immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Klimastiftung

  • Over 200 projects selected for more sustainability

    Over 200 projects selected for more sustainability

    In its second funding round, the Swiss Climate Foundation has selected a further six climate-innovative projects and technologies for funding. This means that more than 200 grants have already been awarded since the foundation was established in 2008, the foundation announced in a press release. “It’s great to see the sophisticated projects with which the individual SMEs together generate an enormously positive impact on climate protection,” said Foundation President Thomas Hügli.

    The projects recognised in the second funding round cover a wide range of topics. Laborex from Mendrisio TI, for example, is being funded for its mini biogas power plant, which generates energy from livestock biomass. Digit Soil from Adliswil ZH is also active in the field of agriculture. The spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich is working on a digital individual fertiliser planner.

    Two other subsidised projects are in the field of recycling. WasteFlow from Lausanne uses intelligent sensors to optimise recycling rates. Grensol from Thalwil ZH, on the other hand, is working on a method for recovering recyclable raw materials from plastic waste from cars and household appliances.

    Mycrobez is being promoted for its alternative to petroleum-based foams. The Basel-based company produces natural foam from mushroom roots and locally sourced biological side streams. Lumatics aims to reduce CO2 emissions in the construction industry by optimising cement production. The four-step programme of the young company from Brugg AG saves on fuels and raw materials.

  • Swiss Climate Foundation supports ten projects

    Swiss Climate Foundation supports ten projects

    In its first funding round in 2024, the Swiss Climate Foundation has selected ten innovative climate-relevant projects for funding from a large number of submissions. They will be supported with a total of over 1.3 million Swiss francs, the foundation announced in a press release. “We are registering an increased number of high-quality enquiries with real potential for climate protection,” said Managing Director Vincent Eckert.

    In the press release, the Climate Foundation provides a brief profile of five of the projects. For example, the Grabowski project from Borobotics GmbH in Winterthur is being supported. It has developed a drilling robot for geothermal drilling in confined spaces.

    VentoStream AG from Liestal is being supported in the development of its mini wind turbine. “Our technology is three times more effective and economical than conventional wind turbines,” says VentoStream CEO Manuel Bernsau. The innovative design also prevents shadow, bird and ice impact.

    HILLBOT GmbH from Risch ZG has developed a lightweight mower. The project initiator Amadeo Knüsel is quoted in the press release as saying that “an average farm could save 4 tonnes of CO2 per year”.

    SolidWatts from Pully VD is being supported in the development of microwave generators that produce microwaves on an industrial scale. They can efficiently produce heat in materials used in industrial processes.

    Terrabloc SA develops innovative clay blocks for ceiling production. The Geneva-based company has already received support from the Climate Foundation in 2019 and 2020.

  • Climate Foundation Switzerland awards 683,000 Swiss francs for innovative projects

    Climate Foundation Switzerland awards 683,000 Swiss francs for innovative projects

    The quality of the applications received by the Swiss Climate Foundation for the first round of funding in 2023 is “as high as ever”, according to a statement by the organisation. It has granted funding totalling 683,000 Swiss francs for six of them. Last year, the Swiss Climate Foundation decided on a change of strategy: since 1 January 2023, it has focused exclusively on climate-relevant innovations. In this way, “our funds develop their maximum leverage effect”, said Thomas Hügli, President of the Foundation Board, at the time. SMEs in Switzerland and Liechtenstein are eligible for support.

    In its latest announcement, the Swiss Climate Foundation cites the Sursee-based company HammerDrum as an example. It is receiving funding for its space-saving drilling technology for extracting geothermal energy. Instead of the area of a football field usually required for a deep geothermal probe, their drilling technology manages with 25 square metres, as is usual for two parking spaces. This gives even large properties in confined urban spaces the opportunity to switch to CO2-neutral geothermal energy.

    Overall, the balance of this first pure innovation year is strong, even if the influx of projects has declined as expected, says the press release, which also presents the 2022 annual report. Four new companies joined as partners last year: Mirabaud as well as the Graubündner, Basler and Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank. This means that 31 companies in Switzerland and Liechtenstein are now involved in the Swiss Climate Foundation. They finance the Climate Foundation with the refunds they receive from the CO2 tax.

    This year, the Climate Foundation is celebrating its 15th anniversary with two events: on 25 July in Zurich at the Allianz Cinema Night and on 13 September at the Raiffeisen Forum in Bern.

  • Climate Foundation Switzerland supports innovative projects

    Climate Foundation Switzerland supports innovative projects

    The Swiss Climate Foundation has distributed a total of 1.3 million francs in funding. Small and medium-sized companies that make a contribution to climate protection benefit from this financial support. A total of nine particularly innovative and five major projects for improving the energy efficiency of buildings receive funds from the Climate Foundation. “It is very important to us to promote such innovations more intensively”, their managing director Vincent Eckert is quoted in a press release .

    For example, the Ticino company iWin is now being supported with 50,000 francs. It produces windows with integrated photovoltaic blinds. In doing so, it transforms highly glazed buildings into solar power plants. The Zurich-based company Oxara is using the funding for the further development of cement-free concrete from loamy excavated material. FenX , based in Zurich, uses ash and other mineral waste to produce insulating foam for construction that is non-flammable and 100 percent recyclable. FenX receives CHF 200,000 for this.

    The supported projects also include the automated insect breeding solution from the Aargau company SmartBreed as well as the Ticino company Ponera . It develops shipping packaging for industrial goods, which is intended to create a circular economy for packaging material. Further funds will go to iWorks AG in Liechtenstein. It shows how public areas can be used to produce solar power.