The fourth instalment of the i4Challenge is now taking place. The aim for Basel Area Business & Innovation, the investment and innovation promotion agency, is to support SMEs, startups and founders/students in the area of Industry 4.0 that are eligible to apply for grants in their respective categories. Interested parties have until July 15 to register, by which time SMEs and startups must have a prototype ready to showcase. On September 30, the winners and therefore the participants in this support program will be announced. After this, they will have the opportunity to further develop their Advanced Manufacturing, MEM and Automation business ideas as part of the i4Challenge.

Using Basel Area communication channels, the program participants will be able to increase their recognition, take advantage of the investment and innovation promotion agency’s network so as to link up with experts, companies and investors, in addition to benefitting from mentoring by industry experts. In this sense, the i4Challenge can also serve as a springboard for this year’s participants, as had previously been the case for some companies in past years.

For example, SEW-EURODRIVE based in Bruchsal in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, is described as one of the most important players on the market for geared motors in an article published by the newspaper “Baden-Württemberg Zeitung”. SEW-EURODRIVE is therefore one of the companies featured in a market report on the geared motor industry. Another previous participant in the i4Challenge is Arviem AG from Baar in the canton of Zug. It has developed a solution to track and monitor logistical processes based on the Internet of Things (IoT). This real-time solution saw Arviem named Best New Supply Chain Finance Provider – Nonbank Europe 2020, details of which can be found in a press release.

The Zurich-based qiio AG was also able to impress the editorial team of “Elektronik” magazine with its remote maintenance solution, likewise based on the IoT, for which qiio was nominated in the category of Product of the Year. The company’s products are also sold on a global basis owing to a strategic partnership agreed with Avnet from the USA. In addition, the software developer Intrexx from Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, has only recently picked up the Leader Award for Low Code Development Platforms 2021.