Innovation Booster Future Urban Society

What does the future of life look like in urban areas in Switzerland?

How does the good life work within planetary limits? How can we live in a climate-friendly way in the future? How can we travel affordably, climate-neutrally — privately and professionally? How do we make it possible for everyone to eat as regionally and environmentally friendly as possible? These questions can only be answered together, co-creatively and with a new understanding of innovation.

The Innovation Booster Future Urban Society promotes radically new approaches to catapult the best ideas in the interconnected areas of housing, mobility and nutrition out of their niche. Bring along your solutions and develop them further with other experts and innovators. Help mainstream eco-social innovations and secure yourself and your team for jointly developed ideas methodological and financial support.

More about the basic idea of Innosuisse's Innovation Booster

Selected projects

In the first two years, we received over 100 submissions and funded 24 of them.

Discover all ideas

City of short distances

CO-IMAGINE 5'D

Drees & Sommer
ZHAW – Zurich University of Applied Sciences

The project idea CO-IMAGINE 5'D (jointly enriching the city of short distances) proposes innovative processes and instruments for redesigning public spaces according to the concept of 5-minute districts (5'D). As part of a real-world laboratory methodology, key stakeholder groups are involved co-creatively and participatively in use cases aimed at reducing motorized traffic and CO2 emissions. In particular, open source visualization and planning tools as well as participatory financing platforms are used to not only imagine the city of short distances but also to realize it together. The proposed solutions should not only be based on technical innovations, but also primarily on social innovations.

To the project
Sharing Sharing Sharing

The potential of fast logistics for the sharing economy

ARC Collective
FHNW – University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland

In Swiss cities, there are many existing players and infrastructure that could be used to deliver objects quickly and professionally: In addition to courier services, this could also include public transport actors and infrastructure. We find out for which objects and applications a professional, short-term and rapid handover makes economic and ecological sense and use them to develop new business models for the sharing economy.

To the project
City of short distances

Superblock mainstreaming

Verein Grüne Superblocks Basel
FHNW – University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland

“Superblock Mainstreaming” works out criteria for how “superblocks” can be successfully implemented in Basel and other cities in the Swiss context in order to make them more livable and resilient. Existing studies, with a focus on density or development, are supplemented with processes and “soft” aspects such as the needs and concerns of residents and stakeholders. Findings from international Superblock projects and the experience of stakeholder groups and experts in Basel are identified and evaluated with project partners.

To the project

Events

The following events and workshops still await us during the next couple of months:

Momentan sind keine Events geplant.

Calls

The theme for 2025 is food, mobility and sharing. We are looking for the best approaches, ideas and proposed solutions from all over Switzerland for our three challenges.

Submission-Phase

Einreichefrist:

25/5/25

Startdatum:

February 5, 2025

Sharing Sharing Sharing

Sharing Sharing Sharing — Sharing as a social innovation. How does sharing things become a matter of course in everyday urban life?

Learn more

Submission-Phase

Einreichefrist:

25/5/25

Startdatum:

February 5, 2025

City of short distances

City of short distances — spatial development for a better quality of life. How could we contribute to a high quality of life in Swiss cities and agglomerations through short distances?

Learn more

Submission-Phase

Einreichefrist:

25/5/25

Startdatum:

February 5, 2025

The edible city

The edible city — How we get back to our taste. How can we promote our own health and that of the planet by growing and enjoying local food?

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We need systemic approaches

Climate crisis, destruction of biodiversity, energy crisis — we live in a world of multiple crises. Mastering these challenges requires radically new ideas and approaches, both technologically and socially.

Whether it's sharing, repairing, or DIY, many innovative approaches, projects, and ideas for climate-friendly living in urban areas remain small. This isn't because they fundamentally don't work, but because they often touch on various aspects of our lives, making it difficult to change our habits and involve diverse stakeholders in the implementation. The stabilization or distribution of integrative approaches works differently than purely commercial offerings. Therefore, we want to strengthen and scale eco-social innovations in our Innovation Booster to establish them in the mainstream.

“What concerns everyone, only everyone can solve.” Friedrich Dürrenmatt (The Physicists)

The major challenges of our time can only be overcome by working together with people from different sectors of society. That is why the booster uses an open innovation approach. Over the next four years, we will bring together key actors from civil society, science and business with city administrations, currently from Zurich, Basel and Lausanne. Together, systemic problems are researched and radical ideas for sustainable solutions are developed.

Be part of the solution and receive methodological and financial support

To enable and accelerate innovation, we connect cities and administrations with eco-social innovators as well as stakeholders from the private sector and science. We can financially support ideas that arise and/or are developed through the Innovation Booster Program with methodological and financial support, including vouchers for expert advice and coaching. In this way, we make it possible for promising innovations to be further developed and tested in urban areas of Switzerland. In addition, together with our partners, we are working to ensure that further implementation of the innovations after the booster is likely.

Project ideas can be submitted until May 25, 2025 to secure financial support of up to CHF 22,500 and methodological support as well as valuable contacts for further steps.

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Who is behind the project?

Meso Innovation Alliance
The Booster Future Urban Society is supported by Meso as a Co-Leading House and is characterized by the expertise of the following organizations:

Team

Björn Müller
Björn Müller
Programme Director | Meso Innovation Alliance / Stride the unSchool
Samuel Eberenz
Samuel Eberenz
Concept & Stakeholder Engagement | Stiftung Risiko-Dialog / Meso Innovation Alliance
Mirko Fischli
Mirko Fischli
Project Manager Booster | Dezentrum / Meso Innovation Alliance
Katrin Hauser
Katrin Hauser
Concept & Facilitation | Scaling4Good / Meso Innovation Alliance
Nicola Blum
Nicola Blum
Concept & Research | BFH
Pascal Dey
Pascal Dey
Research | BFH
Sarah Bleuler
Sarah Bleuler
Project Manager & Communication | Dezentrum
Anaïs Sägesser
Anaïs Sägesser
Anchor Basel | Scaling4Good
Barbara Tank
Barbara Tank
Project Lead and Communication Fachstelle Klima | Kanton Basel-Stadt
Colm Kuonen
Colm Kuonen
Energy Living Lab Association
Laura Minisini
Laura Minisini
Energy Living Lab Association

City Partnerships

Urban innovation is only possible through strong partnerships with cities and municipalities. That is why we are particularly proud of our implementation partnerships:

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