Fribourg unveils the nine finalists for the 2026-2027 IFF Awards

The canton of Fribourg and the Banque Cantonale de Fribourg (BCF) have unveiled the nine finalists of the 18th IFF (Innovation Fribourg Freiburg) Awards, selected from 40 applications across three categories.

The State of Fribourg and the Banque Cantonale de Fribourg (BCF) have unveiled the nine finalists of the 18th IFF (Innovation Fribourg Freiburg) Awards. Among 40 applications, one more than in 2024, a jury of 14 representatives of business, universities, the innovation community and the administration selected three finalists in each of the three categories: Enterprise, Start-up and Sustainability. The jury is chaired by State Councillor Olivier Curty, head of the economy, who stresses that innovation is not limited to one sector or one technology.

Prizes, public vote and ceremony

The Start-up Award, worth CHF 30,000, is decided by public vote. The Enterprise and Sustainability Awards are worth CHF 10,000 each. A new Carbon Fri mention, also worth CHF 10,000, rewards an exemplary decarbonization project. Each winner also receives a full-page advertorial in La Liberté, in print and online.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, broadcast live on La Télé in a bilingual French-German program.

Enterprise Award finalists

Comet SA (Flamatt) develops high-precision technology for semiconductors. Its Synertia® platform controls the energy of plasma processes at microsecond scale and is in the qualification and mass-production introduction phase.

Watch our Getting Serious episode with Comet Group CEO Stephan Haferl, who explains how the Swiss company supplies the technology that makes semiconductors possible and why talent is Switzerland’s main competitive advantage.

Elionova SA (Fribourg) has developed the ElioDX platform for faster and simpler biological analyses, delivering quantitative results within minutes. It is already used by first paying customers.

Polytype SA (Fribourg) has designed print heads able to detect their own failures, using their piezoelectric elements as sensors. Developed with the iPrint and iSIS institutes of HEIA-FR, the technology is being industrialized.

Start-up Award finalists

Oxadi SA (Fribourg) offers Digitox, a tool that measures the effects of digital technology and AI on employees, based on anonymized data.

Volatorix Sàrl (Surpierre) has developed GAISO, an onboard AI that pilots the AMBRO interceptor. Able to exceed 500 km/h, AMBRO neutralizes hostile drones, including without GPS. The technology comes from research at HEIA-FR.

YORD SA (Fribourg) offers an AI heating optimizer based on a digital twin of the building. During the 2025-2026 season, it saved 4.19 GWh, or 22.8% of consumption, with up to 45% in some buildings.

Sustainability Award finalists

FLOW Meyer (Le Mouret) is behind FibraTech, a project to valorize hemp straw locally by separating its fiber and shives to make geotextiles, insulation, construction materials or pellets.

Liip SA (Fribourg) has created Lowwwimpact, an audit tool that assesses the sustainability of websites and applications, covering environment, accessibility, data protection and governance, inspired by W3C recommendations.

UHCS Property SA (Rue) develops modular building systems made from fiberglass-reinforced PET waste. Protected by five patent families, the technology was tested in a full-scale prototype in Romont in 2025.

An award with a 35-year history

The IFF Award was launched in 1991 by the Fribourg Development Agency (FDA), is awarded every two years, and was renamed IFF Awards in 2024. It has already distinguished more than 50 Fribourg companies.