Swissnex in China

Exciting news! Prof. Marilyne Andersen, professor at EPFL will participate in our first academic sabbatical of 2025. With a background in physics, she specializes in the psycho-physiological effects of light on humans and, more broadly, in issues relating to well-being and sustainability in the built environment. During her visit, Marilyne will engage with renowned academic institutions such as Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tongji University and Fudan University. She plans to have discussions with their faculty and students, fostering a unique learning and sharing experience. Additionally, the Design Innovation Institute Shanghai (DIIS) and Atelier Archmixing will serve as innovative platforms for valuable exchanges, notably through a public lecture and discussion co-organized by DIIS and Swissnex in China, at the interface between academia and the lighting industry. Follow along for updates on her sabbatical.

🌌 After welcoming over 73,000 visitors and sparking countless conversations, the COSMOS Archaeology: Exploring the Universe Through Art and Science exhibition at the Shanghai Astronomy Museum has officially come to a close. Originally planned for four months, the exhibition was extended to six thanks to great public interest. This Sino-Swiss collaboration, initiated by Swissnex in China and in partnership with EPFL Pavilions and the Shanghai Astronomy Museum, transformed scientific data into multisensory experiences. By connecting Swiss and Chinese stakeholders, this initiative showcased the potential of interdisciplinary partnerships to inspire innovation. ✨ Some of the highlights include:  🌌 The Cosmic Dialogue Series: Leading artists and scientists explored the intersection of creativity and data. 📖 Sci-Fi Creative Night: Fudan University students explored Cosmos through storytelling. 🔭 MUST Project Collaboration: In parallel, EPFL and Tsinghua University advanced efforts to map the universe’s early structure through the Multi-Spectroscopic Telescope project. 🚀 The Grand Finale: Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier and Chinese taikonaut JING Haipeng shared their unique insights on space exploration. While it’s always bittersweet to see a project end, we’re incredibly proud of its success and thrilled that the journey will continue in China next year! A huge thank you to our partners, including Tsinghua University, the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory CAS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Science and Technology Exchange Center (CSTEC), Yuanzhen Culture, and Presence Switzerland for making this incredible journey possible. A special thanks to the exhibition curators: Sarah Kenderdine, Jean-Paul Kneib, and Iris X Long. And all the people involved including Emma Tolley, Carrard Marie, Cissy Yiwen SUN, Pascal Bettex, AIJING CAO, Chenchen Liu, Camille Burki, Langyuan Ma, Yitao Li, Philippe Roesle (何辉) and many more. Read the full recap: https://lnkd.in/ggMjZaZk

Astrophysics at the intersection of science, art and museology 🔭🌌 – Tech&Ethics in AI 🤖🦾 – Future Hospitals 🏨👩🏽⚕️ – Hardware Innovation and Sustainable Manufacturing 🧑🏼🏭⚙️.   These are just some of the initiatives that Swissnex in China explored with our partners in 2024.   2024 marked the year when Swissnex in China completed its strategic shift towards knowledge creation. Our aim remains to connect the dots between Switzerland and China in the fields of education, research and innovation. But in order to strengthen Switzerland’s active egagement in China, we must also go beyond merely organising events; we need to strengthen our partners’ foundational knowledge about China. Understanding the local context, in addition to relevant networks and mutual trust, is the starting point of all international collaboration in science and innovation. Our initiatives in 2024 have contibuted towards building these China competences in Switzerland, such as exploring how China governs future technologies, understanding how Chinese universities are structured, defining our concepts of responsible research, balancing opportunties and risks for Swiss startups in China, and much more.   There are many people to thank who have enabled our various projects. Jean-Paul Kneib, Sarah Kenderdine, Iris X Long, Carrard Marie, Ning Wang, Patrick Tinguely, Yash Raj Shrestha, Adrian Notz, Yishu Mao, Michael Schupp, Dr. Diana Pignalosa, Thierry Golliard, Marcel Hofstetter, Stefan Sulzer, Minou Afzali, Stephan Kuster, Elise Nardin, Katja Durkin Sommerhalder, Jacques Ducrest, Roman Kern, Tatiana Benavides Damm and many many more. And of course none of this would have been possible without tireless efforts of the whole Swissnex in China team. 🙏   And now, we look forward to a new year with new exciting initiatives. If I already had to do a prediction for my end of year post in December 2025, it might be something like:   Climate Ring – Jumpstarter Hong Kong – nexGen DRR – Tech&Ethics in Life Sciences – Planetary Diplomacy with Wuxing.   Get in touch if this sparks your interest and let’s see what else 2025 has in store for us. 💡

🚀 Did you know that Hong Kong’s startup ecosystem has grown by 34% since 2019, now hosting over 4000 startups! In our latest article, we explore the city's unique position as a global hub, bridging cultures and driving collaboration. We also examine how this dynamic ecosystem is evolving and what opportunities lie ahead. In 2025, we have an exciting opportunity for #Swissstartups at JumpstarterHK organized by Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, one of Asia's largest startup events! Five startups selected by Swissnex in China will be able to showcase their innovations at a dedicated Swiss booth in the DACH Pavilion. They will have the chance to connect with top industry leaders and compete on a global stage. Don't miss the opportunity to leverage Hong Kong’s strategic location as a gateway to Mainland China and the broader Southeast Asian region. 📖 Read the full article by Alfonso Ballesteros: https://lnkd.in/eHj2shec 🔗 Learn more about JumpstarterHK 2025: https://lnkd.in/evWdKpre

We are thrilled about this new partnership between Movetia – Austausch und Mobilität and Swissnex to foster global mobility opportunities for Swiss educational institutions outside of Europe. As part of this collaboration, Swissnex in China will host a webinar exploring two key trends shaping China’s future: 1️⃣ China’s Path to Industrial Leadership: VPET and Industry 4.0/5.0. How does China and its compagnies integrate both a thriving VPET scene and two industrial transformations into its outlook? What are its challenges and opportunities? Swissnex in China will provide key insights and explore opportunities for mobility partnership and projects on the ground. 2️⃣ Levelling Up Shopping: Gamification in China’s E-Commerce Market. What game elements have been successful? What challenges exist that prevent its implementation in the West? Based in the commercial hub of Shanghai, Swissnex in China is well-positioned to highlight its obstacles and opportunities, as well as explore potential partnerships and mobility projects. 📌 Join us online 🗓️ March 6, 2025 ⏰ 5:00 PM (China time) | 10:00 AM (Swiss time) 👉 Learn more and register here: https://lnkd.in/eMcq7NeU 👉 About the Movetia and Swissnex partnership: https://lnkd.in/eKdWkCNh

🚀✨ A Stellar Goodbye and 再见,探索之旅  to COSMOS Archaeology Swissnex in China marked the closing of COSMOS Archaeology with an unforgettable moment. We had the pleasure to host Swiss Astronaut Claude Nicollier together with the Chinese Taikonaut Haipeng JING for a deeply personal discussion about their voyages to space. Both have been on four missions, Mr Jing as recently as in 2023 . This exchange was followed by an interdisciplinary roundtable that brought together astronauts, scientists, artists, curators and writers to explore the intersections between space exploration and sustainability. The discussions reminded us of the sheer power of humanity’s spirit for pioneering exploration in outer space and the collective creativity available here on Earth. 🌍🌌 Enabling such international and cross sector encounters is one of the the reasons I love my job! The COSMOS Archaeology exhibition in Shanghai was the result of Swissnex in China’s 18-month collaboration with scientists, artists, and museologists at EPFL, EPFL Pavilions, Tsinghua University, the awesome Shanghai Astronomy Museum, shanghai astronomical observatory cas, Chinese Academy of Sciences, CSTEC, Yuanzhen Culture and Presence Switzerland. The good news is that the collaboration does not end here! EPFL and Tsinghua University signed an agreement to collaborate on the MUST telescope in July (https://lnkd.in/gEZYBccc) and COSMOS is scheduled to tour to other cities in China, bringing this unique Sino-Swiss collaboration, with its scientific emotions and inspiration, to a even broader audience.✨✨ Thanks to everybody who made this possible: Sarah Kenderdine, Jean-Paul Kneib, Emma Tolley, Carrard Marie, Iris X Long, Cissy Yiwen SUN, Pascal Bettex, AIJING CAO, Chenchen Liu, Camille Burki, Langyuan Ma, Yitao Li and many more.

🎉 Welcome Moyi Li to the Swissnex in China team as our new Junior Project Manager! Moyi is joining the innovation team, where she will conduct research and innovation scouting, collaborate closely with our Swiss mandate partners, and contribute to identifying trends and key players in various science and technology fields. In this role, she will also play a part in preparing reports for our partners and stakeholders. She holds a master’s degree in Informatics from the University of Zurich, where she delved into human factors in computing and engaged in projects focusing on human-computer interaction and social computing. Prior to that, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Information Systems in China. Outside of work, Moyi enjoys cooking, hiking, and watching competitive sports games.

📢 OPEN CALL: Showcase Your Swiss Innovation at JumpstarterHK 2025 🚀 Start in Hong Kong, scale across Asia with Swissnex in China. Join the Swiss startup booth at JumpstarterHK on 26-27 March, 2025 and fast track your journey into Hong Kong. Be part of the DACH Pavilion with a dedicated Swiss booth and take part in the Global Pitch Competition. JumpstarterHK is one of Asia's premier startup events, offering an excellent platform to showcase ideas, connect with industry leaders, and gain valuable exposure. Organized by the Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, it is essential for startups aiming to impact the global innovation landscape. In 2025, Swissnex in China, along with the German Accelerator and ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA, will launch the DACH Pavilion at JumpstarterHK. A Swiss booth within the DACH Pavilion provides Swiss startups the chance to present their innovative solutions to a global audience. The initiative aims to position Switzerland as an innovation powerhouse and support #Swissstartups in the Asian market. 💼 Program Highlights: 🛫 Pre-Travel Support: Receive targeted guidance, answers to your questions, and key market insights to help you define your goals and prepare effectively for the journey 🇨🇭 A Swiss booth within the DACH Pavilion, providing space to showcase your startup 🌎 A spot for the Jumpstarter for One Earth Global Pitch Competition 🎤 A pitching opportunity at the DACH Pitch Night with the German Accelerator, Start2 and ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA 🏆 The opportunity to be ranked among the Top 100 and Top 30 Startups selection (one Swiss startup will be selected for top 30) 👥 A DACH event hosted by JumpstarterHK where startups can meet relevant investors (such as family offices etc.) 📅  Deadline for applications: January 31, 2025 (only 5 spots available!) Get more information: https://lnkd.in/esyXEHqF For more details to apply, please contact our startup manager Tia Hu (tingye.hu@swissnex.org)

How should we govern and regulate future AI technologies and their applications? What role can international organizations in Geneva play in this regard? These were some of the questions we explored during the two-day visit of Ambassador Benedikt Wechsler and Ambassador Thomas Schneider to Shanghai. Continuing our Tech&Ethics theme, we embarked on in-depth discussions with representatives, including Prof. Johannes Majer, from academic institutions ShanghaiTech University and the University of Science and Technology of China. Additionally, we visited leading Chinese tech companies and startups, including SenseTime 商汤科技 and MiniMax. We've curated a closed-door discussion with a diverse group of international and interdisciplinary experts including Stephane Monsallier, CEO & Founder of System in Motion and a renowned AI expert; Ning Qiao, CEO of SynSense, an ETH Zürich alumnus and a pioneering researcher in Neuromorphic Computing; Yuanhui Tiger Liu, Executive Director of the Ecosystem for the Large-scale Device Business Group at SenseTime 商汤科技; Xingjun Ma, Associate Professor of Computer Science at Shanghai’s Fudan University; Ms. Mengyue Wu, Associate Professor at the Computer Science and Engineering Department at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

How can a Swiss startup effectively navigate the complex and seemingly unapproachable MedTech market in the Greater China region? This was the challenge that flowbone SA aimed to tackle. To find a way forward, flowbone participated in the market validation camp in the Greater Bay Area as part of the Startup Camp, powered by Innosuisse and managed by Swissnex. This camp helped them learn about the regulatory environment, explore partnership opportunities, and develop a strategic roadmap for the next steps. The camp facilitated valuable discussions with a diverse range of stakeholders, providing multifaceted insights into the regulatory landscape and market dynamics. The startup also had the opportunity to participate in the Future Hospitals vol. 3 a Swiss-Hong Kong Dialogue on Pioneering Surgical Technologies. Through targeted meetings, flowbone explored complementary ecosystems leveraging Hong Kong's international reputation and fast-track opportunities while tapping into the vast market of Guangzhou, where there is significant potential for innovation validation. By piecing these insights together, flowbone received crucial feedback on the feasibility of their products within the Chinese medical system and gained a deeper understanding of how to fully capitalize on the region's unique advantages. Learn more about the Startup Camp, powered by Innosuisse and managed by Swissnex: https://lnkd.in/gQbVMNcH Our next camps are open for registrations! For more details to apply, please contact our startup manager Tia Hu (tingye.hu@swissnex.org) 📅 Deadline application: December 31, 2024 Régis Gauderon #SwissStartupsGoGlobal #InnosuisseCamps #SwissStartups #Swissinnovation