Digital Transformation
in Canton of Vaud

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 operations? Are you already running a project and need some support?

Do you want to benefit from the national reach of the Flagship Resilient Tourism project and integrate a digital solution 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.

For example, selected projects will give the candidates the opportunity to optimize their business activities, adopt new digital tools, expand their databases, have a better understanding of their customers, impulse innovation, and many other advantages.

Benefits

The program offers:

Expert support from the EHL Hospitality Business School and its 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 project support
CHF 5’000, which must be used in:
Please note that the in-kind hours of the project owner cannot be covered.
- Hiring EHL and/or external consultants or services (~80%)
- Buying technology (software, hardware...) (~20%)
Possibilities of networking (project development, finding project partners, etc.)
- Group workshops
- Events (kick-off, final pitch, Flagship events)

Types of projects:

We welcome all types of projects that contribute to the digital transformation of the Vaud travel sector and your business.

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

Examples of projects:

Data platforms

Artificial intelligence

Forecasting

Automation

Online platforms

Software testing and adoption

Data-driven marketing

...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. There must be a willingness to collaborate actively with the programme partners.
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.