Swiss Leading House Africa
The Swiss TPH supported by the University of Basel has been mandated by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) to promote and foster scientific cooperation with key institutions in Africa for the funding period 2025-2028. This follows on from the successful mandate in 2021-2024.
Within the Leading House, the Innovation Office manages a number of programs that create and support opportunities for Swiss innovators together with African partners. The funding instruments within the programme are open to researchers of all Swiss universities, universities of applied sciences and public research institutes as well as Swiss based Startups. Further information including about research instruments and links to Leading Houses in other geographies is available here.
Folllow The Swiss Leading House on LinkedIn.
The Swiss Leading House Africa is the Leading House for bilateral research collaboration with partner institutions in Africa.
Programs
The AIT in Blockchain 2026 is an opportunity for Swiss blockchain startups and researchers to explore the South African market and build partnerships in one of Africa's most dynamic innovation ecosystems. A tailored programme will connect you with researchers, startups, industry players, investors, and government representatives working across finance, health, agriculture, logistics, social impact, and beyond.
For the first time, the programme is embedded directly into the University of Zurich Deep Dive into Blockchain (DDiB) Summer School — Europe's leading blockchain programme. Selected participants will pitch to an international cohort in Zurich, engage with the South African blockchain and innovation ecosystem at Stellenbosch University, and complete a guided market exploration with local partners including Innocircle, the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), and the National Research Foundation (NRF).
Contacts
Douglas Haggstrom
Manager Swiss Leading House Africa Innovation Program
The RSCG 2026 call is an opportunity for Swiss researchers and science-based entrepreneurs to develop an innovation collaboration with an African partner — and for African sciencepreneurs and researchers to do the same with a Swiss counterpart.
The grant funds the early, exploratory phase of a researcher–sciencepreneur partnership, supporting activities such as co-creation, prototyping, field validation, and market discovery. Grants of CHF 5,000–20,000 are available for projects of up to 12 months. Apply via f6s.com by 31 August 2026.
Stories
Partners
