$1 Million Resilience Awards Focus on Helping Older Adults Live at Home

Four innovative entrepreneurs will share almost $1 million in financial awards for their innovative solution during the 2016 Swiss Re Foundation Resilience Award competition. This year’s award recognizes innovative solutions that enable older adults to live independently at home.

Online applications are due by 22 May by 24.00 Central European Time (21 May at 6 p.m. EDT).

The annual Resilience Award recognizes innovative approaches to building resilient societies. Each year the award focuses on entrepreneurial initiatives in a different field.

The 2016 award will focus on various aspects of aging in place:

  • Smart homes, including health monitoring, social connectivity, and activity support and monitoring.

  • Intergenerational support, including time contribution and consumption, time credit, and community work and integration.

  • Redesign of health care delivery, including home care delivery, remote medical e-health, and promoting holistic medical support.

  • Healthy aging and preventive health, including activity incentives, nutrition incentives, pharmacy involvement, and preventive screening.

  • Long-term care intervention, including the intervention team, crisis intervention, support for relatives, and case management.

  • Financial solutions, including pensions for long-term care, and protection incentives.

Financial and Non-Financial Awards

Four finalists will be invited to pitch their ventures during a November event attended by award jury members, subject matter experts, Swiss Re clients, and Swiss Re employees. The total prize money of 800,000 Swiss francs (approximately $833,000) will be divided among a winner and three runners-up.

Depending on the nature of the initiative, winners and runners-up might also receive help in developing and strengthening their ventures from Swiss Re employees who are resilience experts.

Selection Criteria

Applicants for the Swiss Re Foundation Resilience Award should:

  • Be established as formal, growing start-ups that are on a clear path to full or partial financial sustainability, but still depend on grants and other support to improve their business model and/or reach full financial sustainability.

  • Bring a new solution to a problem through technology, a product, service, or delivery model.

  • Be equipped to find strategic ways to draw value from being associated with Swiss Re and to leverage its expertise.

  • Have a social purpose at the heart of their mission, while using commercial mechanisms to achieve sustainability and scale.

Selection Process

The Resilience Award selection process consists of 4 phases. Applicants are informed at the end of each phase whether they have been selected to proceed to the next one. Candidates will:

  • Complete an initial online application.

  • Be interviewed by staff of the Swiss Re Foundation.

  • Host a representative of the Swiss Re Foundation during a site visit.

  • Participate in a coaching session to prepare for November’s event in Hong Kong.  Award winners will be announced during that event.

How to Apply

Candidates should complete the online questionnaire by 22 May by 24.00 CET. For more information: