The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) with its Swissnex headquarters was happy to host the Annual Meeting 2023 from 22 - 26 May. During the joint week, we reconnected, shared ideas, scouted trends, and forged collaborations with colleagues and partners.
We look back on a successful and fruitful week!
Looking back on the Swissnex Annual Meeting 2023
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Kick-off of the Annual Meeting 2023
We were happy to see our colleagues from the Swissnex global network and discuss collaborative projects together.
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Swissnex and SwissCore Alumni Meetup
At the Swissnex and SwissCore Alumni Meetup, we enjoyed reconnecting and celebrating the young and talented professionals who have involved themselves with the Swissnex network throughout the years.
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A warm welcome from the Head of the Division of International Relations at SERI, Jacques Ducrest
We started our joint day at the headquarters with a warm welcome and updates from the Head of the Division of International Relations at SERI.
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Internal Workshops
We enjoyed reconnecting and exchanging in person with our staff members from the Swissnex global network and getting inspired by internal workshops.
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USI/SUPSI Viganello Campus
At the Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI) and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) Viganello Campus in Ticino, we received impressive insights, with presentations from the Department of Innovative Technologies, the Faculty of Informatics, the Startup Centre, the Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IDSIA) and the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences.
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Meeting with State Secretary Martina Hirayama and Deputy Director Rémy Hübschi at Swissnex Day
Kick-starting the program, State Secretary Martina Hirayama added, “Innovation in health is the most important concern in the world, along with nutrition, climate change, and energy. Given the complex range of issues, questions, and opportunities, there is an urgent need for dialogue and multidisciplinary cooperation. The Swissnex network can help you make the necessary connections, and I hope you will seize this opportunity today to connect with the representatives of our unique network.”
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Panel Discusion at Swissnex Day
Our keynote speakers and panelists, Katrin Crameri, Nono Simelela, Marc Gitzinger, and Anand Anandkumar, shed light on the urgent international health issues to be addressed and how, together, we’ll have the power to push the boundaries and shape a world where wellness knows no limits.
Swissnex Day also provided a platform for selected startups and spinoffs to present the diverse health technology innovations they are working on. -
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Meeting with Guy Parmelin at Startup Days
Besides our many exchanges at our booth, we gathered at the heart of the thriving Swiss innovation ecosystem, where startups could leverage Swissnex’s expertise and network, to become truly global. Addressing our team, Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin encouraged us to stay flexible and demand-oriented and never to lose our entrepreneurial mindset.
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Swissnex Workshop at Startup Days
Our experts, Charlotte Chenu, Minyong Lee, Tatiana Benavides, and Mario Garcia from Lighting Up Ventures, have successfully simplified creating a customized strategy for the participants on Startup Days. The workshop focused on identifying key metrics to measure and address regional differences in international markets.
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UNIL/EPFL
At EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) we had a meaningful exchange about Sport and Physical Activity with ThinkSport and EPFL Innovation Park. We re-discovered how interdisciplinary this field is and have already started connecting the dots on collaboration opportunities.
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EPFL Robotics Center
We experienced live demonstrations and insightful explanations from the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems (LIS), the BioRobotics Lab, the Learning Algorithms and Systems Laboratory (LASA ), and the Translational Neural Engineering Lab.
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Unlimitrust campus tour and presentations
We were honored to be hosted at the unlimitrust Campus by SICPA, Trust Valley, Digital Trust Movement from the Swiss Digital Initiative, Economy for Trust Foundation, and Innovaud. And finally, we concluded our week at the Domaine de la Crausaz by making a toast to all the upcoming projects that sparked from this week’s exchanges.
