AI innovation program for SMEs

AI Innovation Programme for Zurich SMEs Enters the Next Round

The Business and Economic Development division at the Office for Economy of the Canton of Zurich and the Swiss Data Science Center (SDSC) are continuing the AI Innovation Programme to promote collaboration and innovation in the fields of data science and artificial intelligence (AI) among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Canton of Zurich.

The next edition of the one-year programme will start in September 2026. Its aim is to make it easier for SMEs to adopt AI technologies, promote knowledge exchange, and build an active community. Targeted support for SMEs in adopting AI can make an important contribution to the digital transformation of the Swiss economy.

What the Programme Offers

The three-stage programme supports participating SMEs from demystifying AI technology through to developing concrete prototypes and promising pilot projects. Companies can test innovative AI concepts with expert guidance, without taking on financial or operational risks. Participation is free of charge.

As part of the programme, the first cohort developed two collaborative projects whose results are now available to the wider public: an open-source RAG pipeline (GitHub) and a time-series forecasting model (GitHub), both released under the MIT licence. Companies are free to integrate the models into their products and use them commercially.

Application and Information Session

Applications for the next cohort are now open via the online registration form. Further information and the registration form are available at: https://www.datascience.ch/de/innovation/kanton-zurich-kmu-programm

An online information session will provide an opportunity to learn more about participating:

Date: Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Time: 13:00–13:45 CEST
Zoom: https://ethz.zoom.us/j/65213213582