_
9 days of total immersion at the Idiap Research Institute to code, innovate, and launch your startup in the ❤️ heart of the Swiss Alps.
Prizes
Innovation Award
In addition to this prize, you’ll have the unique opportunity to receive support from the IdeArk incubator to turn your prototype into a startup.
People's Choice Award
For the project that impressed the audience the most during the final presentation.
Exclusive access to the scientific and technical expertise of Idiap's researchers and R&D engineers.
// The_Focus_2026
Creative and Cultural Industries
The Creative and Cultural Industries sector is at the heart of human expression. At the ICC 2026, we challenge you to build AI prototypes that empower creators, protect heritage, and redefine how we experience culture.
Performing Arts & Live Entertainment
Revolutionizing the stage experience through immersive tech.
- → Real time captions + translation for accessibility
- → Audience personalized show recommendations (venues/festivals)
- → AI generated visuals / lighting synced to music or movement
- → Demand forecasting for ticket pricing and scheduling
Television & Cinema
Creation and distribution of audiovisual storytelling
- → Script analysis: pacing, character consistency, audience fit
- → AI assisted editing: rough cut, scene selection, subtitling
- → Post production tools: VFX support, upscaling, noise reduction
- → Personalization: content recommendations + churn prediction
Press & News Market
Fighting misinformation and personalizing the reader experience.
- → Fact checking support: claim detection, source cross referencing
- → Automated reporting for structured topics (sports, finance, weather)
- → Summarization: turning long reports into short briefs
- → Personalized news feeds while maintaining editorial controls
Books & Publishing
Bridging the gap between traditional reading and digital innovation.
- → Writing support: style suggestions, coherence checks
- → Editing/proofreading automation (grammar, consistency)
- → Audiobook creation: voice synthesis + multilingual narration
- → Book discovery: recommendation + semantic search in catalogs
Fashion
Design, production and commercialization of clothing, accessories and footwear
- → Trend detection from social media + sales signals
- → Virtual try on and fit prediction to reduce returns
- → Demand forecasting to optimize inventory and reduce waste
- → AI assisted design: generating variations from a creative brief
Art Market
Preserving heritage and democratizing art collection.
- → Provenance analysis + forgery detection support
- → Pricing models using historical auction data and trends
- → Collection discovery: similarity search across artworks
- → Personalized digital exhibitions and museum guidance
Radio & Music Industry
The future of sound: from composition to distribution and monetization of music plus radio broadcasting.
- → AI assisted composition and sound design
- → Automated mixing/mastering and audio enhancement
- → Speech to text for radio/podcasts + searchable archives
- → Personalized playlists and radio programming optimization
Architecture & Urbanism
Design and planning of buildings and urban spaces, including public areas, mobility, infrastructure and sustainable development
- → Generative design: optimized layouts based on constraints
- → Energy and carbon simulation for sustainable buildings
- → City digital twins to test urban planning scenarios
- → Predictive maintenance for infrastructure
Cultural Heritage
Preserving the past through digital twins, restoration, and interactive archives.
- → 3D digital reconstruction
- → AI-powered manuscript decoding
- → Immersive museum guides
Timeline & Program
-
Submit your project
Form a team and submit your project idea.
-
Selections
Selected participants will be announced.
-
Hackathon
9 days of hacking, activities, and lots of fun!
Challenge activities
- Hacking
- Pitch prep & mentoring
- More hacking
- Start-up experiences & talks
- Even more hacking!
- Networking
- Fun activities
Discover the ICC in video
Content blocked due to cookie settings.
Please accept cookies to view this video.
// ICC'25 Winning team
Content blocked.
Accept cookies to view.
// ICC'25 Participant
Content blocked.
Accept cookies to view.
// Sponsor
Content blocked.
Accept cookies to view.
// Innovation mentor
Content blocked.
Accept cookies to view.
Ready to Create?
Don't let your idea sit on the back burner. Join Idiap's top AI experts and turn your concept into a prototype in just 9 days.
Registration Deadline: May 31, 2026
// Application_Requirements
- 1.
Download and complete the Project Proposal Template (.docx | .pdf). When filing the registration form, upload it in PDF format (Max 5MB).
- 2.
Record a Short Pitch video (max 90 seconds) presenting your concept and team. Please do not upload the video file here, but just provide a publicly accessible link (YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, etc.).
// Looking_for_a_team?
No team/project yet? No problem. Register as a solo participant, and we'll help you connect with existing teams or other individuals during our matchmaking phase. We may get in touch to facilitate introductions.
Backed by a strong ecosystem
Organized by
Main Sponsors
Supported by
