Last week, the NTN Innovation Booster – Circular Building Industry, empowered by Innosuisse, held its very first pitching event, where 8 teams presented ideas for projects to accelerate the transition of the Swiss building industry towards a circular economy. Each team was given 3 minutes to pitch their ideas, followed by a short Q&A from a panel of experts. The jury members are experts in the field of construction, sustainability and innovation and provide an independent perspective from industry, academia and the public sector.
The jury selected the following 4 projects to receive funding as part of the CBI Innovation Booster:
The selected teams will receive 20,000 CHF to develop and test their ideas within the upcoming months. The CBI Innovation Booster team will support the innovation teams on this journey by providing methodological and technical support through workshops and individual exchanges focusing on design thinking and the particularities of circularity in the building industry. Applicants that have been unsuccessful this round have received feedback and are encouraged to reapply to the next open call.
The CBI Innovation Booster, empowered by Innosuisse, is a 4-year initiative and will thus operate from 2022 till 2025. Due to the large number of applicants to the first call, we have already launched our second call on Jointcreate. Jointcreate is the innovation platform used by this and other Innovation Boosters to publish calls, engage the public and collect project ideas and applications. The upcoming call for projects closes on September 2nd and the project pitching session will take place on the 22nd of September. Similar to last week`s pitching session, the applicants will pitch their ideas and an expert jury will evaluate the ideas and select the most promising projects.
The NTN Innovation Booster – Circular Building Industry is looking for radical solutions, from new materials to new business models, that reduce the raw material consumption and negative environmental impact of the building industry. If you have any innovative ideas and solutions related to circular economy in the building industry, apply to the upcoming call so we can support you bring your idea closer to market and connect you with relevant partners and stakeholders.