CISB

Mission

The Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Business (CISB) is a foundation by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs. CISB sees itself as a catalyst for innovation focused on resilience - transforming groundbreaking ideas into practice-oriented solutions for lasting prosperity.

Our projects aim to contribute to an environment for prosperity that supports growing, prospering and stable societies in which we live and work - serving as the foundation for a long-term healthy economy and a thriving business environment for the benefit of all stakeholders.

The development of appropriate industrial policy frameworks is crucial to accelerating transition in our CISB research areas. We also explore how innovation and emerging technologies like AI can accelerate this transformation.

Therefore, our funding strategy currently rests on 3 pillars:
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3 Pillars for lasting prosperity

Diagram showing a yellow roof with the text 'Transforming groundbreaking ideas into practice-oriented solutions for lasting prosperity' above three columns: Economic Resources, Technology & Innovation, and Frameworks & Conditions, with a footer stating 'Thinking in generations - building resilient economies and stable societies.'

Mandate

Thinking in generations - not ideologies
At CISB, sustainability is not a political agenda. It is a business principle rooted in the wisdom of family enterprises.

Exchange between research and industry opens up significant opportunities for the development of new ideas that generate a lasting impact. The synergy between scientific findings and entrepreneurial practice has the potential to create groundbreaking solutions. By supporting university initiatives that bring these two worlds closer together, CISB bridges the gap between academic excellence and real-world business impact.

We are a privately funded foundation based in Liechtenstein, supporting application-oriented, industry-relevant research at leading universities worldwide.

Topics

The CISB focuses on five interrelated fields, each pivotal for long-term economic health and stable societies:

Sustainable food security and food quality

Health across all age groups

Sustainable consumption and production patterns

Long-term consumption and production patterns

Protecting and maintaining terrestrial ecosystems

Key drivers accelerating transition

We firmly believe that a free, innovative economy, driven by the forces of competition and creativity, is crucial for building lasting prosperity across generations. In the spirit of our founder, the CISB concentrates on critical areas that enable entrepreneurs, businesses and societies to build lasting value across generations; projects that demonstrate clear potential for transformation into entrepreneurial practice.
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Key drivers accelerating transition:
Harnessing transformative technologies like AI and developing effective policy frameworks to accelerate innovation and create competitive advantages across all focus areas.

‍Protecting and maintaining terrestrial ecosystems:
Maintaining resilient ecosystems that enable sustainable agriculture and resource security while safeguarding the systems that underpin economic productivity.

‍Food security and food quality:
Developing healthier, more sustainable proten alternatives and innovative food processing methods to feed growing populations.

‍Long-term consumption and production patterns:
Exploring how strategic capital deployment and innovative investment approaches can transform entire value chains and drive systemic change toward more efficient, resilient business models.

‍Health across all age groups:
Creating the environment and nutritional foundations for lifelong health through nutrient-rich food systems that support thriving populations.

Activity

The foundation supports universities in two main areas: supporting researchers and establishing an interface between research work and business and society.

Funding for researchers
‍‍The CISB funds innovative research projects at prestigious universities. The funded projects have high quality standards and a holistic approach to sustainability in common. In addition to financial support, researchers gain access to a top-class network.

Promoting exchange
The foundation supports universities that enable dialogue between researchers, industry, and society.

Overhead costs

Our foundation’s policy stipulates that, for research projects and/or collaborations with academic institutions, an overhead rate of 25% will be applied. This overhead rate is intended to cover indirect costs such as administrative expenses, facilities costs, and other institutional support services. This policy is in accordance with standard practices for funding research and academic projects.

The CISB