EVENT & LOGISTICS

Minori Haruta
Join us at Swissnex in Japan for a Swiss-Japanese seminar on energy innovations during the 'Energy Week' of the Future of Earth and Biodiversity theme (September 17-28) at the World Expo 2025 Osaka. The event will explore academic trends, startup pitches, private sector needs, and policy advancements, fostering collaboration between academia, industry, policymakers, and emerging entrepreneurs.
Info & ticketsSwitzerland and Japan face pressing energy and climate challenges. With an anticipated rise in electricity consumption due to electrification and both nations’ reliance on energy imports, strategic realignment towards decarbonization is essential to meet the 2050 net zero emissions target. This event, co-organized by Swissnex in Japan, the Energy Science Center of ETH Zurich, the Energy Center of EPFL and HSLU, will bring together top academics, startups, industry leaders, and policymakers to discuss innovative energy solutions. See the news report on the successful Swiss-Japan Energy Days 2024.
A Swiss-Japanese joint seminar on the frontiers of breakthrough energy innovations and developments will be held on September 25 and 26, 2025 at Swissnex in Japan during the Future of Earth and Biodiversity Week (September 17-28) at the World Expo 2025 held in Osaka. It will be a seminar with academic trends, startup pitching, private sector needs and policy advances. Energy has systemic relevance and requires that academia, authorities, private industry, science policy experts and also the next generation of young entrepreneurs are brought together.
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 25
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Dr. Felix Moesner is the Science Consul of the Consulate of Switzerland & CEO of Swissnex in Japan. With a PhD in robotics, he studied at ETH Zurich, the University of Tokyo, and MIT. He acquired comprehensive professional experience in government, industry, and academia. In 2003-12, he worked as Science Counsellor at the Embassy of Switzerland in Tokyo, continued as CEO of Swissnex in Boston & New York from 2012-2017, and CEO of Swissnex in China from 2017-2021.
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Roger Dubach studied law and philosophy before joining the diplomatic service of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 2003. He held key roles in energy policy and international negotiations, including with the Federal Office for Energy, the Swiss Mission to the EU and OSCE. He advised Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard and worked on G20 issues at the OECD. In 2018, he was appointed by the Federal Council Ambassador and Deputy Director of the Directorate of International Law.
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Joël Mesot has been President of ETH Zurich since 2019, where he chairs the Executive Board and bears legal and political responsibility for the university. He earned his doctorate in physics there and conducted research on quantum materials in France, USA, and at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), where he became director in 2008. A full professor at ETH Zurich, he has received several awards for his scientific work and serves on advisory boards including the Swiss Innovation Park and CREATE in Singapore.
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Kazuhiro Shiozaki was appointed President of the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), Japan, in April 2021. Before joining NAIST in 2010, Dr. Shiozaki was a professor of microbiology at University of California, Davis, USA. He completed undergraduate and graduate education at Kyoto University, earning his PhD in molecular cell biology in 1992. He then pursued postdoctoral studies at The Scripps Research Institute in California, before becoming a faculty member at UC Davis in 1998.
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After joining the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) in 1990, he has worked extensively on SME policy, trade policy, and environmental policy. Prior to assuming his current position, he served as Deputy Director-General for Environmental Affairs, Minister’s Secretariat, and President of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). He holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Tokyo and Master of Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA.
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Prof. Matthias is a member of the Directorate at Empa, a research institute within the ETH Domain, and holds a visiting faculty position at Berkeley Lab in the US. He co-founded a corporate group specializing in energy and building technology, successfully taking it public. Matthias excels in leading large-scale, innovative research projects at national and international levels, drawing on extensive experience at the intersection of business, science, and policy.
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Dr. Kazunari Sasaki graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He received his Dr. sc. techn. from ETH Zürich in 1993. After 10 years in Europe at ETH and Max-Planck-Institute for Solid State Research, he joined Kyushu University in 1999, becoming a professor in 2005 and senior vice president in 2016. He chairs the Government’s Hydrogen and Ammonia Policy Sub-Committee. His research focuses on materials and processes for fuel cells and electrochemical systems.
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Eric joined Valais economic development in 1997, first within its financial support and equity investment company, before being appointed, in 2012, Head of the Office of Economy, Tourism and Innovation of the Valais State. Eric holds a degree in management (1992) and a postgraduate diploma in IT and Organization (1993). In 1999 he obtained another postgraduate diploma in Management of Technology (MoT) at EPFL/UNIL.
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Waste and energy issues are global challenges, impacting the environment, economy, and public safety. At BIOTECHWORKS-H2, our mission is to turn waste into clean energy and create a sustainable, profitable waste management system as a new global standard. To achieve this, we’re seeking collaboration with technology partners, local governments, and investors. Let’s work together to build a better future for the next generation.
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Founded in 2009 and based at EPFL’s Innovation Park, Almatech has 16 years of experience in aerospace and naval engineering. It collaborates with Airbus and ESA on reusable landing gears, satellite systems, and ISS protection. In naval projects, it has worked on record-breaking hydrofoils and control software. Since 2019, Almatech has been developing ZESST, a zero-emission hydrogen hydrofoil for passenger and cargo transport.
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It has been said for a long time that we will become a hydrogen society, but in reality, that is not yet the case. ABILITY uses hydrogen at atmospheric pressure, which is not a dangerous, and promotes the utilization of hydrogen in familiar devices. In this way, we will create a society where hydrogen can be used easily by anyone, anywhere, anytime. The age of hydrogen has finally arrived!
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Neology is developing a sustainable “Ammonia-to-Power Solution” for off-grid energy. We target sectors such as logistics, agriculture, mining, construction, and transportation. We have a vision to scale our Ammonia Power Generator—from 200 kW within five years, to 1 MW in ten years, and to even larger capacities over the next fifteen years. Our roadmap begins with off-grid power supply at seaports and airports, and gradually expands into heavy industry and maritime sectors.
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Clean Planet is a Japan-based startup developing Quantum Hydrogen Energy (QHe), an innovative fusion technology based on metal-hydrogen reactions. QHe produces stable, CO₂-free heat without radiation, making it ideal for industrial use, central heating, and power generation. We are co-developing an industrial boiler with Miura, aiming for the world’s first commercial deployment. With compact modules and strong scalability, QHe offers a breakthrough solution for global decarbonization.
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Master and PhD in electrical engineering at Swiss Federal Institute of technology. Responsible for the electrical distribution network of the city of Zuerich 2007-2013. Responsible for the electrical distribution network of Primeo Energie. Head of the organisation in case of an energy shortage in Switzerland for the asscociation of the swiss energy companies.
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Antoine is convinced that academic research ecosystem will play a crucial role to solve societal most pressing challenges such as decarbonization. He is eager to connect the dots between all stakeholders to drive these impacts positively. Engineer by training, complemented with an Executive-MBA, Antoine spent more than 15 years helping international corporations in various sectors grow, sustain and reinvent themselves. Since 2018, he is leading the Switzerland Innovation West EPFL initiative.
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Murakami currently serves as General Manager of Low Carbon Fuel Technical Team at Osaka Gas. He looks after all the technical aspects of upstream gas projects and carbon neutral projects such as e-methane, hydrogen and CCS. Since joining Osaka Gas in 2003, he has gained extensive experience mainly in upstream sector through assignments in Norway and Australia. Recently, he has expanded his business domain to include carbon neutral fields to promote carbon neutrality initiative of Osaka Gas.
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Since 2013, Christian Schaffner has been the Executive Director of the Energy Science Center of ETH Zurich. Before that, he was with the Swiss Federal Office of Energy as head of the grid section, responsible for developing a grid expansion strategy and smart grid roadmap. He was also involved in the bilateral negotiations between Switzerland and the EU regarding a contract on energy supply. He holds an M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering and a PhD in Electric Power Systems from ETH Zurich.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 26
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Yasmine has been the Executive Director of the EPFL Energy Center since June 2019. Her role is to catalyze energy research led by EPFL laboratories, notably in collaboration with industrial and institutional partners, and enhance EPFL’s impact and image as a world-leading research and education institution. With more than 90 laboratories active in energy research and education, EPFL ranks number one in continental Europe in Energy Science and Engineering (2024 Global Ranking on Academic Subjects).
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Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) – Benoît Revaz has been Director of the SFOE since 2016. Prior to his current position, he held various management positions in Entreprises Electriques Fribourgeoises (now Group E), EOS Holding, Alpiq Holding, and E-CUBE Strategy Consultants.
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In July 2021, Terazawa became the Chairman and CEO of the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan. Since then, he has been leading IEEJ to present pathways to achieve carbon neutrality as well as to recommend measures to enhance energy security for governments and industries. Earlier, he served at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry(METI) of Japan where he held leading positions including the Vice-Minister for International Affairs. He is a member of the Advisory Committee for Natural Resources and Energy, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE), METI.
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2016 President and CEO for Kyoto University Innovation Capital Co., Ltd., 2020 Director-General for Office of Society-Academia Collaboration for Innovation, 2025 Deputy Executive Director of Kyoto University for Social Collaboration and Innovation Initiatives [International Chartered Investment Analyst (CIIA), M.B.A. in Business Administration, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Ponts et Chaussées, France, B.A. in Law, Gakushuin University, Committee Member, BioCommunity Kansai]
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Elena Vagnoni is a Senior Scientist at the Mechanical Engineering Institute of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and Head of Research at the EPFL Technology Platform for Hydraulic Machines. She graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 2013 and completed her PhD at EPFL in 2018. Before her current role, she was a research assistant fellow at Johns Hopkins University and guest scientist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
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Andrea Weber-Hansen studied environmental sciences at ETH Zurich and did her PhD in process engineering. After doing her postdoc and working in industry, she was appointed vice-dean of research at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences & Arts. As a member of the University management, Andrea Weber-Hansen is responsible for the strategic development of the engineering part of the department and research.
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Professor Benjamin C. McLellan has been at Kyoto University in the Graduate School of Energy Science since 2010. Prior to that, he was a Post-doc and Research Fellow at The University of Queensland, Australia. His main research themes at present are critical minerals and just energy-resource transitions. He has specific interests in hydrogen and deep sea mining. He has authored / co-authored over 140 journal articles, and about the same number of conference papers, across a wide range of topics.
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Benjamin holds an engineering degree from the Berne University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland and a PhD from Ulster University in Northern Ireland. He spent 14 years conducting research at Empa, the Swiss Federal Institute for Materials Science and Technology, before joining the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. There, he leads the Technical Sorption and Hydrogen Technologies Research Group. He also serves as a subtask leader within the joint IEA SHC and ES tasks.
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We are a startup oriented from Kyoto University specializing in the design, evaluation, and manufacturing of next-generation porous materials, including porous coordination polymers PCP/MOF. We identified social issues in the small-scale gas distribution industry, which has remained unchanged for 100 years, and developed CubiTan, a lightweight, compact, and smart high-pressure gas container. We aim to build a distribution network for natural gas and biogas without gas piping, especially in the ASEAN area.
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SmartHelio’s AI software to improve the efficiency of solar plant operation to make it automated and climate resilient. This has an impact on decreasing the wastage of aged solar panels and improve overall profitability of the solar plants by 10%.
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We are developing the world’s first commercially viable fusion power plant—delivering continuous, carbon-free energy. Our design is based on the Helical-Stellarator, a uniquely stable reactor concept refined through decades of research at Japan’s world-leading national fusion institute. Fusion will spark a global industry while preserving nature—advancing human civilization sustainably, from our everyday lives to the farthest frontiers.
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Kenichi Fujino has been Senior Executive Vice President of the Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc., since June 2024. After joining the Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc., in 1989, he took on increasingly significant roles within the company, particularly in the area of community energy and corporate sales. In June 2020, he was appointed Executive Officer of the Sales and Marketing Division. Prior to assuming his current position, he served as President of the Kanden Realty & Development Co., Ltd.
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Yves Corrodi graduated from the ETH Zurich in Electric Engineering and Information Technology. He lived several years in Japan working for technology ventures and received a Doctoral Degree from the Kyushu University. Currently, he is the Head of Strategic Grid Planning at CKW / Axpo Group. His department is responsible for the electric grid planning covering high, medium and low voltage levels. It is also building up a comprehensive grid data platform to cope with future developments.
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Since joining Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, he has led the design and development of steam and gas turbines, specializing in gas turbine combustors. At Takasago Hydrogen Park, he spearheaded the Gas Turbine Combined Cycle business to support the early realization of MISSION NET ZERO. He has served as Executive Vice President of Green Transformation Solutions since 2024 and, from 2025, as Senior Chief Engineer of Energy Systems, driving infrastructure development for the H2/NH3/CO2 value chain.
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Since 2015, Prof. Adrian Altenburger has been Head of the Institute of Building Technology and Energy at Lucerne University – School of Engineering and Architecture. Before he was Partner, COO and Member of the Board of Directors at Amstein+Walthert Ltd, and joined Electrowatt Engineering Ltd in Zurich and Bangkok/Thailand. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Building Technology Engineering (HSLU T&A) and a Master’s Degree in Architecture (ETH) as well as a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (HSLU W).
EVENT & LOGISTICS
Minori Haruta
PR & MEDIA
Alice Rouaud