Verein Innovation und Soziales
Digital Innovation in the Public Interest
Integration • Research • Public-Sector Collaboration
Who We Are
Digital Innovation in the Public Interest
Verein Innovation und Soziales is a Swiss non-profit organisation based in Bern. We develop responsible, human-centred digital infrastructure that serves the public interest at the intersection of technology, social inclusion, and governance.
Our work addresses a structural gap in Switzerland’s integration system: the fragmentation of services, data, and decision-making across actors who share the same goal but rarely operate in concert. We bridge this gap by building tools that work simultaneously for three groups of beneficiaries:
- For refugees and migrants — navigating complex legal statuses, language barriers, and administrative systems that were never designed with them in mind.
- For NGOs and integration institutions — reducing the operational burden of case management, enabling evidence-based service delivery, and amplifying the impact of frontline professionals.
- For cantonal and federal authorities — providing real-time, privacy-compliant analytics that transform reporting into actionable policy intelligence.
Mission & Objectives
Promoting social integration, equal opportunities, and digital innovation in the public interest
is to promote social integration, equal opportunities, and digital innovation in the public interest.
The association pursues exclusively non-profit purposes and operates in line with principles of public benefit, transparency, and measurable social impact.
Evidence-Based Development and Cooperation
Together with academic institutions, public authorities at federal, cantonal, and municipal level, civil society organisations, international organisations, and selected private partners we develop, test, and implement innovative digital solutions that contribute to measurable social impact.
Responsible Use of Digital Technologies
We establish and apply a framework for the responsible, human-centric use of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, in the public-interest sector. This includes purpose-limited and proportionate data use, privacy-preserving system design, institutional and legal compatibility, and compliance with applicable data protection, AI governance, and ethical standards, ensuring transparency, accountability, and trust.
Improving Access to Public Services
We develop digital solutions that improve access to federal, cantonal, and municipal public services, particularly for refugees and displaced persons, by making complex systems more understandable, navigable, and accessible, and by reducing information barriers.
Flagship Project: ERIDA Platform
Switzerland's first AI-supported digital integration infrastructure
ERIDA (Efficient Refugee Integration through Data Analytics) is an AI-supported digital platform initiated by association Innovation und Soziales. It connects the needs of cantonal and federal authorities, the opportunities of employers, services of institutions working in integration area (including social services), and the potential of refugees within a structured digital environment.
Pilot Phase
Pilot project initiated with the Canton of Bern, supported by a signed Letter of Intent; discussions with additional Swiss cantons are ongoing.
Academic Collaboration
Formal research partnership with the University of Bern; further academic collaborations under discussion.
Innovation Validation
Supported by an InnoCheque from Innosuisse, enabling early-stage validation and testing of ERIDA's core components.
MVP Testing
First functional module is currently in MVP testing with people with a migrant background in Switzerland, independent of cantonal implementation.
Technology
Multi-agent AI architecture with data-driven analytics; modular and scalable design for gradual expansion across cantons and sectors.
Data Protection
All data hosted on Swiss-based cloud infrastructure, fully compliant with Swiss data protection law.
Institutional Collaboration
Embedded in the Swiss innovation and academic ecosystem
Innosuisse
Innovation Mentoring and InnoCheque support
University of Bern
Academic research collaboration
Canton of Bern
Strategic dialogue and Letter of Intent
Cooperation
Verein Innovation und Soziales welcomes cooperation with cantonal and municipal authorities, public-interest foundations, academic institutions, and civil society organizations to strengthen Switzerland's digital integration infrastructure.