AIT India 2022: 16 Swiss and Indian entrepreneurs advance their research with international support

30.08.2022 16:00, Tracy Woodley

The Academia-Industry Training (AIT) Camp India has selected 10 researchers from Swiss universities who will discover the innovation’s potential in the Indian market. After two years of online programs due to the pandemic, the program is finally back in a physical format and will be held in Bombay, Bangalore, Lausanne, and Zurich.

Together with 10 Indian entrepreneurs, the 10 Swiss founders will gather for several days to participate in business workshops, exchange best practices, and attend one-on-one meetings with experts from both countries. Through introductions to top institutions, both in Switzerland and in India, the program helps create an international network and provides access to one of the most promising markets and intellectual capital in applied research. The camp will end on a competitive note, with each country rewarding two of their best participants with a grant to help further develop their projects. 
 
This year’s team is composed of master’s, PhD, and Postdoc students from: Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH Zürich), University of Basel (UNIBAS), Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz (FHNW). They are active in the fields of biotech, cleantech, medtech, and engineering.

"AIT India was a great learning experience about entering the Indian market with a different culture and challenges. The workshops provided were very relevant and presented in a stimulating way. As a startup, it was especially great to connect with mentors and established SME's in our market sector," said Silvan Staufert, co-founder of Oxyle, an ETHZ alumnus, and a winner of the AIT grant in 2021. 

The 10 Swiss-based entrepreneurs who will participate in this year’s AIT Camp are: 

1. Matteo Cornaglia, Nagi Bioscience (EPFL): Creating organism-on-chip technology for drug and chemical screening.
2. Olivier Stähli, Synature (EPFL): Developing AI-based microphone used in nature to monitor animals by recognizing their voices.
3. Venkat Gourishankar, Simulatory (ETHZ): Reimagining surgical training with smart sensors, AI, and haptics.
4. Ana Hernando, Bionomous (EPFL): Producing devices for automatically sorting miniature entities.
5. Rajesh Jayachandran, NextImmune (UNIBAS): Creating novel therapy for autoimmunity and organ transplantation.
6. Anna Krammer, Solaxer (EPFL): A supplier of receivers for solar heat-powered processes.
7. Gnanli Landrou, Oxara (ETHZ): Enabling sustainable construction and affordable housing.
8. Panagiotis Martakis, Seismohealth (ETHZ): Deploying AI to prolong the life of buildings and bridges.
9. Sawsane Queloz, TOSA swisstech (FHNW): Creating composite bipolar plates for fuel cells and electrolysis.
10. Anand Verma, PEROVSKIA SOLAR (ETHZ): Providing digitally printed customizable solar cells.

And on the Indian side, the six selected entrepreneurs are:

1. Nishant Agarwal, Life and Limb: Developing an affordable multi-fingered prosthetic hand for trans-radial amputees.
2. Rupam Das, Acculi Labs: Providing root-cause diagnosis through its clinical-grade, non-invasive, ubiquitous digital optical biomarker tool.
3. Vishwal Padole, Werehab Technologies: Offering a portable gait analysis system using integrated sensors that collect movement data.
4. A.R. Satyanarayanan, Embright Infotech: An affordable progressive diagnostic and multilevel therapy kit developed in virtual reality for high functional autistic patients.
5. Sarthak Gupta, Polycycling Solutions: Converting non-recyclable plastic waste into 100% recyclable construction materials that will last for years.
6. Ashutosh Verma, Oxy Neuron India: Creating an innovative device that helps store electricity and reduce carbon footprint.

About the Swiss-Indian Academia-Industry Training Camp
To support promising entrepreneurs from Switzerland and India, the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) has mandated the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences to execute the AIT program. Venturelab and Swissnex India are key program partners.