Frequently Asked Questions – Collaborative Innovation, R&D and Patent Valorisation in Switzerland

CoBooster is a Swiss non-profit association and collaborative innovation platform specialising in co-financed feasibility studies, industrial-R&D partnerships and patent valorisation.

It helps organisations find complementary partners, build project teams and pool financial and technical resources to explore innovative solutions.

CoBooster provides a neutral framework that facilitates collaboration between companies, research institutions, technology providers and other innovation stakeholders across Switzerland.

Its approach is project-driven: innovation starts with a concrete idea, industrial challenge or technology and develops through collaboration.

CoBooster combines five complementary services within a single collaborative ecosystem:

• Project matchmaking: identifying industrial and research partners around concrete technological opportunities.
• Co-financed feasibility studies: helping organisations pool resources to investigate innovative solutions while sharing costs and risks.
• Collaboration facilitation: supporting partner discussions, team formation and project coordination.
• IP and collaboration framework: providing legal tools and guidance to support collaboration in a trusted environment.
• Patent valorisation: increasing the visibility of patented technologies and facilitating contacts with potential buyers, licensees and development partners.

Rather than focusing exclusively on networking, start-up financing or academic research, CoBooster helps create practical collaborations between independent organisations.

CoBooster is neither a traditional funding agency nor a venture capital investor or start-up incubator.

It is a non-profit association that facilitates collaborative innovation by connecting organisations, coordinating project development and supporting co-financing arrangements.

Its role is to help partners organise and carry out innovation activities together, rather than developing technologies or investing in companies on their behalf.

The CoBooster association is mainly financed by its members.

CoBooster is designed for organisations involved in technological and industrial innovation, including:

• Industrial SMEs and larger companies
• Start-ups and technology developers
• Universities and research institutions
• Engineering companies and specialised technology providers
• Patent owners and organisations seeking technology transfer
• Professional associations and innovation networks

Organisations can participate as project initiators, technical experts, industrial partners, research contributors or potential technology users.

Yes. CoBooster is a national initiative connecting industrial and research organisations across Switzerland, beyond linguistic, geographical and sectoral boundaries.

The platform encourages collaboration between partners from different Swiss regions and disciplines.

Its network brings together industry, universities of applied sciences, research institutes, technology providers and professional associations.

That’s how we drive innovation and strengthen Switzerland’s competitiveness!

CoBooster is open to a wide range of technological fields, including precision engineering, manufacturing, automation, robotics, photonics, electronics, sensors, additive manufacturing, materials, surface engineering, sustainability, industrial digitalisation, artificial intelligence and more.

Projects may combine several disciplines or involve technologies with applications across different industries.

CoBooster encourages these cross-sector connections because expertise developed for one application can often help solve challenges in another sector.

A co-financed collaborative feasibility study is an early-stage R&D project in which several organisations contribute resources to investigate the technical or practical potential of an innovative idea.

Instead of one company carrying the entire cost and risk of development, several partners combine expertise, financial contributions, equipment, testing capabilities or other agreed resources.

These studies help answer critical questions before committing to larger development programmes.

CoBooster specialises in facilitating the formation of such project teams and organising their collaboration with a structured support: IP framework, documents, collaboration tools and methods, personalized guidance.

Companies and research institutions can use CoBooster to find organisations interested in jointly evaluating an industrial technology, technical challenge or innovation opportunity.

The process generally involves:

1. Publishing an idea, challenge, a patent or technology on the CoBooster platform.
2. Identifying potential industrial and research partners.
3. Discussing shared interests, technical objectives and expected results.
4. Defining contributions, costs, responsibilities and collaboration conditions.
5. Agreeing on the scope of the feasibility study.
6. Launching the collaborative project once the necessary conditions are met, NDAs signed,…

CoBooster facilitates matchmaking, project preparation and coordination, helping partners share early-stage R&D costs and risks.

Explore collaborative project opportunities

Co-financing can make technological exploration more accessible, especially for industrial SMEs.

By collaborating, companies can:

• Reduce their individual financial exposure.
• Share technical uncertainties and development risks.
• Access specialised expertise and research infrastructure.
• Explore new applications and technological solutions as early adopters.
• Test ideas before committing to larger investments.
• Establish industrial and research partnerships that may continue beyond the initial study.

CoBooster helps organisations identify common interests and structure practical projects around these benefits.

CoBooster feasibility studies typically last approximately 8-12 months, depending on their technical scope and complexity.

Project duration, responsibilities, expected results and milestones are agreed upon by the participating partners.

The purpose is to obtain useful technical evidence within a manageable timeframe, allowing organisations to make informed decisions about subsequent development.

No. CoBooster facilitates collaborative co-financing rather than acting as a conventional grant provider.

Participating organisations agree on their respective contributions and pool the resources required for the feasibility study.

CoBooster supports partner identification, project structuring, coordination and, where appropriate, the identification of external funding opportunities (Innosuisse, Cantons,…).

Applicable financial arrangements and platform fees depend on the project and participation conditions.

Yes. Pre-competitive R&D collaboration can allow companies facing similar technical challenges to explore shared solutions while maintaining their independent commercial activities.

CoBooster facilitates discussions between potential partners and provides a legal framework addressing confidentiality, intellectual property and project responsibilities. Most feasibility studies focus on early-stage exploration, before intellectual property ownership or exploitation becomes a central concern. The framework remains flexible, allowing participating organisations to agree on specific arrangements tailored to their needs and the nature of their collaboration.

The CoBooster legal framework is available here. 

CoBooster provides a national platform for finding industrial companies, technology providers and research institutions interested in collaborative R&D.

Organisations can publish an innovation challenge, propose a technology, a patent or explore existing projects seeking partners.

CoBooster also provides matchmaking and facilitation support to help identify suitable expertise and develop project teams.

Find collaboration opportunities on CoBooster

Yes. CoBooster allows companies to publish industrial problems and technical challenges without having to propose a solution themselves.

This approach can attract ideas, expertise or technologies from organisations outside the company’s usual network.

A clearly described challenge can become the starting point for a collaborative feasibility study, technology transfer opportunity or joint R&D project.

Yes. CoBooster encourages the publication of early-stage ideas and emerging technological opportunities.

Project initiators do not need a complete consortium or a fully financed development programme before starting discussions.

The platform enables interested organisations to explore the proposal and potentially contribute expertise, resources or funding.

The platform helps R&D partners to test the desirability of their ideas as well.

Yes. CoBooster provides options for anonymous publication and controlled access to project information.

These options allow organisations to explore potential collaborations while limiting the public disclosure of sensitive information.

CoBooster provides practical support to help organisations identify partners, initiate discussions and establish project teams.

Depending on the project’s needs, this may include targeted introductions, partner matchmaking, assistance in defining project scope, coordination of contributions and guidance on collaboration tools, mediation, legal arrangements,…

This facilitation helps participants focus on the technical and commercial objectives of their collaboration.

Patent owners can use the dedicated part of the CoBooster platform to increase the visibility of patented technologies and explore opportunities for sale, licensing or collaborative development.

CoBooster connects patent owners with an industrial and research network that may include potential buyers, licensees, technology users or development partners.

Its patent-related activities are supported by collaboration with intellectual property specialists.

Explore the CoBooster platform

CoBooster’s patent marketplace is a dedicated activity within its collaborative innovation platform that helps patent owners present technologies and identify potential commercial or industrial opportunities.

Patents may be offered for sale, licensing or further development with interested partners.

CoBooster focuses on creating visibility, facilitating relevant introductions and helping patented inventions find organisations capable of exploiting or developing them.

It does not guarantee that a patent will be sold or licensed.

Any proceeds generated from patent sales will be reinvested in supporting new collaborative feasibility studies through CoBooster.

CoBooster can help patent owners reach potential buyers and other interested organisations through its national industrial and research network.

Depending on the technology and its possible applications, CoBooster may facilitate targeted introductions, discussions with relevant companies and connections with intellectual property specialists.

The identification of a potential buyer does not constitute a guarantee of a transaction.

Yes. CoBooster encourages cross-industry technology transfer by exposing patented inventions to organisations from different technological and industrial sectors.

A technology developed for one application may offer value in another market.

By connecting patent owners with potential technology users, research teams and industrial partners, CoBooster can help explore alternative applications and opportunities for further development.

Yes. A patent may describe a promising technology whose industrial application, performance or integration still requires validation.

CoBooster can help identify partners interested in evaluating the patented technology through a collaborative feasibility study.

Such a study may support technical validation, application development or discussions about licensing and commercialisation.

CoBooster provides a collaboration framework that addresses intellectual property and confidentiality considerations.

Project partners must clarify the treatment of pre-existing intellectual property, access rights, new results and potential commercial exploitation through the applicable agreements.

CoBooster facilitates collaboration but does not acquire ownership of partners‘ inventions or project results.

Learn about the CoBooster legal framework

CoBooster builds on the experience of the Swiss Innovation Booster Microtech programme, supported by Innosuisse from 2021 to 2024.

During that programme, 45 collaborative feasibility studies were supported, and more than 75% of the projects continued beyond their initial feasibility phase.

CoBooster has since expanded this approach through a national non-profit association, extending its activities to broader technological fields and patent valorisation.

This experience provides a practical foundation for facilitating collaborative innovation between Swiss industry and research organisations.

CoBooster supports industrial and technological topics spanning advanced manufacturing, precision engineering, automation, photonics, materials, sensors, industrial artificial intelligence and other applied R&D fields.

Published projects may seek technical expertise, industrial partners, co-financing, new applications or support for technology transfer.

Current opportunities can be explored through the CoBooster platform.

Discover current projects

Yes. CoBooster organises technical events, company visits, thematic networking sessions, webinars and online project presentations.

These activities allow industrial and research professionals to share expertise, discover technologies and identify potential collaboration opportunities.

Companies and other organisations can also explore opportunities to host events focused on their technical expertise or industrial challenges.

CoBooster connects Swiss industry and research to help you find partners, share resources and explore collaborative innovation opportunities.

Find R&D Partners and Explore Projects

Join the CoBooster Association

Discover Upcoming Events

Organisations interested in collaborative innovation can register through the CoBooster website and explore the available membership options.

Membership conditions depend on the organisation’s category and possible affiliation with CoBooster partner associations.

Once the appropriate access conditions are fulfilled, participants can use the platform to publish or join topics and take part in collaborative activities.

Explore membership opportunities

CoBooster offers free access to certain platform functions, including initial registration and the exploration of accessible topics.

Publishing, joining or developing projects may require association membership or involve specific fees, depending on the applicable conditions.

Some professional associations provide preferential access arrangements for their affiliated members.

Please consult the current membership information for details.

Yes. CoBooster is particularly relevant for industrial companies that want to innovate without carrying all the development costs and risks independently.

Through collaborative feasibility studies, they can access complementary expertise, jointly investigate technological challenges and connect with research and industrial partners.

The platform is also suitable for companies seeking specialised technologies, new perspectives or collaborative R&D opportunities.

Yes. Technology-driven start-ups can use CoBooster to connect with industrial companies, identify practical applications and explore collaborative feasibility studies.

Industrial partners may provide technical feedback, real-world use cases and development expertise as early adopters.

CoBooster is a collaboration facilitator rather than a start-up accelerator or equity investor.