Application deadline for ZKB Pioneer Award Technopark is running

(CONNECT) DeepTech start-ups can submit their application for the Submit your application now for the ZKB Pioneer Award Technopark. The prerequisite is that they were founded after 30 June 2020 and have their registered office in Switzerland. Students, academic staff and doctoral students at a university in Switzerland or Liechtenstein are also eligible to participate. The submission deadline for this innovation award, which is one of the most important in the country, is 22 September 2025.

The award has been presented annually for two decades by Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) and the Technopark Zurich Foundation. It honors projects on the threshold of market launch. The winning company will receive 100,000 francs, the other two finalists 10,000 francs each. The shortlist of around ten nominees will be presented to the media before the award ceremony. They can present themselves at the winners' gala in the foyer.

The prize is awarded for a project that presents a new technology - in the form of a product, process or concept - at the interface between science and industry. The focus is on applications that combine several ideas into an innovative and competitive project. User-friendliness and marketability are further factors taken into account by the jury.

The ZKB Pioneer Award Technopark 2026 will be presented on May 12. The competition gala will take place at Technopark Zurich. ce/mm