Five questions for Martin Sturzenegger, Managing Director of the Zurich Innovation Park Foundation

Congratulations on your new position as Managing Director of Innovation Park Zurich. You have extensive experience in business management and digital transformation. How do you see the role of these two factors in the further development of the Innovation Park Zurich and how do you plan to use them?

Thank you, I have already arrived well and the work is fun. We will build a very diverse and heterogeneous community, and the targeted use of digital collaboration tools will certainly be essential in the process. In addition, we want to start telling the future content to the outside world and thus create a positioning - we will ultimately then have to assert ourselves against attractive competitors. All that said, it won't go without top talent to build the park's operations. Here, my experience in leadership and strategic development of companies helps me.

What specific goals and milestones have you set for the Innovation Park Zurich over the next few years to drive its development? 

We need to drive the overall development in coordination of three essential areas: Operations, Area Development (e.g. real estate) and Area Development (e.g. conversion of the airport or transport connections). Here I work closely with Andrea Thöny from IPZ Property AG and Roman Bächtold from the cantonal coordination office. Together, we sketch out a longer-term picture and align ourselves with it. We set ourselves concrete goals in two-year iterations: In this period, I would like to sharpen the vision and positioning in Operations, develop the first formats and start leaving my mark in the markets. In addition, the University of Zurich will move in with the Space Hub in about a year's time, and ETH will also move into two other halls in parallel. So our community is growing significantly and we have to be ready for that then.

As a former director of Zürich Tourism, you have extensive knowledge of destination marketing. How would you like to use this expertise to position the Innovation Park Zurich as an attractive destination for companies and talented professionals?

We are not developing a shopping center or office area here. We are creating an "innovation park" ecosystem that thrives on exchange and cooperation. We have to let this spirit develop here. This is similar to placemaking in a city: In the Viadukt in Zurich-West, for example, a real neighborhood life has emerged. In addition, we must then be able to convey this feeling so that a desire is awakened among decision-makers in companies or universities and ultimately among potential users. The Innovation Park is to become a "destination" that magically attracts people.

What specific measures are you planning to strengthen collaboration between the Innovation Park Zurich, local companies, educational institutions and the population?

Currently, we are looking for an "event programming" person who will deal with exactly such questions. We are planning to introduce a large public event again next year and are also thinking about specific events for the neighboring communities. In addition, we will enable programs that bring something to our community and that build a bridge between science and business - I'm thinking of Innovation Booster from Innosuisse, for example. In addition, however, I also consider regular exchange with stakeholders to be very important. I have already visited all the "neighbors": Municipalities, Military or Empa. In addition, I will participate in a mission with the UZH Space Hub.

The Innovation Park Zurich is already in a solid development phase. How do you intend to ensure that this success continues and that the Innovation Park becomes an international hub for innovation and technology?

This will be - at least I hope - the consequence of the strategies and activities mentioned before. However, the coordination of operations, site development and area development is central. Only if we proceed in a coordinated manner here will we achieve a coherent "Innovation Park Zurich" product. The course for this has been set with the synthesis report "Flight Plan" and the support from politics, science and industry is great.

The interview was conducted by Area Development Airfield Dübendorf.