The Urban Land Institute (ULI) Europe has kicked off the 2026 PropTech Innovation Challenge (PIC) in Switzerland. The initiative targets innovators from the real estate, construction, and technology sectors, inviting them to submit forward-looking solutions that enhance the ecological, economic, and social resilience of real estate assets. The competition, originally initiated by ULI's Young Leaders, aims to shape the built environment globally through transformative approaches.
At the heart of this year's edition is resilience to economic, environmental, and social stresses. The search is for scalable and competitive solutions that enable novel connections between asset classes and functions in real estate, in order to shape future forms of living and working. The range of submissions includes both high-tech and low-tech innovations, from hardware and software to new business models. Submissions will be evaluated based on their potential impact, degree of innovation, and likelihood of market launch or adoption.
Strengthening resilience in a volatile market environment
Simon Durkin, CEO ULI Europe, emphasised that the question of the resilience of buildings, cities, and communities to various risks is a central component of ULI's mission. The goal is to highlight the most effective and innovative solutions for the industry's challenges and contribute to value preservation. Sabine Georgi, ULI Executive Director for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, added that volatility now represents a new normality in the real estate industry. Economic uncertainties, regulatory changes, climate risks, and social transformation demand innovative and scalable solutions, as traditional approaches are no longer sufficient. The PIC aims to put thought leaders in the spotlight and accelerate the transfer of innovation between the established real estate sector and the PropTech scene.
Competition structure and timeline
The PIC is divided into two phases and begins with seven regional competitions, including the one in Switzerland. Regional leadership for Switzerland is held by Robin Odermatt, Acquisition & Sales, R2Partners, and Daniyal Mohtashamian, Transaction Manager, Avobis Real Estate AG. The submission deadline for Switzerland is 3 August 2026. Finalists from each region will present their solutions to a national ULI PIC jury committee. Regional winners will qualify for the pan-European Grand Finale in September 2026. The announcement of the overall European winner is scheduled for 5 November 2026 at the C Change Summit in Dublin.
Participation is open to both ULI members and non-members. Eligible participants include non-profit organisations, companies, and academic and research laboratories from relevant European markets. Detailed information and the opportunity to submit can be accessed via the ULI Europe website. The jury for the Swiss PIC consists of the following individuals:
- —Urs Baumann (ULI Switzerland Chair)
- —Christopher el Hayek (Associate Director, CBRE, Young Leader Chair Switzerland)
- —Sabine Georgi (Executive Director ULI DACH)
- —Daniyal Mohtashamian (Transaction Manager, Avobis Real Estate AG)
- —Robin Odermatt (Acquisition & Sales, R2Partners)
- —Jelena Radovic (Head Real Estate Transaction, Implenia)
