About us

Switzerland Innovation has the following objectives:

• 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 Swiss Innovation Park Foundation is the national organizing institution of Switzerland Innovation, and provides services to the various sites. It deals with those issues that need to be approached from a foundation-wide perspective, thus covering all sites.

The foundation takes on the following tasks:

• 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 Foundation Board is the highest body of the foundation. It ensures the observance of the foundation’s objectives and supervises the activities of the bodies of the foundation. It is responsible for the strategic positioning and the further development of Switzerland Innovation. 

Members

In 2012 Parliament approved the total revision of the Research and Innovation Promotion Act (RIPA), thereby creating the legal framework for providing federal funding for a Swiss Innovation Park, yet leaving plenty of leeway as to how the park should be set up. However, the law does state that the park should be spread over several sites. Furthermore, the cantons, higher-education institutions, and private sector should determine the focus areas and partners (and so influence the form the park takes).

The Federal Council approved the configuration proposed by the Conference of Cantonal Directors of Economic Affairs (VDK) in the late summer of 2014. Under this proposal, the innovation park would have two hub sites centered on the two federal institutes of technology in Zurich and Lausanne and two network sites in the Canton of Aargau and Northwest Switzerland, forming a single network. In May 2015 the Federal Council decided to add Biel to this configuration, on the recommendation of a group of independent experts. Once the Swiss Innovation Park has been launched, the foundation of the same name will be responsible for further developments in the site portfolio.

Federal measures

The current federal funding instruments for research and innovation can also be used for activities at the Swiss Innovation Park’s sites. In the fall of 2015, parliament approved two new measures to finance the innovation park:

• Federal guarantee: Framework credit of CHF 350 million to be used as collateral for earmarked loans. With this capital on hand, the new foundation will be able to obtain capital funding at advantageous conditions and so provide the entities responsible for the sites with the loans needed to finance research infrastructure (equipment, facilities). The guarantee is limited in duration and earmarked for specific purposes; the Federal Council will release funding in stages.
• Land use: In order to support the innovation park, federally owned land will be leased with construction rights. However, ground rent must be paid at a rate current with the market.

As it plays a subsidiary role in research and innovation promotion, the Confederation will not be directly involved in the operation of the park, but will conclude an agreement under public law with a national sponsor in accordance with RIPA.
Communication on the organizational structure and financial support of the Swiss Innovation Park (German only)
Further information can be found at: http://www.sbfi.admin.ch