A visit from Swissnex

10-06-2022
Swissnex is the Swiss global network connecting Switzerland and the world in education, research and innovation. In May, a team of delegates from various worldwide locations visited the NCCR Automation at ETH Zurich to learn about its research areas and goals.
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Swissnex delegates learn about the NCCR Automation and have the opportunity to ask questions. Image: Mohammadhossein Mamduhi

The main mission of Swissnex is to support the outreach and active engagement of Swiss partners in the international exchange of knowledge, ideas and talent. Each year, Swissnex delegates return from their outposts from all over the world to Switzerland for a week for meetings, visits, networking and re-connecting with key stake holders in Switzerland.

The theme of their meeting this year were National Centres of Competence in research. Among them, the NCCR Automation, which focuses on societal digitalization - specifically in the strategic domains of energy, mobility and manufacturing.

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Director John Lygeros entangles the "Spaghetti plot" that shows the different research efforts of the NCCR Automation and their interconnections. Image: Mohammadhossein Mamduhi 

The visit started by a short welcome and introduction of the Swissnex delegates and the NCCR Automation Management Team. Benjamin Bollmann, CEO of Swissnex in Boston and New York, kicked off this meeting by presenting the Swissnex network and their main missions. John Lygeros, Director of the NCCR Automation, then introduced the goals and structure of the NCCR Automation.

The  outreach activities in the field of equal opportunities and communication, as well as the future plans for establishing connections with academic and industrial sectors were afterwards presented by Benjamin Sawicki, the Knowledge and Technology Transfer Officer, and Manager Elise Cahard.

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How scientific progress can be translated to the economy and society as a whole: Knowledge and Technology Transfer officer Benjamin Sawicki gives an overview. Image: Mohammadhossein Mamduhi 

The visit concluded in a very interactive fashion with lively discussions ranging from core research topics to the educational activities at the primary school level and diversity matters. This first exchange between the Swissnex network and NCCR Automation is surely not the last one and we hope to see more interactions and joint activities in the coming years, starting with a webinar with Swissnex China in July 2022.