HSG launches two new support programmes: HSG Best Talents and HSG Best Founders

Talent development and entrepreneurship have a long tradition at the University of St.Gallen. HSG graduates take on responsibility in business and society. Executives from large companies and organisations as well as successful founders took their first steps here. With the new programmes HSG Best Talents and HSG Best Founders, HSG is expanding its commitment and promoting talent and prospective founders from the HSG community. Annual funding of up to CHF 1.1 million and CHF 1.9 million respectively finances these excellence programmes.

HSG Best Talents – professional, financial and personal support

The HSG Best Talents Programme is aimed at particularly talented and committed Bachelor's graduates who are planning to pursue a Master's degree at the University of St.Gallen. In addition to outstanding academic performance, extracurricular activities and a sense of responsibility are among the criteria. Starting in the autumn semester of 2026, talented students from all Master's programmes will be eligible for support. In addition to tuition fees and contributions towards living expenses, they receive individual mentoring and access to a network of faculty, alumni and partner organisations. The programme will start with at least 15 talented students, and the final target is for a maximum of 45 talented students to participate in the excellence programme each year. ‘Together with our funding partners, we can attract and promote the best talent and support them in taking on responsibility in business and society. This is entirely in line with our vision: Empowering talents, inspiring leaders,’ says President Prof. Dr. Manuel Ammann. “Promoting talent is an important part of KPMG's corporate culture and reflects our responsibility to Switzerland as a business location. That is why we wholeheartedly support this forward-looking programme at HSG,” says Stefan Pfister, Chairman of the Board of Directors & CEO of KPMG Switzerland, which is co-financing the programme.

HSG Best Founders – from business idea to spin-off

The HSG Best Founders Programme will start in the autumn semester of 2025. It supports entrepreneurial students, graduates and researchers at the University of St.Gallen at every stage of their start-up process:

• Awareness: creating interest and motivation for entrepreneurshipIdeation: Developing business ideas in a structured process with network and partner support
• Incubation: CHF 5,000 (Grant 1) for initial concepts, including individual support
• Spin-off: CHF 100,000 (Grant 2) for start-up preparation, including coaching and community access; targeted promotion of interdisciplinary teams with technical universities such as ETH Zurich.

“Students and researchers at HSG are committed to finding entrepreneurial solutions to problems in business and society. We want to promote this commitment in a targeted manner,” says Prof. Dr. Dietmar Grichnik, vice-president for Innovation & Quality at the University of St.Gallen. The Board of Trustees of Fondation Alcea, which co-finances the programme, says: “Fondation Alcea supports people in realising their vocation – a mission that is also pursued by the HSG Best Founders Programme. We are proud to contribute to its development and ongoing operation as a partner.”

Support from funding partners

Both programmes are made possible by private funding. The University of St.Gallen would like to thank all donors and partner organisations. The main funding partners of the HSG Best Talents Programme to date are: Bindella Unternehmungen, the Jeannette and Robert Meier Foundation and KPMG Switzerland. Fondation Alcea and the Jacques and Gloria Gossweiler Foundation are particularly committed to the HSG Best Founders Programme. Thanks to these significant contributions, almost two-thirds of the minimum funding required has already been secured. However, the HSG Foundation remains dependent on further support for the long-term implementation of the programme.