The digital transformation is also affecting the area of education and training: According to EU estimates, 90 percent of all jobs will soon require digital skills. The working world of the future will call in particular for entrepreneurial skills and digital technology expertise, which have not yet been widely implemented in education and training today. The «Digital TechPreneurs» support vehicle aims to facilitate extracurricular and school-based project work at upper secondary level (general education and vocational training) in the area of entrepreneurship with a focus on using digital technologies. Model projects initiated and implemented by a broad-based project team will form the core of this area of activity.

• The project will focus on the students’ own activities, i.e. working on a specific project and its practical implementation by the participants (“user involvement”). Entertainment is not the main focus;
• Course providers are non-profit organizations;
• Course providers have a proven track record or show major potential;
• Course providers have access to the relevant network of partners or are in the process of establishing one – e.g. ETH, universities, universities of applied science, Swiss Skills, Swiss Youth in Science, YES Young Enterprise Switzerland; industry associations such as Swissmem/MINT service centre; cantonal chambers of trade and commerce; vocational colleges and secondary schools;
• Course providers cover several age groups and/or regions;
• Courses can be offered as an integral part of school, or as extra project camps alongside schooling;
• Course providers can/should obtain the support of students/trainees to hold the course;
• In terms of sustained funding and/or scaling, the course provider must submit a medium-term self-financing plan through the acquisition of long-term funding partners.

Projects may be submitted to Gebert Rüf Stiftung by one of the quarterly deadlines (1 February, 1 May, 1 September, 1 December) in accordance with the general requirements. The submission procedure has two stages.

Submission project proposal (1st stage)

Submission project application (2nd stage)

Projects for the «Digital Techpreneurs» area of activity may be submitted at any time. For ongoing calls for projects the selection process lasts approximately six months, from submission of the project proposal (step one) to the decision on the project application (step two). The board of trustees reaches the grant-making decision at its quarterly plenary meeting on the basis of the support criteria and the strategic objectives of the area of activity.

There is no procedure for appeals or applications for re-examination or reconsideration; no correspondence will be entered into regarding grant-making decisions.