Global Business Innovation Programme - Semiconductors: Switzerland 2025

Successful applicants will benefit from an intensive 9-12 month, three phase programme with bespoke support from an innovation and growth specialist throughout.

Get ready: A two-day preparation workshop to build knowledge and understanding of the market and opportunities, including cultural aspects, how to do business, protecting Intellectual Property, and support to better articulate your value proposition.

Visit the market: Explore the innovation opportunities first-hand through pre-arranged matchmaking events, meetings with key contacts, research organisations and potential collaborators and partners.

Exploit the opportunity: An exploitation workshop and one-to-one bespoke support from an innovation and growth specialist to help you follow-up and maximise the opportunities identified through the programme.

To apply for this GBIP, you must be:

• a UK-based innovation-led company with ambitions to grow and scale globally
• a company with fewer than 250 employees
• the CEO, founder, or senior decision maker in the business
• able to attend all workshops and complete all activities

Businesses that have been on a previous GBIP (in the same market and/or technology area) will need to demonstrate they have exploited the previous opportunity to be considered and how this programme will add significant additional benefit.  Preference may be given to businesses that have not participated previously.

Unless there are exceptional circumstances, a business can only take part in two GBIPs in any rolling 12-month period (measured by the date of the Get Ready Workshop).

Innovate UK is committed to improving the diversity of who we support. We welcome applications from under-represented groups.

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes making reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us.

You can contact us at any time to ask for guidance.

We recommend you contact us at least 15 working days before this GBIP’s closing date to allow us to put the most suitable support in place.  The support we can provide may be limited if you contact us close to the application deadline.

You can contact Innovate UK by email (support@iuk.ukri.org)  or call 0300 321 4357. Our phone lines are open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm UK time, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

Ranked #1 on the Global Innovation Index, Switzerland is a world leader in innovation. With high patent output and a private sector that funds over two-thirds of national R&D, it offers an industry-driven, collaborative environment ideal for joint technology development.

Switzerland’s semiconductor industry is globally recognised for its leadership in high-value, specialised segments, particularly in sensors, power management, and analogue chips. Home to major players such as STMicroelectronics, Infineon Technologies, and u-blox, Switzerland offers a highly integrated ecosystem spanning photonics, advanced packaging, and quantum technologies.

Renowned Swiss technical universities such as ETH Zurich and EPFL Lausanne play a crucial role in conducting cutting-edge semiconductor research and feed talented graduates into industry, which consists of over 100 SMEs that excel in precision engineering and produce products offering superior performance and uncompromising quality.

To foster semiconductor innovation, government programmes facilitate partnerships between universities, research institutes like CSEM, and private companies.

A key strength is Switzerland’s strong international orientation: over two-thirds of firms export more than 80% of their output, primarily to Europe and North America, reflecting the country’s global competitiveness and reliability in supply chains.

With attributes that align closely with the UK’s strengths in advanced manufacturing and R&D, strong government support for international collaboration and an active bilateral funding programme, opportunities for UK SMEs to develop innovation partnerships are considerable.

Indicative itinerary from 25^th– 30 January 2026, subject to change.

Sun 25 Jan: Depart London Heathrow for Zurich

Mon 26 Jan: Visit Park Innovaare, Paul Scherrer Institute Lab tours, and meetings

Tues 27 Jan: Powering Progress: Hitachi Energy

Wed 28 Jan: Deep Tech Meets Industry – engage in high-level B2B meetings with innovation leaders at SwissChips and Swissphotonics

Thurs 29 Jan: Visit the Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM), a unique public-private R&D powerhouse.

Friday 30 Jan:  Tour EPFL.  Return from Geneva to London Heathrow.

• Equipment and Process
• Photonics, RF & Quantum
• Sensing
• Power electronics

• Build market knowledge and intelligence
• Seed new business partnerships, develop RD&I collaborations, and identify partners for bilateral funding calls
• Introductions to senior figures and influential contacts
• Raise your profile and stimulate new business opportunities and ideas
• Improve your value proposition, hone your skills, and grow in confidence to tackle global markets
• Connect with peers, expand your network, and learn from like-minded, ambitious businesses

• Applicant briefing – 4th September 2025, 8am-9.30am. Click here to register for a briefing place.
• Application deadline – 19^th September 2025
• Application outcome – 8^th October 2025
• Get ready workshop – 25^th & 26^th November 2025
• Market Visit – 25^th – 30^th January 2026
• Exploit the opportunity workshop –18th March 2026

Innovate UK will fund and organise flights, accommodation, in-market travel, and conference fees for successful applicants.

Innovate UK will also pay for any reasonable adjustments throughout the initiative. Only one representative from each company will be funded and the same person is required to participate in all parts of the programme.

On acceptance to the programme, a commitment fee of £1000 will be obtained from each participant.  This will be refunded on completion of the full activities (Get ready workshop, Visit, Exploit the opportunity workshop, and active engagement with an innovation and growth specialist) and agreed work plan.

Non-completion after formal acceptance may result in forfeiting some or all of the commitment fee.

“The GBIP delivered a range of additional benefits and lasting value to our company. Most notably, it significantly raised our profile within the UK semiconductor sector, as well as in key European markets such as Germany, Switzerland, and the wider region. This heightened visibility helped expand our network, particularly in the area of wide bandgap semiconductors. As a result, we have opened promising avenues for future collaborations with companies interested in entering the silicon carbide electronics and quantum domains. Furthermore, it has positioned us to better explore opportunities in high-reliability electronics across a variety of applications”.  Nascent Semiconductors – 2024

Register for briefing event (Thursday 4 September, 8am-9.30am)

Application form: Global Business Innovation Programme Semiconductors Switzerland

Download a sample application form (.docx format)

To make a complaint please follow the Innovate UK complaints procedure.