Swiss Federal Office of Energy (BFE/OFEN)

Funds Swiss energy research, efficiency, renewable energy, and demonstration programs for public and private partners.

The Swiss Federal Office of Energy, also known as BFE or OFEN, is Switzerland's federal authority for energy supply, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. It operates under the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications and supports Switzerland's Energy Strategy 2050 and long-term climate policy.

Its energy innovation funding runs through the Pilot and Demonstration programme, SWEET, ProKilowatt, and EnergieSchweiz. Those routes span real-world technology trials, consortium research for the energy transition, competitive tenders for electricity efficiency, and project funding for voluntary measures. The record keeps all of these instruments in CHF and places them in Switzerland, with ProKilowatt capped at CHF 6 million and EnergieSchweiz project funding capped at CHF 400,000.

BFE is the strongest match for applicants that can tie a Swiss-based project to energy transition, efficiency, renewable energy, or demonstration at scale. The office is especially relevant when the proposal can show measurable deployment or savings, since its instruments are built to deliver practical impact rather than open-ended research support.