Swiss Innovation Challenge ASEAN is a programme with an integrated competition for the support and advancement of innovation. It comprises specific training, personal coaching and access to the Swiss Innovation Challenge Network in ASEAN and Switzerland.
The programme is designed for companies, start-ups and individuals wishing to introduce and implement an innovation or to push forward a given innovation project. This could be a new business idea, product innovation, service innovation, organisational innovation, management innovation or business model innovation.
The programme was first launched in Switzerland by FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Baselland Chamber of Commerce and Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank (BLKB) in 2015. Based on a successful track-record, the programme is brought to ASEAN by FHNW and selected local partner universities.
With innovation partnerships playing an increasingly important role, the programme offers project teams across ASEAN the opportunity to bring their innovation to a new level, connect to the Swiss eco-system and build an international network.
Swiss Innovation Challenge ASEAN last for several months and progresses through three typical stages of an innovation project:
1st stage: Description of the innovation and the business model 2nd stage: Transposition of the innovation into a business plan 3rd stage: Implementation plan
Each stage includes a competitive selection round (pitch) based on which the jury carefully selects project teams for the following round. Teams reaching the final round will compete for the prize money and the opportunity to travel to Switzerland (with expenses of up to USD 2’000 covered). A representative of three winning teams will travel to Switzerland and get insights into the local entrepreneurial eco-system.