About us

Our services for
the troops

The Swiss Innovation Forces stem from one of the strategic initiatives of Vision 2030. As part of the defense innovation system, we contribute to the adaptive Swiss Army.

Über Uns

We are a privately managed corporation, fully owned by the federal government. We compare solutions available on the market with the current challenges of the Swiss Army and test them with the troops.

We support the employees of the Defense Group in their innovation projects. We empower them to identify their problems and work on their solutions. This way, we promote bottom-up innovation.

What we mean by innovation:

  • Our goal is to measurably improve the user situation by a factor of x. Metrics can include: efficiency, quality, error rate, satisfaction
  • We do not aim for perfection in three to five years, but for a 60-80% solution today
  • We are not looking for groundbreaking innovations, but for established, today available products that are new to the army and administration
  • This also means that we bring solutions available on the civilian market directly or with slight modifications to the Swiss Army
  • To achieve this, we maintain close communication, particularly with the Swiss start-up scene, to identify promising innovations early

How we proceed:

  • In all our activities, we place the user at the center
  • We invest resources where we can create real added value for the troops and administration
  • The quick testing of an initial functional solution with the troops is our goal
  • Due to our independence and agility, we operate differently from large organizations. This allows us to maintain a high pace
  • We iterate quickly, deal openly with mistakes, and value the result more than the process

How we convey innovation:

  • A lot of knowledge and ideas lie dormant among the employees of the army and administration
  • They should be empowered to work not only in the system but also on the system
  • To achieve this, we convey the innovation methods and provide the necessary tools
  • We provide the necessary space and tools for exchange and networking among innovators, both offline and online
  • We help eliminate systemic barriers to enable innovation

Innovation

In the Academy, we empower the employees of the Defense Group to further their education and become part of the innovation

to the Academy →
Gesellschaft

At our events, we connect innovators. Because innovation thrives on active exchange

to the events →
Vorgehen

Through project work with the troops, we promote the cultural shift towards an agile and adaptive organization

To the projects →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is your relationship with "Innovation Defense" (Inno V)?

Inno V does not provide project services or other innovation offerings itself but coordinates and sets standards for innovation work in the Swiss Army and within the innovation system of the Swiss Armed Forces.

How do you differentiate yourselves from the Drone and Robotics Competence Center?

The drone topic is so comprehensive and important that various actors are required to address it. Therefore, the mandates partially overlap. However, through coordination between the organizations, unwanted redundancies and inefficiencies are avoided.

How do you differentiate yourselves from armasuisse Science and Technology?

We work complementarily to armasuisse S+T. While they focus on research and development, serving a longer time horizon, we focus on implementation and deployment in the troops, now and immediately. We maintain continuous exchange with armasuisse S+T and also collaborate on project-based work.

What is the role of the Swiss Innovation Forces in the army?

We are here to implement innovation ideas entrepreneurially (i.e., with a start-up methodology, pragmatically, quickly, and effectively) with the users. This is our unique selling point in the "Defense Innovation System."

Aren't there already other organizations driving innovation for the Swiss Army?

Each organization and innovation path within the army's innovation system covers different areas of innovation. Some focus on research and development and work particularly on tomorrow's problems. We focus on solutions that already exist today. Often, these are solutions from the private sector that have been proven there and can be made available to the troops quickly and with minimal adjustments.

Why are the Swiss Innovation Forces not part of the army?

So that we can operate independently in the market and, for example, reduce entry barriers for solution partners from the private sector, especially start-ups. This is possible because, as an independent corporation, we can act differently. With our external perspective, we can advise the Swiss Army even better.

Do you have any more questions?

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