The Berne Economic Devel­op­ment Agency (SF BE) supports compa­nies and their activ­i­ties with a wide range of services. It is geared to the needs of inno­v­a­tive compa­nies and serves the growth and devel­op­ment of SMEs and start-ups through to multi­na­tional groups. The SF BE helps Bernese compa­nies to drive inno­v­a­tive projects forward and can support them in the form of financing assis­tance. The part­ners of the SF BE comple­ment the offer and provide compa­nies with inno­va­tion coaching (www.be-advanced.ch), R&D support and infra­struc­ture (www.sipbb.ch, www.sitem-insel.ch, www.empa.ch, www.scdh.ch, www.csem.ch). The SF BE is a long-standing partner of the Design Preis Schweiz and has supported the national award for design since its incep­tion.