Global
ZHAW-Swissnex

Staff Mobility Program

Through a collaboration with Swissnex, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) works to internationalize its scientific and academic programs by offering its researchers and staff the opportunity to travel the globe to advance their research and professional connections.

 

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 individual ZHAW visitors to expand their professional horizons internationally.

The ZHAW-Swissnex Staff Mobility Program offers several options to serve a diverse range of ZHAW staff:

  • A two-week research stay allows faculty and staff to pursue academic or applied research projects on a specific topic, making use of Swissnex’s local knowledge and networks to forge new connections with relevant colleagues.
  • For staff with more administrative or technical roles, a two-week peer-learning program enables them to connect with similar staff abroad, in order to exchange best practices or establish new international collaborations.
  • A longer-term research stay of 1-2 months allows participants to embed themselves more deeply in a local ecosystem, both in order to create new professional connections and to produce a final research product that is relevant to Swissnex stakeholders and ZHAW peers.

By leveraging its global network, Swissnex not only supports ZHAW staff in expanding their international and interdisciplinary perspectives, but also helps to fulfill ZHAW’s strategic objective of fostering a globally connected academic community.

Travel Destinations

Any ZHAW faculty and staff can choose to travel to any of the six main Swissnex locations. Each offers a unique local ecosystem of experts and researchers.

    India

    Bengaluru

    Swissnex in India fosters activities that pursue inclusive prosperity, urgent progress, and a vibrant exchange between the two countries. Bengaluru, India’s knowledge capital, features a thriving academic and entrepreneurial ecosystem with world-class leaders in EdTech, HealthTech, IT, sustainable development, and more. Swissnex also works across the Indian sub-continent with partners at the forefront of today's and tomorrow’s knowledge economy.
    USA

    Boston & New York City

    Boston is home to several world-class research universities and a thriving biotechnology ecosystem. Anchored by Harvard and MIT, it features a wide network of scientists and innovators working in medical, Greentech, AI, and other cutting-edge fields.

    In addition to its unparalleled media, business, and international ecosystems, New York also features a thriving tech sector, with a focus on Fintech, the digital economy, and creative industries.
    USA

    San Francisco

    The entrepreneurial environment in the San Francisco area is characterized by innovation, collaboration, and risk-taking. Silicon Valley, located in the South San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA) of California, is a global center of technological innovation and is famous for its well-known startup ecosystem and high levels of interdisciplinarity.

    Swissnex in San Francisco sits at the forefront of where culture and design meet technology, leveraging its strategic positioning to enhance interdisciplinarily through the exchange of ideas and networks.
    Brazil

    Rio de Janeiro & Sao Paulo

    Brazil has the largest innovation ecosystem in Latin America and hosts some of the region’s best universities. The 6 best universities in Brazil are located in the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and the development of Technology Parks has strengthened the region’s leadership in research, innovation and international cooperation.

    Agtechs and Fintechs are booming in Brazil, with São Paulo classified as the fourth largest fintech market in the world. Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo are among the top 10 Connected Smart Cities in Brazil, with São Paulo at the top of the ranking and Rio de Janeiro leading in Technology and Innovation. The city has invested in innovative solutions in areas such as pollution, mobility and natural disaster prevention, seeking to become smarter and more sustainable.
    China

    China

    China’s main economic hubs offer an amazing diversity of research and innovation. Shanghai has quickly risen to be a global leader in artificial intelligence, chips, and biomedicine. Beijing is home to world-class innovation in AI, big data, and quantum computing. Further south in the Greater Bay Area, both Guangzhou and Shenzhen have achieved an excellent reputation as innovation powerhouses.
    Japan

    Osaka

    Japan has several high-standard innovation ecosystems in some of the world's densest cultural places. For example, the dynamic Kansai region is a wellspring of Japan’s knowledge creation, one of the two biggest economic areas in Japan and a cradle for innovation-driven corporations such as Panasonic, Takeda, or Nintendo. As a leading hotbed in Japan born out of a continuum of original, cutting-edge education, research, and innovation, the 200 universities in the region are ceaselessly striving to advance science and innovation across the spectrum of humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The Osaka-Kyoto-Kobe triangle has top tier universities, which engage in the highest-level, best-funded research in Japan.

ZHAW x Swissnex

“When I do research with people from outside Switzerland, everyday practices are questioned and renegotiated. I like this.”

 

– Patrick Studer

In a 2021 report, Impact ZHAW investigated the positive benefits of the ZHAW-Swissnex Staff Mobility Program for several participants. Read more

ZHAW Participant Voices

  •

    Umut Demiriz, Osaka 2023

    “This has been among the most exceptional experiences in my 15 years of professional work. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all those who played a pivotal role in making this endeavor possible..”

  •

    Larysa Zavgorodnia, Boston/NY 2023

    “I will highly recommend this program to my colleagues. It is really enriching for the research and teaching at ZHAW, for the personal and professional growth. And you are relieved of a large part of the effort preparing this far travel.”

  •

    Christina Erös, Japan 2023

    “The program helped me to expand my knowledge and to better understand current social challenges in order to find solutions from a broader perspective.”

Partners

  • ZHAW
  • Swissnex