Call for Projects for the Digital Transformation in the Vaud Travel Sector

This call for project is part of the Flagship Resilient Tourism and is a joint effort between EHL Hospitality Business School, the Service de la promotion de l’économie et de l’innovation (SPEI) and Vaud Promotion to support the digitalization of the Vaud travel sector. The purpose is to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to drive innovation in the sector.

Program & Objectives

Do you have an idea to transform your company? Do you already have a project and need some support?

Do you want to benefit from the national reach of the Flagship Resilient Tourism project and integrate digital solutions into your business?

The program is available for SMEs active in the travel and tourism sector in Vaud. The main objective is to support innovative projects in order to develop the local economy, the state of digitalization in the canton and the visibility of the region.
The selected projects will give the candidates the opportunity to optimize their business activities, adopt new software/hardware, expand their databases, have a better understanding of their customers, use data to modernize the back-office, impulse innovation, and many other advantages.
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Benefits

The program offers:
  • Expert coaching/support from the EHL Hospitality Business School and Extended Network

    • Project conceptualization, design, development and management
    • Network facilitator   
    • Expertise in hospitality and tourism (data, business model, marketing, customer experience, distribution, service, etc.)
    • 6-month support

  • CHF 5’000, which must be used in: 
    Please note that the in-kind hours of the project owner will not be covered.

    • Hiring consultants or services
    • Buying technology (software, hardware...) (max. CHF 1'000)

  • Possibilities of networking (project development, finding project partners, etc.)
     
    • Group workshops
    • Events (kick-off, final pitch, Flagship events) 

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Types of projects:

We welcome all projects that contribute to the digital transformation of the Vaud travel sector.

Applications may be submitted for projects in the early stages of development or more advanced ones.

Examples of projects:

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Data sharing platform 
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Artificial Intelligence 
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Forecasting
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Automation
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Online platforms
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Software testing and adoption
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Data-driven marketing 
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...and many more!

Selection criteria  

  • Innovation : the project must be innovative for the region and/or for the company 
  • Localisation : the company must be registered in the Canton of Vaud 
  • Relevance: the main activity of the project owner must be related to travel (hotels, restaurants, regional tourist associations, events, tourist attractions in the field of culture/sport, tourist infrastructure, etc.) 
  • Commitment: the project owner must allocate resources in time, and cash if possible.  
  • Sustainability: the project must contribute to the sustainable development of the travel sector 
  • Impact: the project must have an impact on the region and/or be replicable.  
  • Scalability: the project must show significant potential of development 

Please note that only one application per project owner will be considered.

Partner consortia are highly encouraged. 

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Looking for ideas ?

Read about last year’s projects here

Call for Projects 2024

The second edition is in progress.

If you are interested to participate next year, do not hesitate to contact us and prepare your application. 

Key Dates

October 31, 2023 : Applications open

December 31, 2023:  Applications close 

January  31, 2023 : Evaluation and selection

February 1, 2024 to July 31, 2024:  Coaching  

August-September 2024 : Final Pitch  

Do you have any questions?

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An initiative supported by
This Resilient Tourism Flagship has been designed
by six research institutions in partnership