With its Pilot and Demonstration programme the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) promotes the development and testing of new technologies, solutions and concepts relating to the economical and ecological use of energy, the transmission and storage of energy and the use of renewable forms of energy. The Pilot and Demonstration programme acts as an interface between research and the market. Its main aim is to help increase the status of development of new technologies so that they can ultimately be brought onto the market.
Both pilot and demonstration projects focus on the development and testing of innovative energy technologies, and thus facilitate the creation of new findings concerning their technological and economic characteristics. They are primarily graded on the basis of the status of development of the technology in the project.
Pilot projects concern an early phase of the development and are characterised by a high level of technological and financial risk. They are typically used for testing the technical feasibility of a given technology and for obtaining previously unavailable findings concerning its practical application. As a rule, pilot facilities portray sub-systems and are used for examining specific technological or scientific issues.
Demonstration projects also normally concern technological developments but are already at a more advanced stage and are thus implemented at the scale of 1:1. This also permits studies concerning economic, social and regulatory aspects and facilitates findings relating to questions such as system integration, economic viability and marketability.
Demonstration projects may also be recognised by the SFOE as flagship projects if they are able to draw attention to new groundbreaking concepts and technologies and attract widespread interest. The SFOE decides whether to classify a project as a flagship project based on its evaluation of the application.
For the Pilot and Demonstration programme the key question is whether the new technology, solution or concept will give rise to a substantial benefit for the energy system in accordance with the objectives of Energy Strategy 2050. The main criteria for determining the eligibility of pilot and demonstration projects for support are substantial application potential and innovation content.
With respect to innovation content it is primarily the fundamentally innovative nature of a technology, solution or concept that is assessed, rather than the creation of a potentially commercial product. The new technology has to distinguish itself from the current status of technology and create general value-added.
In order to ensure that the energy-related potential can in fact be exploited, the future economic viability of the technology and questions as to how and by whom its future marketability is to be implemented upon completion of the project play an important role.
For a complete overview of the applicable criteria, please refer to the directive on the submission and evaluation of applications and financial support for energy research, pilot and demonstration projects.
Applications for financial support for projects relating to the Pilot and Demonstration programme may be submitted at any time. The only specific requirement is that an official application has to be submitted at least 3 months before the initiation of the project. The application procedure comprises three stages.
Stage 1: Applicants should check whether the project meets the criteria for support from the Pilot and Demonstration programme (cf. directive). The amount of financial support for pilot and demonstration projects corresponds to a maximum of 50% of the non-amortisable costs, i.e. the uneconomical parts of the project.
Stage 2: To clarify the chances of success of an official application we advise applicants to submit an informal sketch of the project in advance. For this purpose, the planned project (including content, objectives, associated issues, anticipated findings, involved partners and approximate costs) should be described in two to three pages. Reference should also be made to the innovation content and the application potential of the project. As a rule, applicants will receive a response regarding the possibility of financial support within 1 to 2 weeks.
Stage 3: Submission of the complete application using the two official forms, together with any other relevant documentation:
Application for financial support – Energy research, pilot and demonstration programmes (bottom up)
Finance sheet on project costs, financing and NAC
The project description and official application form should be submitted by e-mail (address: see right-hand column).
The SFOE examines each submitted application in terms of content and at the formal level, and takes a decision within three months following its receipt of the completed application form. If the application is approved, the modalities of cooperation between the applicant and the SFOE will be agreed in the form of a contract. The findings obtained in the course of the project will be made publicly accessible in an interim and a final report posted on the ARAMIS (Administration Research Actions Management Information System) information platform.
More detailed information is available on our “Questions and Answers” page. Please also feel free to contact us via the following e-mail address: pilot-demo@bfe.admin.ch. Information about ongoing and concluded projects is available via the respective links.
