In the crowd of start-ups that thrive in Switzerland, it is not always easy to assess the future potential of individual business ideas. Prizes are therefore welcome and helpful yardsticks because their award is always preceded by a comprehensive review by experts. The jury has spent a great deal of time and effort evaluating and carefully considering the reasons for its decision.
The Pionierpreis is therefore a welcome compass for orientation in the thicket of start-ups. It makes outstanding ideas visible and puts them in the spotlight. Some of the award winners over more than two decades have become outstanding examples of entrepreneurial success.
For developing a revolutionary technology to produce electro-optical semiconductor chips.
For developing an 8 mm diameter mold insert equipped with two hundred heating elements that applies a 2D code in data matrix format to moldable plastic element.
For developing a new manufacturing process for microcapsules that guarantees they are of identical size, thereby leading to a more controlled effect and reduced side effects of medicines.
For developing a digital twin for eye surgery that helps surgeons plan eye operations on a patient-specific basis.
For developing a probiotic additive for animal feed that strengthens the animals’ immune system.
For developing a new type of digital camera with higher resolution and specialized software that converts the camera’s 2D images into digital 3D models.
For the development of non-contact bone cutting based on laser, robotic, sensor, and navigation technologies.
For the development of a new scanning lithography device for building two- and three-dimensional structures on a nanometer scale.
For the development and market launch of FluidFM technology, the world’s smallest syringe at the tip of an atomic force microscope, opening up new applications in the fields of biomedicine, single cell biology, and semiconductor manufacturing.
For the development of a novel, highly interdisciplinary system for the rehabilitation of neurological movement disorders by integrating the virtual world into neurorehabilitation and enabling patients to return to society faster and much more cost-effectively.
For the development of the fundamentally novel drug discovery process Reverse Translational Medicine, which for the first time enables the cure of previously incurable diseases thanks to the development of therapies based on human antibodies.
For developing the next generation of adaptive optical lenses that use electroactive polymers to mimic the principle of the human eye.
For the development of a monitoring system for minimally invasive measurement of cerebral blood flow directly at the bedside.
For the development of a detector technology that allows new methods for measuring radioactive radiation.
For the development and innovation of flexible, high-efficiency solar cells on plastic films.
For the development and market introduction of process applications for low-energy plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (LEPECVD).
For the development of autologous, living, growing, and self-healing cardio-vascular implants using the concept of tissue engineering.
For a novel biotechnological process for the production of starch-bound lightweight wood-based panels (SLPs) from sawdust and wood dust using microorganisms.
For the development and market launch of magnetic bearing pumps for blood and high-purity liquids based on a bearingless electric motor.
