Through his work promoting and supporting early stage start-up ventures, director Tom Rosenfield became aware of the work that the Innovation Park of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) does to support science and technology. EPFL University is a world-renowned higher education institution in Switzerland specializing in the fields of basic and natural sciences, applied engineering and architecture.

EPFL Foundation manages the EPFL Innovation Park, a registered Swiss not-for-profit foundation, also funded by the University of Lausanne, the Canton of Vaud, and other entities, for the development of technology and science for the ultimate betterment of humanity. For more details on EPFL University, EPFL Foundation, and EPFL Innovation Park, please see www.epfl.ch.

Together with the EPFL Innovation Park Managing Director, Jean-Philippe Lallement, Tom developed the idea for the annual Herbert and Audrey Rosenfield Innovation Prize. The new Managing Director, Stephane Dufour, is committed to continuing the Prize.

To support the scientific, technological, and educational work done by Innovation Park, the Herbert and Audrey Rosenfield Innovation Prize is awarded to spur the development of innovative and new technologies that aim to solve existing and/or emerging societal issues of humanity. The potential awardees are drawn from the Innovation Park incubation space La Forge, its bi-annual acceleration program, and its Business Concept training programs for scientists who wish to launch a business venture from their research.

The EPFL Innovation Park receives CHF30,000 a year for the awards, and has agreed to support up to 4 awards per year.

The awardee selection criteria are:

1. The project addresses technically innovative solutions to solve existing or emerging social and societal problems
2. The project made substantial progress during the acceleration program or during the time at La Forge
3. The project founders have demonstrated a strong entrepreneurial mindset.

The selection of the prize winners is done by a jury composed of experts, the management of La Forge and of the acceleration program, and the management of Innovation Park. No member of the Rosenfield Fund’s board or any associate is involved in the selection process. The awards are made at special ceremonies, usually at the EPFL Innovation Park Tech4Trust event. Where possible, Director Tom Rosenfield presents the award.

In 2019, the first award for CHF 20,000 went to Ouay for developing a connected device to enhance the everyday life of elderly people and support the relationship with their caregivers and family. The board recognizes the outstanding drive of young entrepreneurs dedicated to finding solutions to the challenges faced by elderly people.

In 2020, exceptionally, and given the challenge of confronting Covid, seven awards were made.

• An award of CHF 10,000 to the start-up URBIO to develop software solutions for key actors of the energy transition plan in cities that will help them design the most efficient technologies to heat, cool and electrify buildings.
• A second award of CHF 5000 to the startup Veintree to develop a unique biometric approach based on vein network authentication. This technology has the potential to solve the privacy concern of the digital society, protecting personal data and privacy of users and beneficiaries. The first users are expected to be in the humanitarian field to identify displaced persons in refugee camps.

Five awards of CHF 1000 went to the best projects of the five Business Concept classes that graduated in December 2020.

• Musée d’histoire Post-Naturelle: the first museum in Europe solely dedicated to collecting and exhibiting modified organisms
• Mini-Marrow: for developing an injectable device to help sustain long-term production of human platelets in elderly patients as a palliative treatment for Myelodysplastic Syndrome
• SIGE-Med technologies, for developing a new generation of ultrahigh resolution detectors for PET scanners for preclinical animal imaging and for human applications
• Smart Helmet, for developing a technology adaptable to all helmets that provides reliable information to the sideline to remove the player from the game when necessary and help reduce the number of Traumatic Brain Injuries in sports
• CycleCare, for developing a battery-powered lighting system for bicycles and motorbikes to enhance nighttime security and safety.

In 2021, an award of CHF 10,000 was given to KimboCARE, for developing an approach for facilitating the financing of healthcare in developing countries by ensuring transparency in the sending and receipt of funds and the quality of care. It is also part of Microsoft. In addition, awards each of CHF 10,000 were given to BIPED.AI and The Ponera Group. BIPED.AI is a smart technology to assist blind and severely visually impaired people to guide the user through sounds. The Ponera Group is dedicated to transforming consumer industrial packaging material into reusable products, aiming to reduce their partners’ environmental footprints and increase efficiency.

In 2022, two awards, each for CHF 10,000, were given to Hestia.ai and Neuria. Hestia.ai is a data expertise consultancy and training company focusing on user privacy. Neuria brings together neuroscientists and engineers to develop health interventions via videogames to achieve large-scale behavioral change.