Award rules

Every year Swiss Federalism and the Milton Friedman Institute organize in Zurich, Switzerland, an international event of the highest level, the « Milton Friedman/Swiss Federalism » International Prize for Innovative Start-Ups and SMEs.

The common values of Swiss Federalism and Milton Friedman are embodied in this great event that aims to attract the best of world excellence in the field of new technologies and new business ideas. The best start-ups, university spin offs and innovative SMEs worldwide in various sectors (in the field of fin tech, health tech, energy, technology) are awarded by a jury of academics and personalities from the world of politics, business and institutions, with the possibility of gaining wide international visibility.

Conditions of participation

The Initiative is open to all applicants who meet the following general requirements i ( » General Requirements « ):

• Start-ups and small-medium innovative companies; university spin offs
• Recent graduates;
• Independent designers or internal designers of companies if authorized by them;
• Researchers;
• Informal groups of designers;
• University teachers or students;

The participation of groups of designers is allowed, but a group leader must be appointed who will be the sole responsible and contact person.

At the time of registration participants accept the contents of this regulation. If the regulations are not, in whole or in part, respected by the participant, the relative project may not be admitted.

Members of the Jury and their families are excluded from registration.

Only one project/business plan may be submitted per participant (or group).

Application Form

Participation in the initiative has a cost of 290 CHF and includes the membership card of the association Swiss Federalism with the relative benefits indicated in the registration.

The application to participate and the presentation of the required documents must be made through the telematic procedure available at http://swissfederalism.ch/.

The application form must contain the personal data of the participant, domicile, telephone number, e-mail address, an explicit declaration of knowledge of these regulations and its unconditional acceptance.

The requested works in digital format must be received no later than 15.07.2021 (the « Closing Date for Entries »).

Required works

The works to be delivered will be in digital format and must be sent via the above online procedure by the deadline indicated. Each participant (or group) must send:

A business plan in English and an executive summary of no more than 2 pages. Candidates will receive confirmation of their registration to the Initiative and the outcome of the selection process by email to the address indicated on the registration form. In case the e-mail address is wrong or it is not possible to deliver the e-mail, the candidate will be considered excluded.

Project Selection and Evaluation

The selection and evaluation of projects/business plans will take into account the following criteria:

• Relevance of the concept relative to the application of innovative technologies;
• Rate of innovation and creativity of the concept;
• Consistency and soundness of the business model;
• Effectiveness and communicativeness of the solution presentation.

The projects submitted to the Initiative will be evaluated by a jury of academics and personalities from the political and business world. With wide international visibility.

By August 31, 2021, 20 finalists will be selected for each field of competition (the  » Finalists « ).

The outcome of the evaluation will be communicated to the Finalists within the established deadlines and communicated by e-mail.

The 20 candidates selected as finalists will be invited to participate in the international Milton Friedman / Swiss Federalism award to be held on September 18, 2021 in Zurich where they will have the opportunity to present their project, also by videoconference if necessary.

The finalists will then be evaluated by a panel of judges from academia, politics, Swiss Federalism and Milton Friedman, as well as companies and experts in the field, who will nominate the winners for each field of competition (the  » Winners « ) on the same day.

Failure to attend the event will disqualify the Finalists from the Initiative and the Competitions. All contestants hereby authorize the association to exhibit their projects in public (exhibitions and/or events of various kinds) and to publish their project in a catalog or in the specialized press; for this, nothing will be due except for the obligation to quote the author.

Prizes for the winners

In addition to the sponsors’ prizes, the top twenty will be offered the possibility, at their discretion, to enter a Swiss investment fund, which will be created ad hoc, through which they can receive important funding for their projects of growth and internationalization.

Intellectual Property

The intellectual property on what has been submitted or sent in the application to the Initiative or to each Tender belongs to the respective candidate.

Each candidate, by participating in the Initiative and in each Tender, authorizes Swiss Federalism and Milton Friedman to:

• use his or her name, image and trademarks on the Initiative’s website and when presenting at the final event;
• publish on the website dedicated to the Initiative, the material related to the product or service presented;
• disclose to third parties who may be interested in investing or contributing in any way to the development or economic exploitation of the product or service presented.

Declarations and guarantees

Each candidate declares and guarantees that what has been submitted or sent in the application to the Initiative

• Is in the full availability for use by the candidate;
• does not violate the rights, including intellectual property rights, of third parties;
• does not contain illegal material
• is not of a discriminatory, violent or offensive nature or content;
• complies with the applicable legislation.

Therefore, the candidate expressly declares to indemnify Swiss Federalism and Milton Friedman from any claim, demand or request made by any third party for violation of any of the provisions of these Regulations.

In relation to the law concerning the protection of persons and other subjects with respect to the processing of personal data, the participants in the competition hereby authorize the organization of the competition to process the personal data in question for the purpose of managing the competition itself.

Contacts

Email: info@swissfederalism.ch