India

Academia Industry Training (AIT) Programme 2024

Ten scientists from Swiss universities—part of this year’s Academia Industry Training (AIT) Programme—will be spending one week in Bengaluru to discover the Indian market and seek collaborations with a view to solving global challenges at scale in the spaces of sustainability, deeptech, medtech and robotics. The cohort, which has been chosen via a competitive process and is among the best in Switzerland, will also be pitching alongside Indian innovators at the Bengaluru Tech Summit on November 20 from 9 am to 6 pm.

Similarly, nine startups from India will spend a week in various Swiss cities from February 4 to February 7 to explore Switzerland as a market. More details to follow closer to the date.

Read about the Swiss and Indian cohorts below, and meet them during their visits.

Swiss Startups

    Azure Cell Therapies

    Bilal Fares

    Parkinson's disease (PD) has with no cure and is on the rise. Although cell therapies bring hope to solve PD by replacing lost brain neurons, current limitations in their safety, scalability and loss of efficacy are yet to be addressed. Azure Cell Therapies is developing the next generation of cell therapies for PD that are safe (of low risk of tumour formation), scalable (off-the-shelf with simplified manufacturing), and have sustained disease-modifying effects. Azure's programmes leverage 20 years of cutting-edge research at the University of Geneva, a comprehensive portfolio of nine enabling patents, a strong preclinical data package demonstrating proof-of-concept of their technologies, and a founding team of seasoned biotech entrepreneurs.
    (Biotech)

    BCellOne

    Miguel Solsona

    BCellOne is a biotechnology startup focused on developing advanced cell and gene therapy solutions. By leveraging cutting-edge micro- and nano-technology, microfluidics, and immunology, BCellOne aims to create more efficient and scalable therapeutic delivery systems. Their innovative approach enhances cell viability and treatment efficacy, addressing critical needs in genetic disorders, oncology and other therapeutic areas. The company plans to generate revenue through licensing proprietary technology, forming strategic partnerships, and direct sales of their advanced therapeutic products and delivery systems.
    (Biotech)

    Brightank

    Kevin Turani-I-Belloto

    Brightank accelerates industrial decarbonisation by elevating ammonia as a powerful and practical green liquid fuel through an innovative catalyst, paving the way for a greener future. Brightank offers a proprietary catalyst that enables sustainable, efficient and accessible hydrogen production from ammonia. This technology, currently at the Minimal Viable Product stage, leverages cutting-edge materials to ensure high performance and cost efficiency.
    (Chemtech/Cleantech)

    Impli AG

    Anna Luisa Schaffgotsch

    Impli is a biotech company working on subdermal hormone monitoring platforms. The first product identified for market launch as a medical device in 2027 in the U.S. will be for women undergoing IVF. The device is expected to improve convenience for women who suffer from infertility by removing the need to have blood draws. Clinicians rely on blood draws to determine effective treatment interventions and this can, in some cases, require for bloods to be taken on a daily basis. With Impli's electrochemical biosensor platform, specifically targeted biomarkers can be monitored to provide clinicians and patients with more data and better insights to improve patient outcome. The platform is implanted and removed after a normal 30-day IVF treatment cycle.
    (Medtech)

    Inveel GmbH

    Barbara Horvath

    Inveel revolutionises robotics with a cutting-edge sensory skin technology, equipping robots with advanced capabilities. Their groundbreaking nanoelectrode printing method ensures nanometer precision even on large surfaces, which fosters the creation of highly sensitive sensor circuits. This technology transforms robots, allowing them to interact with superior precision and closely emulate human touch, leading to a safer and more efficient coexistence between humans and automated systems.
    (Robotics)

    Myriad Optics

    Fahradin Mujovi

    Myriad Optics aims to create a safer food supply chain through a comprehensive bacterial detection and identification technology. They combine optical spectroscopy, microfluidics and machine learning to detect and identify harmful bacteria in under two hours, rather than days. The rapid and reliable test will mean food companies can be sure their products are safe in a simple and easy-to-use way.
    (Foodtech)

    Onescope

    Yannick Ormen

    Imagine a world where diagnosing lung conditions is as easy as identifying songs on Shazam. That's the future Onescope envisions with Pneumoscope. Developed in partnership with HUG and EPFL, Pneumoscope integrates a digital stethoscope, a pulse oximeter, and a thermometer into a single, user-friendly device. Its state-of-the-art AI model—DeepBreath—ensures precise classification of respiratory diseases such as asthma or pneumonia, fostering early intervention and superior patient care in both clinical and home settings. Onescope aims to make respiratory care accessible and reliable for everyone, everywhere.
    (Medtech)

    Phorest

    Serhii Shyshkanov

    Phorest aims to bring about a transformation for pharmaceutical production by replacing petroleum-based feedstocks with widespread and currently underutilised biomass-derived lignin. This sustainable switch reduces waste and carbon footprint, facilitating production of various pharmaceuticals from renewable resources, while making the pharmaceutical supply chain more resilient through providing a cost-effective and affordable technological solution, accelerated with modern digital tools in chemistry.
    (Pharmatech)

    SaisiR

    Claudia Bigoni

    Stroke is a major cause of disability worldwide, leaving 25 million people with severe impairments and unable to perform activities of daily life. SaisiR introduces a revolutionary therapy based on personalisation and neurotechnologies to bridge the gap between the brain and the upper limb. At its core, a brain-computer interface decodes brain signals to activate muscle stimulation via a robotic glove. Enhanced by neuromodulation, their system enables complex movements, fostering neuroplasticity and recovery. A Swissmedic-approved trial showed that 90% of patients improved, with lasting benefits and improvements in daily life. SaisiR aims to make this therapy accessible in clinics worldwide, transforming stroke rehabilitation.
    (Medtech)

    Separatic

    Timur Ashirov

    Separatic develops membranes that separate hydrogen from helium in ammonia. They are designed to allow helium to pass through while blocking hydrogen, resulting in a highly purified stream of helium. This method requires only a fraction of the energy required by traditional methods, making it both more cost-effective and more sustainable. This has the potential to transform the helium production industry by providing a more efficient and sustainable solution that saves energy, captures valuable hydrogen, and can be easily integrated into existing production facilities.
    (Cleantech)
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Indian Startups

    4 Base Care

    Hitesh Goswami & Kshitij Rishi

    4 Base Care is a precision oncology company which focuses on personalising cancer care using advanced genomics and digital health technology. Their comprehensive Indiegene cancer panel can analyse various types of cancer and identify a wide range of genetic alterations, including mutations and gene fusions, which can help inform personalised treatment decisions.
    (Medtech)

    AI Health Highway

    Dr. (Maj) Satish S. Jeevannavar

    AI Health Highway is an AI-first company focused on making screening of chronic diseases cost-effective at primary care clinics, which is the first point of contact for any patient. Their AiSteth — a smart stethoscope — helps reduce the learning curve for young doctors and healthcare workers and has the potential to screen, detect and predict heart and lung disorders using state-of-the-art signal processing and ML capabilities.
    (Digital Healthcare)

    BioArtha Labs

    Ganesh Prasad U.G.

    BioArtha Labs is a leading biotechnology company specialising in high-quality products for molecular biology, protein biology, chromatography, and in vitro diagnostics (IVD). The company is committed to empowering researchers and healthcare professionals with innovative and reliable solutions. BioArtha has certifications that ensure the highest levels of safety, quality, and regulatory compliance in medical device and IVD reagent development and production. Their large-scale production capacity can meet the growing global demand for their diverse product portfolio. They are continuously manufacturing, therefore reducing the time-to-market and optimising costs for reliable supply.
    (Biotech)

    Doto Health

    Nikesh Ingle

    Doto Health believes in creating equal opportunities of care for women and focuses on improving women's health by providing digital solutions for healthcare providers that offer services to women during pregnancy. Their products include wireless fetal heart monitors, antenatal care platform for last-mile care delivery and high risk pregnancy management, and pregnancy trackers and apps. The company plans to expand beyond pregnancy care by adding new products and services for women's health.
    (Digital Healthcare)

    Eliteck Hydrogen

    Snehangshu Patra

    Eliteck Hydrogen manufactures indigenous portable hydrogen gas generators for home. They are developing a pre-commercial prototype of a cooking oven which is run by hydrogen produced through an on-demand electrolyser.
    (Energy Transition)

    Froots Technologies

    Shefalika Sharma & Shefali Beri

    Froots is focused on developing quality management solutions of agricultural produce. Their mission is to create digital quality footprints that enable seamless tracking and monitoring of quality across the entire value chain. They are developing an integrated device and app called EyePhy, which leverages computer vision to assess the physical specifications and moisture content of seeds and grains. In addition, they are also developing their AgriQ platform, which is a reliable and secure tool for monitoring crop management practices, ensuring traceability and sustainable growing practices at the farm, predicting and forecasting aflatoxin risk for supervised farms, and providing assured, traceable crop quality by simultaneously creating historical records for quality audits.
    (Agritech)

    Genomiki

    Dr. Deeksha Bhartiya

    Genomics-based personalised medicine is going to be the future of healthcare which will help in preventive screening, early diagnosis and possible therapeutic interventions. Genomiki Solutions envisions transforming healthcare by developing genomic diagnostic and new-born screening (NBS) solutions for rare paediatric disorders. Their paediatric diagnostic solution is a smart custom-made genome-informatics solution enabled with big-data analytics and artificial intelligence, meticulously designed to analyse, interpret and report specific genetic variants linked to both germline and somatic disorders. Our AI-enabled therapy recommendation platform will provide information about existing interventions and therapies. The highly optimised algorithms will accelerate the processing of large numbers of samples in a short span of time which will empower their customers (hospitals and diagnostic labs) in taking quick medical decisions. 
    (Medtech)

    Next Big Innovation Labs

    Alok Medikepura Anil

    Next Big Innovation Labs (NBIL) bridges the gap between organ demand and availability for organ transplantation via 3D bioprinting solutions.
    (3D Bioprinting Platform / Tissue Engineering / Regenerative Medicine)

    Rechargion Energy

    Vilas Shelke

    Rechargion develops high performance rechargeable sodium-ion battery cells that have potential to reduce cost, enable local supply chain and provide safety of operations thus addressing the problem of high upfront cost of lithium-Ion batteries along with dependence on imports of mined minerals and their inflammable nature.
    (Energy Transition)

    Vemsa Biotech

    Vijay Satish

    Parkinson's disease is a rapidly growing neurodegenerative disorder globally. Vemsa's Parkinson's Disease Nasal Drops was developed for the therapeutic management of the disease. Its unique nano-coupled emulsion formulation allows for targeted drug delivery via the nasal route, crossing the blood-brain barrier to reach the target site. This delivery method aims to minimise drug loss and maximise therapeutic efficacy, and may reduce the risk of side effects associated with oral medications, improving patient quality of life.
    (Biotech)
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What is AIT?

The Academia Industry Training (AIT) India is an early-career development and market discovery programme for Swiss and Indian scientists looking to validate and convert their inventions into viable, marketable innovations. AIT is supported by the Swiss government’s State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation (SERI). It is mandated by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), which is the Leading House for South Asia and Iran. In Switzerland, it is managed by Venturelabs, while in India we at Swissnex manage and execute the programme.

Why AIT?

For over ten years, AIT India has been supporting multiple Swiss and Indian scientists understand the market potential of their innovation across geographies and helped convert many of them into entrepreneurs. It has enabled them to transform their ideas into viable, successful products. Several of these innovations are in the market across multiple geographies, and AIT alumni have gone on to become successful entrepreneurs and mentors to other startups. AIT is also a great barometer of technological shifts, and has been successful in identifying impactful technologies in key sectors like energy and sustainability. In short, tech in AIT today is tech for the world tomorrow.

Partners

Contact

    Atul Kavitake

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