The Office for Economy of the Canton of Zurich has won the prestigious Digital Economy Award 2025 in the "Digital Excellence - GOV & NPO" category with its Innovation Sandbox for Artificial Intelligence. At yesterday's award ceremony in the Hallenstadion, the jury praised the Sandbox as a "beacon of digital innovation with a lasting social impact". With the AI Sandbox, the canton has created an innovation support program for AI that is unique internationally.

The Innovation Sandbox for Artificial Intelligence was launched in 2021 with financial support from Metropolitan Zurich. It offers companies and start-ups a secure test environment to try out innovative AI technologies. It promotes the exchange between business, science and administration and supports projects with practical data and use cases. Eleven pilot projects have already been successfully implemented in two phases - from smart parking and drone inspections to AI in education. Current projects include AI-generated medical reports, automated building permit procedures and the detection of deepfakes.

Innovation Sandbox as an International Role Model

The jury was particularly impressed by the combination of technology, regulation and social benefits: Legal issues are clarified together with data protection authorities and experts, innovative ways of accessing data are created and the results are systematically documented in publicly accessible best practice reports. The AI Sandbox thus provides practice-based impetus for the further development of the AI legal framework.

Sandbox Project Manager Raphael von Thiessen explains the success of the Sandbox as follows: "The focus is not on theory, but on the concrete implementation of AI projects. This is precisely why the Sandbox has established itself as a model for national strategies and international cooperation. Its impact extends beyond project boundaries: it creates trust, accelerates innovation and lays the foundations for a responsible digital future."

Aware of the importance of artificial intelligence, the cantonal government allocated CHF 2.9 million to the Office for Economy in the spring to strengthen the canton of Zurich as a leading innovation location for AI through various measures. Carmen Walker Späh, the Government Councillor responsible, is therefore particularly proud: "The award confirms the pioneering spirit of the Canton of Zurich and shows how important it is to test new technologies responsibly. The award is both an incentive and an obligation to actively help shape change through AI - for companies, the administration and the population of the Canton of Zurich."

About the Digital Economy Award

The Digital Economy Award is organized by the ICT trade association swissICT. Every year, companies and organizations that promote digital transformation and digitalization in Switzerland are honoured in various categories. In total, over 40 jurors assess the ideas, projects and companies at the Digital Economy Award.
The Digital Excellence Award NPO/GOV recognizes organizations that have increased their impact or performance thanks to digital initiatives and projects. In addition to the Office for Economy the municipalities of Uster, Kloten, Horgen and Thalwil together with JAXForms with the digital administration portal "Amtomat" and the non-profit association Swiss Guardia with an innovative QR code system were also nominated in the "Digital Excellence - GOV & NPO" category.