Innovation Funding (Innovationsförderung)

Swiss Climate Foundation Innovation Funding

Supports climate-tech companies in Switzerland and Liechtenstein through Swiss Climate Innovation funding for field deployment.

Eligibility · Switzerland, Liechtenstein

The Swiss Climate Foundation's Innovation Funding programme is the foundation's primary active funding track, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in Switzerland and Liechtenstein that are developing technical innovations to reduce or avoid greenhouse-gas emissions with a clear path to market entry. The programme opens twice per year: Round 1 closes on March 1 with Foundation Board decisions issued in June, and Round 2 closes on September 1 with decisions issued in November. For 2026, Round 1 funded eight projects totalling more than CHF 1 million; Round 2 accepts applications until September 1, 2026.

Grants cover a maximum of CHF 200,000 per project and may not exceed 50% of total project costs — applicants must independently secure the remaining 50% through their own resources or co-funders. Funding can be structured either as a non-repayable grant or as an interest-free risk loan, with the form determined case-by-case in the funding agreement. Disbursement is milestone-based. Eligible applicants are SMEs with no more than 250 employees, headquartered and primarily operating in Switzerland or Liechtenstein, that are not in their initial start-up phase and are less than 50% owned by large corporations or public-sector entities. Projects involving pure research without a market path, electric vehicle development, internal combustion engine efficiency improvements, and carbon-offset schemes are explicitly excluded.

Applications are submitted through the foundation's online portal at funding.klimastiftung.ch. Required submission materials include a project description, detailed budget, and a quantified CO₂-savings calculation. The Foundation Board scores applications against technical novelty, market readiness, economic feasibility, and efficiency of funding use — lower funding requests relative to impact are prioritised. Organisations developing hardware-based climate technologies at the late prototype or pre-commercial stage are the programme's primary target applicants.