that speed up a deep-tech spin-off's market entry
Swiss foundation grant for university-based deep-tech spin-off projects already in the Venture Kick process, funding an R&D or design boost before market entry.
Key terms
- Project and founding team must remain based at a Swiss university or research institution (ETH Domain, cantonal university, university of applied sciences)
- Must be in Venture Kick, past stages 1 and 2 but not yet stage 3, and complete Venture Kick (deliberately quitting means repaying the grant)
- Needs proof of concept, secured IP, first customers or partners, and endorsement letters from a funding programme (e.g. BRIDGE PoC, Innosuisse) and from customers or investors
- Max CHF 150,000 for up to 18 months; salaries and project materials only, no infrastructure or overheads; funding goes to the university
- Quarterly deadlines: 2026-12-01, 2027-02-01, 2027-05-01, 2027-09-01; invited teams pitch to the Board (22 Feb 2027 for the December round)
Eligibility
- Where
- Switzerland
- Stages
- pre-seed
- Needs VC/accelerator backing
- Yes
- Needs partner referral code
- No
- Must be incorporated
- No
- AI focus required
- No
- Students / researchers
- Eligible
- Nonprofits
- Not eligible
Also required
- Team based at a Swiss university or research institution
- In Venture Kick (stage 2 passed, not stage 3)
- Deep-tech spin-off with proof of concept and IP
How to apply
Upload the InnoBooster application form, single PDF with attachments, project presentation and elevator pitch on the Gebert Ruf Stiftung web portal by a quarterly deadline (next 1 December 2026).
- Benefit
- cash
- Equity-free
- Yes
- Decision time
- —
- Credit validity
- —
- Deadline
- 2026-12-01 (then 2027-02-01, 2027-05-01, 2027-09-01)
- Status
- Open
Verified 2026-11-09 · source