This year saw a first for the long-established Swiss Technology Award: the prizes were presented at an awards night, which kicked off the Open-I innovation conference. More than 250 invited guests from the Swiss innovation scene gathered at the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich in Dübendorf to watch the pitches by the nine finalists and attend the award ceremony.

This year, the following companies secured the awards:

Industry Innovation: SWD AG
Founded 30 years ago, SWD AG Stator- und Rotortechnik is a global pioneer in electrical steel laminations – key components that optimise magnetic flux in electric motors. With decades of experience in materials, processes and machinery, SWD supports customers in developing more powerful motors with less waste of resources and bringing production to industrialisation.

Inventors: Chiral
Chiral is an ETH spin-off from Zurich that develops robots to precisely and quickly integrate novel nanomaterials such as graphene or carbon nanotubes into electronic components. They combine absolute process control with industrial speed, enabling nanoelectronics to be scaled to previously unattainable levels. The team is already capable of manufacturing wafers with transistors based on nanotechnology. This allows to realise the theoretical advantages of nanotechnology in terms of the performance of electronic components for the first time on a real-world scale.

Start-ups/Rising Stars: Navignostics
Navignostics is a Swiss precision oncology company that uses spatial single-cell proteomics to analyse tumour and immune cells directly in tissue. This technology can be used to determine the composition, interactions and resistance mechanisms of cancer cells, enabling personalised therapy decisions for each patient. In addition to the solid scientific basis and technical excellence, the jury particularly highlighted the razor-sharp scope of application of the product: Navignostics aims to support tumour boards in selecting the best therapy for late-stage cancer patients.

The Open-I conference is designed to serve as a platform and catalyst for exchange between start-ups, SMEs, global corporations, investors and leading figures from science and industry. With over 70 internationally renowned speakers and around 1,000 participants, the conference provides impetus for the future competitiveness of Switzerland as a location for innovation.

(www.startupticker.ch)
Picture: The winners L-R: Thomas Stäuble (CEO SWD), Jana Fischer (CEO Navignostics), Natanael Lanz (CTO Chiral)