First funding round 2024: CHF 1.3 million for 10 climate-innovative projects

"The fact that we have achieved this impressive amount is thanks to the long-standing commitment and trust of our partner companies," emphasizes Thomas Hügli, President of the Board of Trustees.

Switzerland is an innovative country. Nowhere else in Europe are so many new patents filed per million inhabitants. 966 patent applications per million inhabitants were filed in 2020 - compared to 146 per million inhabitants in the EU. This drive for innovation is also evident in the SMEs that submit projects to the Swiss Climate Foundation and request funding. "We are registering an increased number of high-quality inquiries with real potential for climate protection," says Vincent Eckert, Managing Director of the foundation, "It is good that the business community is so active for the climate and for Switzerland and Liechtenstein as a location for innovation."

Five of the funded projects from the first funding round 2024:

A children's book mole as godfather for the "Grabowski" project from Winterthur/ZH

Borobotics GmbH from Winterthur is being funded with the submitted project "Grabowski". This is a drilling robot designed for geothermal drilling in confined spaces such as city centers. Borobotics has invented a new method of drilling boreholes for near-surface geothermal energy by integrating the entire drilling rig into the borehole. This makes the entire structure above ground much slimmer and smaller, the drilling machine reduces CO2 emissions and makes geothermal energy much more accessible, Incidentally, the project name comes from the children's book "The Mole Grabowski" by Luis Murschetz.

The innovative mini wind turbine from Bubendorf/BL

Bubendorf-based VentoStream AG is active in the wind energy sector and impressed the Swiss Climate Foundation with its "Tornado 1" project. With a diameter of 3.2 meters, a VentoStream wind turbine is smaller and more compact than conventional wind turbines. "Our technology is three times more effective and economical than conventional wind turbines," promises CEO Manuel Bernsau. "Nine small VentoStream wind turbines produce the same amount of electricity as a 3-megawatt wind turbine over 200 meters high. Thanks to the innovative design, there is no shadow, bird or ice impact and noise emissions are reduced."

Lightweight mower from Rotkreuz/ZG

One of the funded projects is the "Autonomous lightweight mower for agriculture" idea from Zug-based HILLBOT GmbH. "With our solution, an average farm can save 4 tons of CO2 per year," emphasizes initiator Amadeo Knüsel. The cultivation of agricultural land is energy-intensive, and the use of many heavy machines leads to soil compaction and contributes to soil erosion. By using the lightweight mower, which weighs only around 50 kg, HILLBOT offers a holistic solution with a demonstrable impact on climate protection.

Solid-state power amplifier from Pully/VD

"We are electrifying industry by providing microwaves to heat industrial processes," explains Markus Aicheler from SolidWatts. To achieve this, the company develops, builds and supplies transistor-based microwave generators. For the first time, this technology is being used to generate microwaves on an industrial scale in order to generate heat in the materials used in industrial processes. According to SolidWatts, the overall system energy efficiency is over 85 %.

Using clay to reduce CO2 emissions in the construction industry from Geneva/GE

In new buildings, the ceilings are often a driver of CO2 emissions due to the use of concrete. This is where Geneva-based Terrabloc SA comes in with the project that is now being funded. The company is developing an innovatively shaped block made of wood and earth - i.e. clay - for ceiling production. This block is placed between the beams of a wooden floor. Terrabloc is being funded by the Swiss Climate Foundation for the third time after 2019 and 2020.

Next submission deadline is September 1

The foundation has been awarding funding to climate-innovative projects that have a sustainable impact on climate protection for 16 years. With the funds awarded from the first funding round in 2024, the amount of funding used to date exceeds the CHF 40 million mark. The Foundation Board of the Swiss Climate Foundation decides twice a year on the applications received. In addition to the spring funding round, there is also one in the fall. The next submission deadline is September 1, 2024.

Source: www.klimastiftung.ch