Selection criteria

In this year’s Prototype Fund Switzerland edition, we aim to develop prototypes that showcase how AI and data-driven solutions can be built with responsibility and sustainability factored in from the start. We want to build experience in how to scale and diffuse technology in a way that is responsible for society and sustainable for the future.

We are looking for projects that:

• Are prepared to address concrete challenges of today in the realm of AI, data, and digitization
• Demonstrate clear potential for real-world use, paired with positive societal and environmental impact
• Let us gain insights how we implement AI and technology in a more responsible and sustainable fashion, at scale
• Let us gain these insights within a confined prototyping phase (four months core prototyping)
• Show potential for scale, transferability, replication, or broader adoption beyond the prototyping phase – within Switzerland and globally

Eligibility Criteria

The following formal criteria are reviewed by the Prototype Fund team before your project is assessed by the jury:

• Does the project contribute to Responsible and Sustainable AI?
  This may include aspects such as:
  • Fairness & Bias
  • Transparency & Explainability
  • Privacy & Security
  • Accountability & Governance
  • Safety & Robustness
  • Public-interest technology & long-term societal impact 
  • Environmental sustainability & sufficiency 
• Does the project demonstrate societal relevance and is applicable to a concrete challenge area?
• Does the project leverage or add to the open source community? (e.g. through documentation, shared components, or accessible outputs where possible)
• Are the applicants of legal age?
• Do the applicants have a valid work permit in Switzerland?

Evaluation Criteria

Once the formal eligibility criteria are met, projects are being evaluated across the following dimensions (weighted equally):

1. Relevance for Responsible & Sustainable AI

• To what extent does the project align with or contribute to:
  • responsible AI
    • Fairness & Bias
    • Transparency & Explainability 
    • Privacy & Security
    • Accountability & Governance
    • Safety & Robustness
  • sustainable AI
    • public-interest technology & long-term societal impact
    • Environmental sustainability & sufficiency 

2. Relevance & Potential

• Does the project have the potential to solve one of the thematic challenges?
• How pertinent (in the current context) and forward-looking (to derive insights for Responsible and Sustainable AI and governance insights at scale) is the idea?
• Does the project:
  • Deploy relevant AI- and data-driven approaches
  • Enable us to derive technical, organizational or wider socio-technical elements of governance?
  • Build a solution that makes responsible and sustainable AI more effective, accessible, or impactful?

3. Feasibility & Team Motivation

• Does the team showcase the skills and composition required to implement the project?
• What is the potential to derive theme-relevant prototyping insights within the prototyping phase (~4 months)?
• Has the team thought about a clear plan for execution?
• Is there a demonstrated interest in responsible and/or sustainable AI and data, to build upon during the prototyping period? 

4. Impact & Implementation Potential

• Does the project have the potential for:
  • real-world application
  • scaling, transferability, replication, or adaptation
• Does the project promise a testable prototype after 4 months
• Does it generate:
  • usable outputs (e.g. tools, prototypes, testable frameworks)?
  • insights relevant for policy, governance, sustainability transitions, or practice?

Portfolio Considerations

In addition to individual project quality, the final selection will consider:

• Diversity of Projects
  A balanced portfolio across different topics, approaches, and application areas according to the predefined challenge areas, including technical and non-technical, low-tech, small AI, and public-interest tech approaches
• Team Diversity and Potential Preference for interdisciplinary and inclusive teams with promising team composition in terms of capabilities 
• Strategic Fit
  Alignment with the overall program focus and challenge area(s) applied for
• Ambition / High-Impact Potential
  Inclusion of particularly relevant projects with high impact potential in the current AI and AI governance debate

Quick Check

Before evaluation, we ensure:

• your project fits the Responsible & Sustainable AI  theme
• your project fits at least one of the thematic challenge areas including the wildcard challenge
• your team meets the formal requirements (especially: legal age, work permit in Switzerland)