For an innovative and sustainable French-speaking Switzerland

Innovation in the 21st century will not happen without an integration of social and environmental dimensions. Many projects are carried out around the world and are reinventing the economy. This new economy is coming closer to its original meaning from the old Greek oikosnomos – “house management”. It shares the same root with ecology, oikoslogos, which literally means “study of the house”

The issues emphasized by scientists are extremely serious: climate, biodiversity loss, social exclusion. These scientists ask for innovative and participative solutions, implemented by as many people as possible. Some consider this change a genuine industrial revolution.

What about French-speaking Switzerland? What is its current involvement in these ongoing changes? Does it get the most out of them for itself and for its place to come in this emerging world? Has it identified and does it support those inventors?

At NiceFuture we think that French-speaking Switzerland can, within the Confederation, be a catalyst of change and inspire a wider movement of shared innovations. We are convinced that the region holds the keys to invent new businesses models on the edge between economy and society.

Let us not forget that this new kind of economic activity, social business, has been put under the spotlight by the winner of the 2006 Peace Nobel Prize, Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi pioneer in micro-credit. His vision is to offer an alternative to the current system based on profit alone and to bring companies back to their place of serving humans.

During the G21 Swisstainability Forum, we would like to launch with you a great contest to develop this emerging industry in French-speaking Switzerland and to give it a new impulse.

There will be a call for projects which will be presented to a panel of representatives from top universities and business schools, industrialists, entrepreneurs, political leaders and experts to support them.

Why this Social Business contest ?

Through this initiative, the “Social Award Business” intends to promote a model of entrepreneurship by supporting once again developers of projects which aim to address societal or environmental issues, during the critical stage of starting and launching their project.

This initiative needs you, your desire to be an actor of change and your project for a good and better life. So let’s work together and let us develop your potential to contribute to the progress of our society!

The aim of this contest is to :

• Promote social entrepreneurship in a responsible, innovative and original way in French-speaking Switzerland;

• Develop and encourage entrepreneurial spirit, more particularly by making social entrepreneurs meet with experts, and support, hosting, and financing structures.

• Allow social entrepreneurs to make their project known to an interested public by structuring, formalising and optimising their presentation.

Together, we will make of French-speaking Switzerland a pilot region in the field of ecological, economic, political and social transition by relying on our democracy and empathy to become a place that the world will see and say:  “Look, it’s working! “

Be iniciators of meaning, bearers of hope, and we will bring together this change to its realisation in the field.