We connect Swiss and Bay Area universities, researchers, students, and academics, fostering the international exchange of research and ideas.
Connecting the dots between Academics at UC Berkeley and Swissnex in San Francisco.
Connecting the dots between Academics in San Francisco and Swissnex.
Connecting the dots between Academics in Palo Alto and Swissnex.
Researchers, professors, and lecturers from Swiss academic institutions can participate in a 2-8 week Academic Residency in 2026 and beyond.
We champion the visibility of Swiss universities and academics through collaborative events, exchange opportunities, and ongoing local networking opportunities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through the generous support of our partners, they are often able to provide financial coverage for these visits, lowering the barriers to international collaboration.
Our Academic Residencies offer Swiss researchers, professors, staff, and lecturers an immersive experience in one of the world’s most innovative ecosystems. Participants can join individually or as part of a cohort centered on a shared academic topic, combining independent exploration with collaborative learning.
Learn MoreWe have a variety of opportunities that center around groups of academics and students who want to have an immersive experience to advance their studies in Switzerland. These can include workshops, study tours, and other opportunities to connect with the Bay Area.
Contact UsWe regularly invite Academics in the Bay Area to our Connect Lunches, with the goal of fostering connections and collaborations. The lunches are open to students, researchers, and professors, and staff, strengthening Swiss bonds within the Bay Area.
Upcoming Connect LunchesSwissnex fosters a community of anyone who attended a Swiss university by bringing them together for special events. If you are interested, please join our alumni mailing list.
Join the ListThese are our ongoing partnerships which support our Academia focus area. We are always open to new collaborations that share our mission of supporting academic collaborations between Switzerland and the U.S. West Coast.
Swissnex and Movetia have an ongoing collaboration to facilitate and support mobility and cooperation projects outside of Europe for Swiss educational institutions. Movetia supports a range of services, including class exchanges, workshops, scouting activities, and cooperation projects between institutions. Swissnex aims to provide information, support, and a direct point of contact, for finding the right partner institution or for practical questions about project implementation in a particular country.
More InfoIn collaboration with the Swiss National Science Foundation, Swissnex in San Francisco highlights and promotes the projects funded by the Agora fund. Specifically, projects that foster dialogue between science and society, enabling researchers to share their current research directly with an audience that has no specialized knowledge in the field.
For over a decade, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) has worked with Swissnex to bring a spirit of international exchange and learning to the university through a staff mobility program. By offering tailored connections, local insights, and structured support, Swissnex helps ZHAW staff members to expand their professional horizons internationally.
We collaborate with the International Innovation Management program of HEIG-VD (School of Engineering and Management Vaud, Switzerland) to give students the opportunity to immerse themselves in Silicon Valley’s dynamic innovation ecosystem. The cohort of top students supports Swiss startups in their US market scouting and potential expansion, led by Swissnex in San Francisco.
The collaboration with HEAD Geneva in 2024 showcased their work at the intersection of AI & Creativity with an exhibition, a residency, and a series of events. Visitors were invited to explore the future of creative roles with the rise of generative AI and machine learning.
Terapixel Panorama, the winner of the 2024 Optimus Agora Prize, was exhibited at Swissnex in San Francisco and gave audiences the chance to explore the topics of digital heritage, immersion, cultural memory and computational museology. Led by the EPFL Laboratory for Experiment Museology (eM+), Terapixel Panorama is the 1.6-trillion-pixel digital twin of the 19th-century Murten Panorama painting.
In collaboration with Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich, we offered a 3-week residency program in San Francisco to forge connections with the robotic ecosystem, especially research and development departments and labs in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Swissnex in San Francisco Connect Lunches: From Mapping to Building a Community
Join us for an invite-only masterclass with members of the team behind the Terapixel Panorama – a project that restages the iconic, 1,000m² "Panorama of the Battle of Murten" painting as an immersive, interactive, multisensory installation centered on its 1.6-trillion-pixel digital twin.
This year, Swissnex is hosting a total of five staff members of ZHAW visiting the San Francisco Bay Area for a two-week sabbatical.
Is bridging international innovation ecosystems a contradiction? Join me on a journey from Zurich to San Francisco, where robotics innovation, cultural insights, and unexpected connections await. Discover what happens when Switzerland's precision meets Silicon Valley's dynamic spirit—and why the metaphor of bridges has never been more fitting.
The special preview event celebrated the upcoming Keep it CO₂OL exhibition.
Switzerland’s aging population poses new healthcare challenges. A delegation from the Canton of Vaud explored U.S. innovations on the East and West Coast in nursing, AI, and biotech, drawing lessons from California’s staffing laws and advancements shaping the future of care.
Looking back to the Déjà Vu—Our event series exploring the relationship between AI and human creativity, raising critical questions about the nature, ethics, and future of artistic creation in an age of intelligent machines.
Assembling Intelligence: Hybrid Strategies for AI, Art, and Design— This exhibition in collaboration with the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève) showcases their take on artificial intelligence through recent research projects and students’ artistic works.
Déjà Vu—Our event series exploring the relationship between AI and human creativity, raising critical questions about the nature, ethics, and future of artistic creation in an age of intelligent machines.
This year, Swissnex hosted a total of three staff members of ZHAW visiting the San Francisco Bay Area for a two-week sabbatical.
Several events at SIGGRAPH this year will include speakers from Switzerland, including Yves Daccord, Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Swissnex in San Francisco welcomes the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD - Genève) to showcase their take on artificial intelligence.
Academic Engagement Program Manager / Swissnex in San Francisco
If you’re affiliated in any way with a Swiss University, there are a number of opportunities for us to help you navigate the Bay Area and connect with local experts. In addition to those featured above, a few other possibilities are listed below. Get in touch about any of these options or propose your own.
My short-term sabbatical with Swissnex in San Francisco was truly inspiring, intense and valuable. I learned so much, not only about the culture, the Bay Area and student mobility, but also about myself. I met so many great people, made connections and friendships with people who are working in the same field as I do and it helped me to broaden my horizon. I come back with a backpack full of new ideas, impressions and connections.
Jennifer Steffen Outgoing Exchange Coordinator at ZHAWMy short-term stay at Swissnex San Francisco made it possible for me to personally meet exciting researchers from leading universities and deep tech companies in California. I look forward to returning at a later stage of our project "Spatial Sustainable Finance".
Peter Schwender Professor, Head Institute of Wealth & Asset Management at ZHAW – School of Management and LawThe Swissnex SF team gets the ball rolling with innovative thinking that not only inspires but also creates sustainable perspectives and allows a completely new approach to things.
Markus Hackenfort Professor at ZHAW
