ABOUT US

Switzerland Innovation is a network of innovation parks across Switzerland, enabling both international and domestic companies, alongside world-leading Swiss universities, to collaborate on the development of new, market-ready products and services.

These innovation parks act as a bridge between research and industry, offering fully equipped workstations, state-of-the-art laboratories, and specialized research facilities. To foster effective collaboration between academia and the business world, the Switzerland Innovation parks include experts in knowledge and technology transfer, as well as community management. These professionals have firsthand experience and a deep understanding of the needs of both sectors. Their role is crucial in bridging the gap between academia and industry, facilitating partnerships that drive innovation forward.

In and around our 16 locations across Switzerland, vibrant innovation ecosystems have been carefully nurtured, attracting companies, SMEs, start-ups, and researchers from around the world.

Realizing successful R&D collaborations between private companies, Swiss universities, and other research partners

• Generating domestic and foreign R&D investment
• Localizing domestic and foreign companies and research partners that create jobs and develop new marketable products, services, and processes
• Creating a platform to accelerate the development of research results into marketable solutions
• Creating attractive conditions for research groups and start-ups as catalysts for the localization of established companies
• Securing our attractiveness and competitiveness through clear competence profiles at the sites as well as excellent conditions and services for our customers

The Switzerland Innovation Foundation is leading the charge to position Switzerland as a global hub for research, technology, and innovation. To achieve this, we rely on strong, real partnerships between the public and private sectors, each playing a vital role in building a sustainable and thriving innovation ecosystem. 

Established in 2016 as a public-private partnership with a statutory mandate from the federal government, the Switzerland Innovation Foundation’s mission is to generate private R&D investment and create high-quality jobs in and for Switzerland.

The legal basis for these activities is found in the Public Law Contract between the Swiss Federal Council and the "Switzerland Innovation" Foundation regarding the Innovation Park. 

The federal government provides subsidiary support to the Switzerland Innovation parks network by providing guarantees for special-purpose loans, enabling the site operators to raise outside capital on favorable terms, as well as leasing federally owned land with construction rights to facilitate its expansion. In addition, the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) provides the Switzerland Innovation Foundation with basic financing.

 

The international positioning and marketing of Switzerland Innovation on the basis of attractive offers that are defined by the sites using uniform criteria.

• Supporting the sites with financing solutions, both through the use of federal guarantees and by creating financial instruments in collaboration with the financial industry
• Coordinating and networking the sites and ensuring efficient cooperation with the federal authorities while providing a coherent umbrella brand
• Ensuring uniform quality standards at the sites on the basis of the Conference of Cantonal Directors of Economic Affairs (VDK) criteria catalog and its further development in the context of continuous improvement processes

The Board jointly oversees the strategy and governance of the foundation. The Presidential Committee prepares the business of the Foundation Board. 

The Management Office is responsible for the strategic and operational management of the Foundation.

The members of the Economic Advisory Board identify with the mission of the Switzerland Innovation parks. They support us financially and with their expertise. In return, they have access to the board and deep expertise in our network and use this for their own innovation projects or business partnerships.