Innovation Zurich Event 2026

In her opening speech, Government Councillor Carmen Walker Späh emphasized: "A lot has happened in five years." With its vibrant start-up ecosystem, Zurich has become a hotspot in the fields of AI, robotics, life sciences and the new space economy.

A particular strength of the Canton of Zurich lies in the close networking of the individual players: new ideas are brought together with the necessary know-how and the appropriate capacities. In his review of the last five years, Markus Müller, Co-Head of Division of Business and Economic Development, also draws conclusions for the coming years: "The start-up landscape is essential for the future of the business location.

According to futurologist Martina Kühne in her keynote speech, every image of the future is like a piece of gymnastics equipment. Anyone who thinks about it can develop ideas for a possible and desirable future. Because Martine Kühne knows: "The future doesn't just happen."

The interviews with Zurich collaboration partners show how important joint action is for the future. The merger of the ETH spin-off Sevensense with ABB illustrates just how effective the combination of capital and ingenuity can be. Today, about 80 percent of the autonomous robots sold by ABB are made by Sevensense. The startup"Prometheus Life Technologies"is developing a technology that uses weightlessness in space to grow organs in 3D. This was made possible by the parabolic flight program at the Innovation Park and through the cooperation and support of the Center for Space and Aviation at the University of Zurich. The start-up Muvon has developed a new method for muscle regeneration using the body's own cells. Cell multiplication must now be automated for commercial use - a challenge that Muvon is tackling together with the ZHAW. If the scaling is successful, a widespread medical problem of muscle weakness could be solved.

The three Zurich start-ups - Sevensense, Muvon and Prometheus Life Technologies - are representative of the canton's innovative strength, says Samuel Mösle, Co-Head of the Division of Business and Economic Development, in the final discussion. For him, these developments are "at the limits of the imaginable future". To help participants envision the future of “Innovation Zurich” more easily, Samuel Mösle offers a glimpse of what’s to come: in the future, the website—supported by artificial intelligence—will be designed to be even more interactive and connected.