Responsible and Sustainable Tech Projects - One Prototype at a Time.

Since 2020, the Prototype Fund Switzerland has been strengthening the common good in Switzerland with open-source projects.

This funding round targets projects supporting responsible and sustainable AI, tech and digitalization: together, we seek to build the path towards a more responsible and sustainable AI, tech, and digitalization landscape – open source and beyond.

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WHAT WE DO

The Prototype Fund Switzerland supports interdisciplinary teams to develop and test public-interest technology.

Since 2020, we have funded early-stage projects that show how open source, data, and digital technologies, such as AI, can create real societal value. Today, we go one step further.

We support projects that address real societal challenges, translate responsibility and sustainability into practice, and create solutions that are usable, transferable, and built for real-world context

WHY THIS MATTERS

Technology is no longer emerging – it is now embedded in society at scale.

AI and digital systems are being adopted widely across industry and governments. Switzerland itself is shaping this future, for example through its commitment to international AI governance frameworks.

The question is no longer whether technology will shape society.

The question is how it is built, as it does so.

For the past five years, the Prototype Fund Switzerland has supported early-stage “tech for good” projects, notably in the open source realm.

In our upcoming programme edition, we want to ask the tough questions on how to enable technology that is responsible and sustainable by default, seeking answers one prototype at a time.

Want to learn more? You can find all the details about our selection criteria, our jury, the Prototype Fund team, and our FAQ online. For any additional questions, feel free to contact us via email: .

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PUBLIC INTEREST TECH

We fund technology by and for society.

Public Interest Tech refers to digital solutions that also address societal challenges and strengthen the common good.

This includes projects in areas such as:

  • sustainability and climate
  • participation and civic tech
  • education and literacy
  • health and inclusion
  • open knowledge and data

What matters is not only the technology, but its broader contribution to a more equitable and just society.

HOW WE WORK – AND WHY

Digital technology can create value for everyone. And prototyping public-interest technology showcases our path to get there. At the same time, there is a tendency to rely on hype, assuming that new technologies alone will solve complex societal challenges.

We take a different approach. The Prototype Fund Switzerland creates a structured space for experimentation for public interest tech that is:

  • human-centered
  • open and collaborative
  • focused on real-world challenges

We fund and support projects that turn ideas into working tech prototypes, while generating insights for product and policy governance and long-term implementation.
Because responsibility and sustainability should not be afterthoughts.
They should be built into technology from the start.

THIS YEAR’S FOCUS

Each of our Prototype Fund funding rounds addresses a specific theme. In 2026-2027 edition, our focus is Responsible and Sustainable AI, Tech and Digitalization.

We are looking for projects that

  • reduce resource use, energy consumption, or emissions
  • strengthen accountability, transparency and governance
  • contribute to resilient and trustworthy digital systems

This includes, but is not limited to, sustainable digitalization and digital sufficiency, such as

  • public-interest AI and data infrastructures
  • tools for governance, oversight, or digital sovereignty.

WHO WE FUND

We support individuals and small teams who are:

  • open to open source, AI, and iterative experimentation with data & technology
  • eager to leverage technical capability in the context of societal and political awareness
  • willing to share learnings throughout the prototyping period
  • motivated to work on pressing problems of our society through technology
  • equipped with an early-stage but well-thought-out concept or idea
  • eligible to work in Switzerland.

HOW WE SUPPORT YOU

We provide the resources and environment to turn your idea into an active prototype:

  • Up to CHF 50,000 in funding
  • A 4-month prototyping phase
  • Coaching, mentoring, and workshops
  • Access to a strong network across tech, policy, and society

The Prototype Fund is a space for experimentation. We are interdisciplinary, human-centered, and impact-driven yet process-led.

From experimentation to application, we are excited to encourage real solutions for real-world responsible use.

TIMELINE & PROCESS

Application phase
21 July – 7 September 2026

Selection phase: Jury evaluation and team selection
August – September 2026 (rolling basis)

Prototyping phase: 4 months to develop and test your prototype and share your learnings
Mid-October – mid-February

Outputs and outcomes: Functional prototypes + documented learnings and insights
November 2026 – July 2027: Interim learnings and final program learnings

OPEN SOURCE & ACCESSIBILITY

We believe that public-interest technology should be transparent, reusable, and accessible wherever possible.

While not all projects need to be fully open source, we strongly encourage teams to:

  • publish code, data, or components under open-source licenses where feasible
  • document their approach and learnings
  • make results accessible, so others can build on them

This increases:

  • trust through transparency
  • impact through reuse
  • sustainability beyond the project itself

Open source remains a key enabler of responsible technology at scale.