Philippe joined Swissnex in China in March 2022, just as Shanghai went into lockdown. The sudden slowdown in activity, combined with shifting geopolitical dynamics, meant Swissnex in China had to reinvent itself—from an event-focused organization to a knowledge-driven one. Realizing that Swissnex needed to go beyond simply “connecting the dots,” Philippe focused on developing the team and shaping the organization’s identity as a competence center for Sino-Swiss collaboration in education, research, and innovation (ERI).

Under his leadership, Swissnex in China launched new partnerships with Swiss stakeholders including swissuniversities, Frontiers, Debiopharm, Belimo, and Swissmem. At the same time, ambitious thematic initiatives with EPFL, Bühler, and the University of Geneva helped set the agenda for ERI collaboration in areas of mutual interest.

As Philippe prepares to embark on a new chapter, we sat down with him to reflect on his time in Shanghai.

Some of the biggest initiatives we developed over the past three and half years include InCube in 2023, when five students from Switzerland, China, and Singapore were challenged by a Swiss company in China to develop a more sustainable future food and agricultural system. They had to do it all within five days and while working within a glass cube we had placed on the campus of Jiangnan University. Then in 2024, Cosmos Archaeology brought together Chinese and Swiss astronomers, artists, curators, museologists – even astronauts! – to co-create an immersive exploration of humankind’s origin. And in 2025, as part of Climate Ring Shanghai, Chinese and Swiss researchers, startups, and artists joined the fight against climate change—both literally and figuratively. – in a pop-up boxing ring.

But actually, it is not only the big projects that stand out for me. Swissnex is all about creating those “aha moments”, like when two people connect through a shared passion, when a fresh new perspective changes how we look at something, or when the missing piece of a bigger picture finally falls into place. We had many such moments during my time at Swissnex between academics at our thematic deep dives, alumni at our annual gatherings, startups at our camps, or just coincidentally at one our many events.

As China remains a globally relevant player in research and innovation, Swissnex will continue to play an important role by leveraging key relationships, scouting meaningful content, and providing context.

I think Swissnex in China is in a great position to continue contributing towards China Competences among Swiss ERI actors and shaping the thematic agenda of Sino-Swiss collaboration by identifying topics of mutual—even global—relevance. Swissnex can build very targeted, creative platforms and interdisciplinary formats that enable both engineered encounters and serendipitous conversations in these areas.

I look forward to seeing how some of our initiatives we set up for 2025 take shape, as we explore new fields where we want to build Swiss competences, or try to put new topics on the thematic agenda of Sino-Swiss collaboration. Upcoming projects explore the intersection between technology and ethics in life sciences, compare digital solutions for disaster risk reduction (DRR), and investigate non-human interests through a dedicated Planetary Thinking documentary.

I’ll miss the daily collaboration with the Swissnex teams in Shanghai and Beijing who have never ceased to impress me with their knowledge, resourcefulness, motivation, and tenacity. We challenged each other and could elevate Swissnex in China to the next level.

You never have to go far to witness applied innovation in China first-hand: from the prevalence of New Electric Vehicules (NEVs) on the streets in Shanghai, to ambitious climate research at Beijing’s elite Universities; from to digital art and design in Shenzhen, to ultra-competitive startups (the so-called six little dragons) in Hangzhou. Observing how China is strategically trying to leapfrog ahead in its priority areas remains fascinating, especially when on the ground.

And, of course, the classic answer to this question: the speed at which things can happen in China is nothing short of remarkable. I suspect I will need to relearn the art of patience in the future.

It is probably an open secret by now, but I’m glad to be staying in the Swissnex Network. A new exciting role awaits 12’000km from my current home. More will follow in due course!

Article posted on July 3rd, 2025.