SWISS FOOD TROPHY 2021

The Swiss Food Trophy is an interdisciplinary student award for innovative food products. The trophy drives the promotion of entrepreneurship and competitiveness in the Swiss agro-food industry and educational institutes. Parallel to developing a novel food product, the teams describe and analyze key managerial and decision processes involved in the development, the production and the marketing of the same.

Swiss Food Trophy is...

  • Swiss student award for innovative food product
  • Open to (mixed) teams of students of all Swiss educational institutes in the agro-food and gastronomy sector
  • melting pot of competences and talents
  • Promotion of entrepreneurship and competitiveness in Swiss food educational systems
  • Training network for product development along the value chain of food production
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration of higher education institutions and national federations representing food and drink branch, food industry and retail
  • next generation education – cross disciplines and institutions
  • product development is organized as a Summerschool independent of scholastic boundaries
  • the top 5 products are awarded with 1500.- CHF each
  • Swiss casting for Ecotrophelia Europe 2021

Swiss Food Trophy - for Students:

  • full-scale learning and training by confrontation with real situations
  • project-based learning in direct contact with professionals in the sector
  • Insight into market understanding, product requirements, product development, technology, legal aspect to packaging and communication.
  • curriculum innovation by making changes to teaching methods
  • possibility to mix the team with students from different high schools
  • On-hand product development during “Summerschool”
  • exposure to Swiss food industry and retail talent scouts
  • 5 products will be awarded with 1500 CHF each.
  • Negotiate with the industry about commercialization (with support from SFR)

Swiss Food Trophy – Products:

  • based on new processes and technologies integrating the environmental dimension
  • organic or with low carbon footprint raw materials
  • strong USP
  • new tasty and nutritional recipes
  • reproducible and marketable
  • detailed marketing plan and product description
  • innovative product packaging and/or distribution-logistics
  • conform to relevant Swiss/European regulation applicable

Swiss Food Trophy – for the industry and retail

Why become a sponsor:

  • “Real ideas” innovation incubator for the food industry
  • Indicator of the consumption trends of the Millennials and Generation Z
  • A pool of highly motivated and talented young food developers with a highly entrepreneurial mindset
  • A pool of new marketable products
  • Presentation and on-site tasting of products which are free/open for sale
  • Close contact to competences from other aeras
  • Collaborate directly with an entrepreneurial team in the project - offer access to your facilties and experts (please note:all rights stay with the individual teams)
  • Identify new potential partners for future research & development projects

Sponsorship costs:

  • 100 Mio CHF und mehr: 15'000.-CHF
  • 50 bis 99.99 Mio CHF: 10'000.-CHF
  • 5 bis 49.99 Mio CHF: 5'000.-CHF
  • 0 bis 4.99 Mio CHF: 2’000.-CHF

(Swiss Food Research Members have a 50% discount)

Swiss Food Trophy – for educational institutes:

  • Heighten attractiveness by being involved in an innovative Swiss-wide next food generation project
  • Possibility to offer a unique, attractive and competitive education – project based learning experience to complement class room teaching
  • Provide next generation education – cross disciplines and institutions – build on competences across Switzerland
  • providing facilities, materials, time and know-how across disciplines
  • Demonstrating innovative, dynamic and openminded philosophy
  • Identify new partners for future research & development projects
  • Identify new potential project partners from industry

Swiss Food Trophy – Role & Responsibility of Swiss Food Research:

  • Organization of Swiss Food Trophy
  • Providing the framing conditions - access to partners & facilities
  • Provide matchmaking App or web-platform for the formation of teams
  • Mediator between student teams and potential application partner to valorize best the developed products and team’s work

Swiss Food Trophy – timing:

  • End 2020, information to students and opening contest – start of ideation and team formation assisted by web platform / matchmaking App
  • 1st semester 2021 - formation of teams for product development - physical presence & online-conferences
  • June / July 2021 Summerschool in adequate facilities for practical product development
  • August 2021 Swiss Food Awards - presentation of products and nomination of Swiss team participating in Ecotrophelia Europe

Swiss Food Trophy – historical background:

The Swiss Food Trophy was introduced in 2012 to motivate participants to develop a new food product using novel technologies. Swiss Food Trophy served as the national preliminary to Ecotrophelia, one of Europe’s most renowned Food Innovation Challenge. After 5 years of pause Swiss Food Research decided to revive Swiss Food Trophy with a modern and dynamic multidimensional concept. The interdisciplinary collaboration of education and industry highlights Switzerland’s position as the leading Food Innovation Hub.

Swiss Food Research, pbr, bpo, 02.04.2020