9 Inno Grants to transform society
How can research impact society? Nine UniBE researchers start with the Inno Grant.
Coping better with urban heat and insomnia, keeping abreast of research advances, personalized therapies, support for SMEs, and ensuring the local energy production — many ideas that have come out of the University of Bern are now taking their first steps toward being brought to market. The projects were selected from 43 submissions through a multi-stage jury process.
Yann Alibert (Physikalisches Institut & CSH)
Rxiv-hub, a new AI-based recommendation system for preprints
The number of preprints posted every day on arxiv, the main preprint service in exact sciences, is growing exponentially, with presently ~24000 papers submitted monthly. This poses a major challenge for researchers who need to keep up with advances in their field. At the Institute of Physics and Center for Space and Habitability, Yann Alibert and his group developed a new fully automatized recommendation system, rxiv-hub, which provides registered users the most important preprints matching their own research interests. With a custom-made Large Language Model the product automatically captures the semantics of user’s research interest and identifies the most relevant recently published preprints in the researcher’s field.
Manuela Eugster (ARTORG Center)
Position sensor for a miniature medical robot
Medical robotic instruments that enter the body are subject to numerous design constraints, so that sensor components are often placed outside the patient instead of at the tool’s tip. This means the tool is controlled using information from farther away, which can make it less accurate and slower to detect problems during use. Manuela Eugster and the Neuro Robotics Group at the ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research and the Department of Neurosurgery work on developing novel sensor solutions that can be directly integrated into miniature medical robotic systems allowing for absolute feedback on the robot tip position. The UniBE Inno Grant will support the project in realizing a proof-of-concept of a sensor by integrating it into an innovative dental robot that was developed as part of an Innosuisse-funded project at the BIROMED-Lab, DBE, University of Basel in collaboration with the Clinic of Reconstructive Dentistry at the University of Zurich, Basel-based Camlog Biotechnologies GmbH and the ARTORG Center.
Sabrina Jud (Institute of Sports Sciences)
Dance Knowledge Hub – Bridging Dance Science and Practice
The Dance Knowledge Hub aims to make scientifically informed knowledge accessible to dance professionals. It provides accessible formats for knowledge transfer and offers opportunities for professional development. Topics such as safe and health-oriented practices, training optimization, motor learning and skill acquisition, and psychologically sound learning environments will be addressed. The Hub also functions as a space for exchange, bringing together experts and organizations to share ideas and create synergies. Its goal is to create a sustainable offering that enhances the quality of dance teaching and supports health-oriented practices. The project at the Department of Movement and Exercise Science, initiated and led by Sabrina Jud in close collaboration with PD Dr. Andrea Schärli, will assess the needs of dance professionals across Switzerland, develop and test initial formats, and organize and evaluate a first symposium.
Warissara Jutidamrongphan (Department of Nuclear Medicine)
From Validated Algorithm to Clinical Tool for Personalized Tumor Treatment
Men with advanced prostate cancer receive identical radioligand therapy (RLT), despite having very different amounts of disease. Doctors cannot reliably measure how big tumors are from medical imaging (PET scans), so treatment decisions rely on visual estimates. This can lead to unnecessary high radiation and costs (CHF 180,000+ per patient). At the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Inselspital, Warissara Jutidamrongphan co-developed STEM, a software that automatically measures whole-body tumor burden directly from routine scans. It identifies which patients will benefit most from therapy and supports objective treatment decisions. The Inno Grant converts STEM from a research method into a clinical tool — the first step toward a University of Bern spin-off.
Caroline Kähr Serra (Institute of Marketing and Management)
AIGentGate: Pilot Validation of a Structured Pre-Sales Automation System for Swiss SMEs
Swiss SMEs find it increasingly difficult to systematically acquire new customers, as the early stages of customer acquisition are time-consuming and qualified sales representatives are hard to find. AIGentGate is developing and testing a new structured sales approach: It helps companies identify relevant target customers, reach out to them in a targeted manner, and generate qualified appointments. As part of the UniBE Inno Grant, a team led by Caroline Kähr Serra is carrying out specific pilot projects to test how effective this approach is in practice and what benefits it brings to companies.
Patrick Kallabis (Institute of Geography)
MYURBANCLIMATE: A Web-Based Planning Tool for Standardized Urban Temperature Monitoring Networks
Swiss cities are significantly warmer than their surroundings due to densely built-up areas and limited vegetation. These elevated temperatures pose serious health risks, particularly for vulnerable people. Temperature monitoring networks help cities identify and observe heat hotspots, but designing and deploying these networks requires specialized expertise that most cities lack. myurbanclimate is a web-based planning tool that automates this process. Users mark an area on a map – myurbanclimate calculates the optimal number of sensors and their placement, generates a maintenance plan, and exports standardized reports. This makes urban heat monitoring accessible and affordable to city administrations and urban planners across Switzerland.
Sven Nösberger (Dpt. Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences)
GDE Analytics
As the world seeks secure and sustainable energy carriers, hydrogen technologies are expected to play a key role. However, developing efficient fuel cells and electrolyzers remains slow and expensive. At the NanoElectroCatalysis Group, Sven Nösberger has developed a novel method that combines automated high-throughput experiments with machine learning to accelerate the discovery of better materials. By generating industry-relevant data at unprecedented speed, the method shortens development cycles, reduces costs, and helps bring clean hydrogen technologies to market faster, strengthening energy security while reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Janja Novak (Veterinary Public Health Institute)
A burrowing shelter for laboratory mouse cages: Translating evidence-based housing into laboratory practice
Standard housing for laboratory mice is relatively barren, prioritizing hygiene and operational convenience over behavioral needs. This mismatch can induce chronic stress, undermining both welfare and experimental validity. The research of the Animal Welfare Division shows that mice prefer shelters with deep bedding that allow burrowing — an option largely incompatible with the individually ventilated cages (IVC) used in most facilities. Janja Novak and team are developing a simple, easy to clean shelter that integrates a burrowing compartment into existing IVC systems. By improving welfare within standardized conditions, this innovation can make preclinical data more reliability and translatable while offering strong commercial potential for widespread adoption.
Christelle Robert (Institute of Plant Sciences)
Swiss Market Readiness of a Plant-Based Sleep-Support Supplement
Poor sleep affects a large proportion of the population and has major consequences for health, wellbeing, and productivity. Existing solutions are often limited or rely on sedatives, and many people are looking for natural, evidence-based options to support better sleep. Christelle Robert and Madeleine Clough, at the Chemical Ecology and Health group from the Institute of Plant Sciences, are developing a plant-derived supplement intended to support deep sleep. The Inno Grant project will assess whether this supplement can be safely, credibly, and realistically brought to the Swiss market, with the aim of providing a new plant-based option for people seeking support for better sleep.
The Inno Grant at the University of Bern
The UniBE Inno Grant is a funding program that has been supporting researchers since 2024 in create an innovative product or service. Support is provided for projects with strong social and/or commercial potential. The goal of the UniBE Inno Grant is to encourage and actively engage researchers, clinicians, staff, and PhD students to actively work on innovative projects that accelerate the transfer of knowledge and technology to industry and society.