
Canton Zurich SME Program

AI Program for SME in the Canton of Zurich

BENEFITS
Benefits for SMEs
Low-Risk Experimentation
Through guided prototyping, test AI solutions without upfront investment or risk.
Expert Feedback & Support
Obtain hands-on support and feedback from multidisciplinary expert teams to further refine your ideas.
Scalable Innovation
Promising prototypes are further developed into pilot projects integrated into your industry context.
Collaborative Network
Connect with peers and experts to jointly address the challenges and develop solutions.
Tailored AI Learning
Gain an understanding of AI technologies that translate into practical applications relevant to your business.
Strategic Positioning
Enhance your innovation profile and readiness for AI-driven solutions.

Participation
How to participate in the program

SME Eligibility Criteria
To participate in the program, companies should meet the following criteria:
- Location: Applicants must be headquartered or have significant operations in the Canton of Zurich.
- Company Size: must fall within a typical size range for an SME.
- AI Readiness: Demonstrated interest and capability in exploring or adopting AI technologies.
- Resource Commitment: Willingness to dedicate internal staff to participate in workshops, hackathons, and follow-up activities.
- Innovation Potential: Clear motivation to address a business challenge or opportunity through AI, with potential for scalable impact.
- Collaboration Willingness: Openness to engage in knowledge exchange and co-development with other SMEs and researchers.
Terms of Participation
- Participation in this SME program is free of charge.
- Framework workshops and presentations will be delivered in English and German.
- Participating SMEs should expect to engage in 3–5 in person workshops between October 2025 and April 2026.
- By registering, the SME agrees to potentially share its success story for communication purposes.
- All information exchange will be conducted in accordance with the Code of Conduct.
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Information

Learn more in the Info Session
Obtain more insights into this unique AI learning, collaboration and innovation program and attend our online information session.
- When: Thursday, July 17th, 2025 | 13:00-13:45 pm CET
- Where: Zoom https://ethz.zoom.us/j/65213213582
During this meeting, Markus Müller (Co-Head of Regional Development at the Canton of Zurich), Anna Fournier and Alessandro Nesti (both Principal Data Scientists at the SDSC), will talk you through the program and answer your questions.
How to participate / Register
To ensure the greatest possible value for you, we keep participating companies to a reasonable number. Interested and eligible SMEs can register by completing this online survey: [Survey to open shortly]
Important Dates
- August 25th, 2025: Survey submission deadline
- September 22nd, 2025: Announcement of SME Roundtable cohort.
- October, 2025 - March, 2026: Roundtable collaboration towards AI prototype development.
- April - June, 2026: Transitioning AI prototypes to pilot projects.
For more information, please contact Dr. Anna Fournier, anna.fournier@sdsc.ethz.ch