The DCB Open Innovation Challenge is Back: Submit Your Idea Now!

2 · Apr · 2024 | Innovation, Press Release

For the fourth time, the Diabetes Center Berne is launching the Open Innovation Challenge with the aim of specifically promoting innovative projects in the field of diabetes management on Swiss and international level. Participating innovtors benefit from professional expert feedback, and the six best projects receive access to a bootcamp. The finalists will receive prize money of up to USD 100,000 and further support from the DCB. The DCB Innovation Challenge is the world’s largest diabetes technology award with international appeal.

Can Your Idea Change Diabetes Management?

More than 537 million people worldwide live with diabetes, which means a constant challenge in everyday life for those affected. Technological innovations make an important contribution to making it easier to deal with diabetes – whether it is measuring glucose levels, planning the amount of insulin needed via an app or even using automated insulin delivery systems. But despite these enormous advances in diabetes technology, there is still a great, unmet need for innovative technical solutions. These should help to ease the challenge for users in everyday life and improve the lives of people with diabetes in the long term.

The DCB Open Innovation Challenge was initiated in 2021 with the aim of closing these gaps in diabetes technology with translational research. The goal of the challenge is to identify unique solutions which can make life easier for people with diabetes. Whether you’re a researcher, healthcare professional, start-up founder, or someone living with diabetes, your ideas are invaluable to us. We’re seeking diverse perspectives and innovative solutions to enhance the quality of life for individuals with diabetes.

What’s in it for you?

After a first round and feedback from the expert jury, the top 20 will enter a mentoring program. Two US-based innovators and four innovators from the rest of the world will be invited to an individually tailored bootcamp in the picturesque Swiss alps and will then pitch their final ideas at the grand DCB Start-Up Night in Berne, Switzerland, on 3 October 2024. Additionally, all finalists have the opportunity to present their ideas at the Diabetes Technology Meeting in the US on 15–17 October 2024.

The winning project will be selected by an international expert jury and rewarded with USD 100,000 in funding and in-kind support – making the DCB Open Innovation Challenge the world’s largest diabetes technology award with international appeal. You will get access to a global network of experts from the field – all while your idea remains entirely yours.

Don’t miss out on this unparalleled opportunity to turn your idea into reality. Submit your idea by April 30 at our innovation platform innovation.dcberne.com