The Future of Health Grant Crosses Borders

The Future of Health Grant (FoHG) is now opening up to Europe. The pioneering program supporting digital health innovation has just entered into a strategic partnership with Future4care in Paris & Berlin and the Barcelona & Madrid Health Hub. This unique international support will now be available to the 6 newly selected startups. The “Pilot Factory”, two new national partnerships, and recent success stories all highlight the continued growth of the program, based at EPFL Innovation Park and supported by CSS.

At its annual event held on September 9, 2025, in Zurich, the FoHG announced the selection of the 6 startups that will benefit from its tailored support starting this fall.
A strategic partnership with two European accelerators
The Future of Health Grant, Switzerland’s pioneering program supporting digital health innovation, is now expanding to Europe. By entering into a strategic partnership with Future4care in Paris & Berlin and the Barcelona & Madrid Health Hub, FoHG is offering startups a gateway to the French, Spanish, and German markets.

Thanks to this collaboration, FoHG startups will be able to:
• explore new markets (France, Spain, Germany),
• gain a better understanding of key market dynamics and players,
• participate in international workshops,
• apply to European project calls, in collaboration with other startups from the partner ecosystems.

This expansion strengthens FoHG’s ambition to sustainably transform healthcare by fostering the emergence of pragmatic, tested, validated, and interoperable digital solutions at a continental scale.

A “Pilot Factory” to test innovations in practice
With its “Pilot Factory,” FoHG enables startups to test their solutions in real-world conditions, in partnership with healthcare providers, patient associations, insurers, and pharmaceutical groups. The goal is to demonstrate in practice: benefits for patients, adoption by caregivers, performance in terms of cost/benefit ratio, and feasibility of large-scale implementation. These data help build robust business cases, support inclusion in reimbursement lists, and convince potential buyers and investors.
This is a unique approach in Switzerland, now further reinforced by international collaborations.
Two new partners in the ecosystem
FoHG is also expanding through two major new national partnerships. The Swiss Foundation for Innovation and Training in Surgery (SFITS), based within Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), provides a state-of-the-art clinical simulation environment to test and refine startups’ surgical and interventional technologies. The Haute École de Santé Vaud (HESAV), a key academic player in the Vaud healthcare ecosystem, brings expertise in research and innovation, and strong ties to clinical practice. These collaborations strengthen FoHG’s “Pilot Factory” and give startups enhanced access to real-world healthcare environments.
Success stories and FoHG’s growing momentum

BeWe (formerly Neuria) is tackling obesity through a playful app that targets neural networks. Through the three stages of the program, FoHG facilitated a reorganization of the startup, helped recruit a CEO, opened doors to investors, initiated and structured pilot projects with hospitals in Vaud, and increased international visibility. Digehealth aims to identify intestinal disorders affecting one-third of the population and provide precise diagnoses using AI. A collaboration with FoHG expert partner Confinis enabled the development of a more advanced electronic sensor with necessary technical certifications. FoHG also supported the launch of a pilot project, algorithm refinement, fundraising, and the first demonstrations of the solution’s clinical value and economic viability.
Other FoHG startups are also advancing: Carity has launched a pilot project with CSS; Precisia Care has raised CHF 1 million and started pilot projects with EHC and RHNe; Zoundream has signed distribution agreements with Philips, Motorola, and Maxicosi, and already has over 10,000 users.

6 new startups selected

Level 1
• Alsensia (Lausanne): Combines cutting-edge VR and biofeedback (such as heart rate and muscle tension regulation) in a single platform to deliver more personalized mental health care.
• Phonemia (France): Uses AI to turn human beatboxing and hip-hop rhythms into a playful, evidence-based speech therapy tool for children, enhancing articulation and building self-confidence.
• Healium (Lausanne): Improves medication adherence with a connected pill dispenser that provides tailored dosages while enabling remote monitoring by caregivers.

Level 2
• Monix (Allschwil): Enables real-time monitoring of women’s hormonal health (fertility, menopause, endocrinology) with a continuous, non-invasive wearable biosensor.
• neurodAIgnostics (Zürich): Transforms cognitive testing with AI, offering neuropsychologists faster, more affordable, and highly accurate assessments.

Level 3
• Bonescreen (Germany): Detects chronic diseases up to 10 years earlier (e.g., osteoporosis) by proactively analyzing existing CT or MRI scans with AI to uncover additional diagnostic insights.

More details about the program: www.future-of-health.org
Press release also available at www.epfl-innovationpark.ch and www.css.ch

Contacts

Isabelle Tasset, CSS spokesperson
isabelle.tasset@css.ch, 058 277 63 96

Mathilde Durvy, EPFL Innovation Park
durvy@epfl-innovationpark.ch

Future of Health Grant – in brief
Launched in 2022 by CSS and the EPFL Innovation Park, this program, which supports innovations in digital health, is distinguished by its practical approach. Each start-up benefits from tailored coaching and monitoring, enabling it to move forward as quickly as possible while optimizing its resources. Around 20 startups are selected each year to receive support totaling up to CHF 90,000 without any dilution of ownership. The FoHG draws on the expertise of its founders and its unique network of partners composed of key players in the Swiss healthcare industry. This ecosystem stimulates the exchange of knowledge and experiences that is essential to agile, collaborative innovation. At present, the partners are:confinis, CSEM, Elca, Haute École de Santé Vaud (HESAV), HE-ARC, Hôpital de la Tour, Institut et Haute Ecole de la Santé la Source, Medkap investors, Microsoft, Pfizer, Réseau Delta, Swiss Foundation for Innovation and Training in Surgery (SFITS), Takeda, Unisanté, and Vaudoise Assurance.
CSS Group – in brief
The CSS Group, headquartered in Lucerne, was founded in 1899. This long-standing company insures 1.7 million people and, with a premium volume of around CHF 7.56 billion, is a key player in health and property insurance. The leader in basic insurance, where it has earned the trust of 1.47 million people, CSS is always close to the people it insures thanks to its unique network of 94 agencies covering the whole of Switzerland and some 3,000 employees. As a health partner, CSS helps its clients take control of their health and accompanies them on their journey to staying healthy, actively taking steps to improve their health or learning to live with illness. At the same time, it supports the development of new, useful and highly effective healthcare solutions that will benefit both insured persons and the healthcare system. All with the aim of building a system that is fit for the future.
EPFL Innovation Park – in brief
EPFL Innovation Park is the main hub for innovation and entrepreneurship in Western Switzerland. It supports ground-breaking innovation and technology transfer from EPFL and other regional academic partners. It is a vibrant workplace that hosts 200 high-tech start-ups, SMEs, the R&D centers of large companies, and their 2,500 employees. Over the years, EPFL Innovation Park has developed a series of unique start-up training, incubation, and acceleration programs in collaboration with a dynamic community of industry experts, investors, venture capitalists, and government agencies.