Innosuisse taking shape
Bern, 15.11.2017 - The Swiss agency for the promotion of innovation, Innosuisse, will start operations on 1 January 2018. In this context, the Federal Council approved a series of regulations on 15 November 2017 and adopted the necessary amendments to the Research and Innovation Promotion Ordinance (RIPO). With the Subsidies Regulation, Innosuisse has been provided with a solid foundation for its innovation promotion activities. The Remuneration Regulation and the Personnel Regulation were drafted to ensure a clear allocation of responsibilities within Innosuisse. These regulations shall come into force on 1 January 2018.
As the Confederation’s new funding agency for science-based innovation, Innosuisse will take over the remit currently given to the Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI). Over the course of 2017, all the positions within the Agency's bodies have been filled and other necessary preparatory measures have been taken.
The Subsidies Regulation sets out the prerequisites for granting innovation promotion subsidies as well as the assessment criteria and calculation of contributions. Essentially, the new regulation is based on existing practices. Innosuisse’s Subsidies Regulation differs from CTI’s in that it introduces a revised system and practical clarifications for easier application, greater transparency and legal certainty.
The Remuneration Regulation covers remuneration and other contractual conditions applying to members of the Innovation Council as well as the fees paid to experts. When deciding on the remuneration of members of the Innovation Council, the Innosuisse Board based itself where possible on remuneration practices used by other decentralised federal bodies with similar remits. When determining the fees paid to experts, the schedule of fees used by federal extra-parliamentary commissions served as the frame of reference.
Finally, the Personnel Regulation covers employment of Innosuisse staff. All Innosuisse employees are subject to the provisions of the Federal Personnel Act and associated implementing ordinances, unless otherwise specified in Innosuisse’s Personnel Regulation.
Innosuisse is a public-law institution with its own legal personality. On the one hand, its legal basis can be found in the Federal Act of 16 June 2016 on the Swiss Innovation Agency (SIAA, Innosuisse Act), which lays out Innosuisse’s structure. Innosuisse's remit is governed by the Federal Act of 14 December 2012 on the Promotion of Research and Innovation (RIPA). SIAA was approved by the Swiss Parliament on 17 June 2016 and will come fully into force on 1 January 2018.
Based on SIAA and RIPA, the Innosuisse Board adopted the Subsidies Regulation, the Remuneration Regulation and the Personnel Regulation in September 2017.
Address for enquiries
Gregor Haefliger, Deputy Director
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI)
Tel. 058 462 96 76, E-mail: gregor.haefliger@sbfi.admin.ch
Publisher
The Federal Council
https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start.html
Secretariat-General EAER
http://www.wbf.admin.ch
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation
http://www.sbfi.admin.ch
Commission for Technology and Innovation - as of 1.1.2018 Innosuisse – Swiss Innovation Promotion Agency
http://www.kti.admin.ch
Innosuisse – Swiss Innovation Promotion Agency
https://www.innosuisse.ch
