Pioneer Innovation Challenge
Join the Innovation Challenge: Team up with experts to create real solutions for the Swiss food system & pitch your ideas to industry leaders!
After this course you will have
- Interdisciplinary teams tackle real-world challenges in the Swiss food system
- Collaboration with industry experts and established companies
- Free participation including coaching and catering
- Build your network & receive direct feedback from industry partners
- Final Pitch Night with opportunities for follow-up projects and partnerships
Course Programme
The concrete challenges for this year’s edition will be published in early August. You can already register now to secure your spot.
If you’d like to get a sense of the industry-partner landscape and the type of challenges you can expect, have a look at the previous editions (2025 and 2024) via the links below.
You’ll also find the provisional timeline further down on this page.
Requirements
Who can participate?
We are looking for motivated students, startups, and researchers from the fields of food, innovation, and management (business administration), as well as from any other discipline with a passion for creative solutions and sustainability. If you are eager to actively develop ideas, expand your network, and grow both professionally and personally, this is the perfect opportunity for you!
Framework and goal of the Challenge
The Challenges are tackled in teams of at least three people. Registration is possible either as an existing team or as an individual. Teams will be assigned to the Challenge partners during the Kick-off event and, if necessary, complemented with additional members with a strong focus on interdisciplinarity.
The Challenge follows an “Open Innovation” approach the goal is to transform the developed solutions into follow-up projects and partnerships with the Challenge partners. These potential collaborations and projects will be formalized individually after the Challenge has concluded.
Timing Challenge sessions
Please note that the Challenge sessions take place on Thursdays (in the late afternoon / outside standard lecture hours).
Overall period: 24.09.-26.11.2026
Application Deadline
The regular application deadline ends on:
The participation, including coaching and catering, is free of charge.
You just missed the deadline?
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