Jury and selection criteria

The jury selects the winning teams of the Age Innovation Prize according to various admission and selection criteria.

Jury

The jury for the Age Innovation Prize is made up of representatives from the following sectors:

  • members of the AGE-INT program,
  • industry (EY, IBM Switzerland, SBB, Swisscom),
  • the public sector (City of Zurich, Centre for Gerontology at the University of Zurich, OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, University of Geneva, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland SUPSI)
  • and the innovation sector (Switzerland Innovation Park Ost, Margerite).  

Every year, the jury faces the challenge of selecting the best projects for the Age Innovation Prize.

The jury for the Age Innovation Prize 2025 consists of the following members:

Admission and selection criteria

The innovation projects are submitted to the jury for judgement after a general examination of the content of the admission criteria. A selected shortlist has the opportunity to pitch to the jury. The jury selects the three winning projects based on defined selection criteria.

To be eligible, the submitted innovation project must meet these conditions:

  • It must be submitted completely and on time in English. The deadlines can be found in the call document.
  • It must be a Swiss innovation project (project idea, start-up or product).
  • It must be a technological innovation aimed at the life phase “old age” (60+).
  • It must meet an urgent age-related need, for example in the areas of independence, social integration, quality of life or health.

The application must take into account the following four selection criteria and describe how the submitted innovation project already meets them or plans to meet them in the future:

Relevance and impact

  • How does your innovation project use technology to address specific needs and challenges of older populations?
  • What potential impact do you expect it to have, for example, on improving the independence, social integration, quality of life or health of older people?
     

Innovative strength and uniqueness

  • What makes your innovation project unique and innovative?
  • How does it introduce new approaches, methods or technologies to address specific needs and challenges of older adults through the use of technology?
     

Feasibility and viability

  • What about the technical feasibility, economic viability and feasibility of implementing your innovation project in its current state of development (project idea, start-up or product)?
  • What are the challenges or obstacles you expect to face and what is your strategy for overcoming them?
     

User-centered design

  • How does your innovation project prioritize the preferences, abilities, and limitations of older adults in design and implementation, considering factors such as usability, accessibility, and user feedback?
  • What are examples of how you have integrated user-centered design principles into your project?