Promoting spin-off activities of female academics

A collaborative project by Swiss Universities (2022-2024)

Female academics are rarely involved in the commercialization of knowledge from research & development (R&D) at universities, both internationally and in Switzerland. Their share in spin-off creation is only very small, which means that considerable potential is lost to Switzerland as a country of innovation.

This collaborative project of the Federal Institutes of Technology at Zurich (ETHZ) and Lausanne (EPFL), the Paul Scherrer Institute, the Universities of Zurich, Basel, Bern and Geneva, as well as the Swiss universities of applied sciences in Western (HES-SO), Southern (SUPSI) and Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) aims at promoting equal opportunities in the field of spin-off activities by setting a specific focus on women.

The project combines gender equality policy objectives with the promotion of innovation and spin-off creation by women. It fosters spin-off intentions and activities of female academics and students in the field of STEM as well as social sciences and humanities. And it will also enhance and develop measures for spin-off promotion at Swiss universities based on a gender perspective.

Besides gender & diversity experts the project involves knowledge and technology transfer offices (KTT), start-up and innovation centers as well as industry and investors. Together they will support universities in their increasingly important role with respect to entrepreneurial skills training, innovation, and the exploitation of knowledge from R&D.