FIT Awards 5 New Tech Grants to CHUV and EPFL Projects
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The Foundation for Technological Innovation (FIT) has announced new Tech Grants supporting five Swiss Health Valley projects, worth CHF 100,000 each, to promising projects from the canton of Vaud. Three grants go to Chorus Tre, HeteroSight and SixtineAI, all originating from CHUV, while two others support Cookd Labs and Endobotica, born at EPFL.
Chorus Tre — Analyzing sensitive medical data without ever moving it out of the hospital
Originating from CHUV, Chorus Tre is developing a secure platform that lets hospitals and researchers analyze sensitive medical data without ever moving it outside its protected environment, cutting the time needed to access this data for research from several months to just a few days. The FIT-InnoTREK grant will support Vanessia Wu in carrying out an independent security audit, launching the first pilot projects with partner hospitals, and setting up a spin-off.
Cookd Labs — A robotic lab to speed up recipe development
This EPFL project is building a robotic laboratory paired with artificial intelligence to develop, test and refine food formulations faster — for example, to replace certain ingredients or create healthier, more sustainable and affordable alternatives. What used to take months of manual testing can now be done in a matter of weeks. The FIT-Innogrant will support Germain Meyer in validating the robotic prototype and developing the first AI product for food industry manufacturers.
HeteroSight — Mapping the different zones of a tumor to guide treatment choices
Originating from CHUV, HeteroSight is developing an AI tool that analyzes a standard biopsy slide to reveal whether a tumor contains multiple genetically distinct zones — valuable information, since different parts of a tumor can respond differently to targeted therapy. The FIT-InnoTREK grant will support Sadegh Saghafinia in building an initial patient cohort and validating the AI model’s ability to predict this heterogeneity from biopsy images.
Endobotica — A robot for more precise removal of stroke-causing blood clots
Developed at EPFL, Endobotica is building TREX, a teleoperated robotic system designed to improve the treatment of ischemic stroke. During this procedure, a physician removes the clot blocking a brain artery; TREX helps them locate it more accurately and remove it with greater precision and safety. The FIT-Innogrant will support Evgenia Roussinova in demonstrating the system’s reliability in the lab and refining it based on feedback from future users.
SixtineAI — A secure platform for sovereign, trustworthy AI in healthcare
SixtineAI is developing a platform that allows care providers, large hospitals, clinics and independent physicians to deploy and govern trusted clinical AI agents while keeping full control of their sensitive data. Connected to existing medical systems and patient records, these agents integrate naturally into daily workflows and support doctors, nurses and other professionals with both clinical and administrative tasks, including drafting discharge letters. The FIT-InnoTREK grant will support Sami Perrin in launching the first clinical pilots at CHUV, validating the platform’s clinical benefit and safety, and preparing its certification as a medical device as well as the creation of the spin-off.
➡️ Source: FIT | 📸 DR