How can more digital projects and technologies specifically help reduce Switzerland’s ecological footprint? We don’t have the final answer. What we do offer is a proven, methodically structured funding program that demonstrably helps interdisciplinary teams develop human-centered, collaborative technological solutions to complex societal problems: the Prototype Fund.

Applying for funding is one of the several options recommended to teams at Hackdays as a way of building up on their concepts and prototypes. While it is not a prerequisite, it is said that the hackathon is an excellent setting in which to build a team, connect to current affairs in the public sphere, test an initial idea using open data and technologies, and explore interest in a more serious commitment. This is a great way to see hackathons embedded in a sustainable ecosystem with long-term prospects.

Since 2016, over 400 projects have been supported by the Prototype Fund in Germany run by Open Knowledge Deutschland. Visit prototypefund.de to learn more about this groundbreaking initiative, with some big changes in store for 2025.

We Fund More Sustainable Tech Projects.

The current application phase is up and running! Apply by March 20, 2025. In this round, we are supporting sustainable digitalization and, in particular, digital sufficiency: open-source projects that reduce Switzerland’s ecological footprint through or with digital technology.