Sandbox

Important objectives of the "Innovation Sandbox for Artificial Intelligence" are the development of regulatory expertise, the promotion of AI innovation, the strengthening of knowledge transfer and the generation of impetus for future AI regulation. The sandbox serves as a new type of environment for testing and developing AI technologies.

Between 2022 and 2024, the project team successfully implemented five projects in the areas of smart parking, autonomous systems, automated infrastructure maintenance, machine translation and AI in education. The sandbox has had a positive impact on the AI ecosystem during this period. One of its key elements is interdisciplinary cooperation between partners from administration, business, science and politics.

All players in the AI location should benefit from the knowledge gained and use it for their own AI activities. Based on the positive results and experiences, new sandbox projects will be carried out in a second implementation phase between 2024 and 2026.

Enormous Potential

Artificial intelligence (AI) is on the rise and has enormous potential. However, there are still many unanswered questions - also with regard to regulation. The canton of Zurich has been promoting the practical application of AI for a long time. The "Innovation Sandbox" was introduced in spring 2022. It serves as a learning environment - almost like a laboratory - in which companies, organizations and administrations implement AI projects and develop expertise in the field of AI use. This has already resulted in several guidelines on legal aspects and recommendations for the technical implementation of AI applications.

Different Approaches

Similar sandbox projects are also running in other countries, sometimes with different approaches. For this reason, the Canton of Zurich's Economic Development Agency, together with the European AI network CLAIRE, organized the "AI Sandbox Summit" for the first time and invited experts from six European countries: Germany, Belgium, Norway, the UK, France and Spain. The aim was to network, exchange ideas and learn from the experiences of others.

What topics do the projects focus on? What are the conditions of participation for the organizations? In what form are the results presented? First, the sandbox experts shared success factors and cross-national insights. In the second part of the event, the participants developed approaches on how to increase the added value for administration, research and business.

Utilizing Insights

For Raphael von Thiessen from the Location Promotion Canton of Zurich and project leader of the "Innovation-Sandbox," the event at the FFHS Campus Zurich was a resounding success. He stated, "The participants greatly benefited from the exchange and experiences in other countries, identifying areas for improvement in their own projects." Additionally, the possibility of cross-border collaboration was discussed, such as creating a central project database with insights from all European sandbox case studies. The findings from the workshop will soon be published on the cantonal location promotion website and on the website of the European AI network CLAIRE. In the canton of Zurich, the impressions gathered are to be incorporated into the second phase of the "Innovation Sandbox".
Author: Office for Economy - Canton of Zurich

Further Information:

Location Promotion Canton Zurich

European AI Network CLAIRE

The SVSM Awards are presented by the «Schweizerische Vereinigung für Standortmanagement (SVSM)» for targeted, effective and innovative projects in the fields of location marketing, location development and business promotion. The SVSM Awards are aimed at both small and large projects - from local to national - and aim to showcase the diversity and quality, as well as the innovative power, of projects from across the country. They are thus not only a reward but also an incentive for players in location management and business promotion; and have been since 2007.

For this year's awards, 12 applications were received from all over Switzerland - from Basel to Uri to Bad Ragaz. A jury evaluated them against established criteria and nominated the following five projects for the 2023 Awards:

• Innovation Sandbox for Artificial Intelligence - submitted by «Standortförderung Kanton Zürich»
• Project new building «Square» - submitted by HSG Foundation
• Light and water world - submitted by Light Ragaz AG
• IT system «Echt regional» - submitted by «Standortförderung Zürioberland»
• Project intercantonal daycare subsidies - submitted by «WirtschaftsPortalOst»

However, the nomination does not mean that the applicants are guaranteed an award: in mid-September, all nominees will have the opportunity to present their projects to the jury, which will then select the award winners. The jury is composed of the following experts: Katharina Hopp, Jury President and Board Member SVSM; Ambassador Dr. Eric Jakob, Head of the Directorate for Location Promotion SECO; Pascal Jenny, President Arosa Tourism; Karin Jung, Head of Office for Economy and Labor Canton St.Gallen; Prof. Dr. Markus Schmidiger, Head of Competence Center Real Estate Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts; Sonja Wollkopf-Walt, CEO Greater Zurich Area.

The awards will be presented on Thursday, November 16, 2023, as part of the hybrid symposium «SVSM Dialog Wirtschaftsförderung» at the Capitol cinema in Olten. On this occasion, a deserving personality will also be honored as Site Manager of the Year.

«Schweizerische Vereinigung für Standortmanagement SVSM»

The SVSM is the umbrella organization of location and business development agencies in Switzerland. As such, it sees itself as a practice-oriented and independent point of contact for questions relating to location management and business development. The SVSM has around 80 members from the fields of location promotion, regional marketing, business development and real estate. The association promotes interdisciplinary exchange of experience and networking, and advocates professionalism in site management. With the event series «SVSM Dialog», SVSM organizes a semi-annual hybrid symposium with a changing focus on location management or business development. Since 2007, the organization has presented the SVSM Awards for innovative projects in the areas of location and business development and selects a deserving individual as Location Manager of the Year.

The meeting was opened by André Ingold, Mayor of Dübendorf and President of the association FRZ Flughafenregion Zürich - Wirtschaftsnetzwerk & Standortentwicklung. In his introductory remarks, he emphasized the special importance of Dübendorf as a traditional aviation location and dynamic future-oriented community in the canton of Zurich. With a view to current development projects - from new educational infrastructures to the large-scale innovation park project and mobility solutions - he pointed out the responsibility, but also the opportunities for the entire region. Ingold thanked the city of Dübendorf and the partners Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich, Zürcher Kantonalbank, Tom's Original and VBG for their support.

Greetings from the Zurich Department of Economic Affairs

Fabian Streiff, Head of the Office of Economic Affairs, conveyed the greetings of the Canton of Zurich and presented key findings from the cantonal location analysis. He spoke about demographic changes, increasing regulatory density and new geopolitical challenges. He particularly emphasized the high dependency of the Zurich economy on the EU region, both in terms of exports and the recruitment of skilled workers. Despite global uncertainties, the Zurich economy is proving robust. Streiff cited making working life more flexible, promoting innovation and securing bilateral relations with the EU in the long term as key areas of action. He concluded his pointed greeting with the quote "It is not our job to predict the future, but to be well prepared for it".

Visionary outlook at the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich

In his keynote speech, Peter E. Bodmer, President of the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich Foundation Board, gave an inspiring insight into the emerging ecosystem for research, development and innovation on the historic airfield site in Dübendorf. Under the motto "The future is created here", he explained the role of the park as a bridge between science and business. The focus is on technologies such as robotics, space travel, artificial intelligence and sustainable mobility. The Switzerland Innovation Park is set to grow in stages and create up to 10,000 new jobs. Bodmer emphasized the importance of interdisciplinarity, the benefits for SMEs and the central role of start-ups. The establishment of Starlab Space is regarded as a milestone, particularly with regard to applications of space technology in biotechnology.

Review of a successful association year 2024

In the subsequent report, Rahel Kindermann Leuthard looked back on a stable, professionally managed and strong financial year 2024. The association held over 50 events with a total of 5,570 participants, including the 10th Real Estate Summit and the 24th Economic Forum, which closed with record attendance. Member satisfaction was 93 percent and 86 percent would actively recommend the FRZ to others. The number of members rose further to over 850 companies and institutions.

At the same time, the organization was raised to a new operational level. A comprehensive fitness check in collaboration with the Swiss Safety Center led to optimized processes, reduced risks and increased resilience. The relaunch of the corporate design, a new website and the expansion of marketing partnerships underlined the progress made in terms of content and communication. The 2024 annual financial statements show a profit of CHF 4,678 on sales of CHF 2.72 million. With the FRZ Excellence Award, the association honored special social commitment for the first time in 2024. The award winner was Hannes Schmid, founder of the Smiling Gecko Foundation.

Strategies and priorities for 2025

Rahel Kindermann Leuthard announced the annual theme "High Performance" for the current year. This will be reflected in new formats, targeted leadership development and impulses from top-class sport. The newly created Sustainability Advisory Board will support companies and municipalities in the implementation of specific sustainability projects. The digital sustainability navigator will be launched in summer 2025 as a new platform that makes sustainable initiatives in the region visible. Other highlights in 2025 include the 11th Real Estate Summit in June, the 25th Business Forum in November and new formats such as a mentoring offer and a digital marketplace for member services.

Business unanimously approved

The ordinary agenda items of the Annual General Meeting went smoothly. The minutes of last year's meeting, the annual report and the annual financial statements were all approved unanimously. The actions of the Board of Directors were approved and OBT AG was confirmed as auditor. The 2025 budget with a planned profit of CHF 1,160 was acknowledged. The members approved an increase in membership fees from 2026 by a large majority. Personnel changes in the team were also presented at the meeting, including the new deputy manager Halime Memishi. 

Skills shortage and pension provision as a strategic issue

Another item on the program was the presentation by Pascal Jacqmin, Team Leader Occupational Pension Plans at Zürcher Kantonalbank. He showed how companies can score points in the competition for skilled workers with attractive pension solutions. Today, occupational pension provision is much more than a legal obligation - it is a strategic instrument for positioning the company as an employer.

An entertaining conclusion

Finally, comedian Fabian Unteregger brought fresh energy to the hall with his humorous performance and ensured an entertaining finale. President André Ingold closed the Annual General Meeting with heartfelt thanks to everyone involved, in particular the team, the city of Dübendorf, the hosts of the Innovation Park and the event and annual partners. The subsequent stand-up lunch provided an opportunity for informal exchanges and in-depth discussions between members and guests.

(CONNECT) The Riedmatt Center Rümlang welcomes two internationally active companies as new tenants. memox, a provider of meeting and event rooms active in Germany and Switzerland, is moving into the separate top floor high above the center, UCW AG, the operator of the Riedmatt Center Rümlang, announced in a press release. The Monkey Town chain, which is represented in the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland, is setting up an indoor playground in the center on over 1600 square meters.

"With memox and Monkey Town, we are gaining two more tenants that are among the leading providers in their segment," Dieter Bosshard, CEO of Riedmatt Center Rümlang, is quoted as saying in the press release. "We are thus expanding our offer for companies in the area of events and team building as well as for the little ones." According to the press release, the center has already successfully established itself in the region. The number of visitors during the last Christmas and sports vacations increased by 7 percent compared to the previous year.

For memox, the approximately 1000 square meter new location at Zurich Airport West is the company's largest location. With the Riedmatt Center Rümlang, Monkey Town has found "the ideal second location in Switzerland after Horgen", explains Eleni Gossen, Country Director Austria & Switzerland at Monkey Town, in the press release. "The center is already well-known and popular with families in the region." ce/hs

The population forecasts paint a picture of growth. The number of people living in the canton of Zurich will increase by around a fifth by 2030, according to estimates by the Canton of Zurich's Statistical Office. The number of school leavers will increase accordingly. The associated increase in young people who need an apprenticeship poses challenges for the economy, politics and education.

Companies that want to train young people are needed to provide a sufficient number of apprenticeships. This requires a great deal of commitment and a willingness to give the skilled workers of tomorrow a chance. We are already well on the way. In the canton of Zurich, 4 out of 5 young people do an apprenticeship. And around 14,000 training companies offer apprenticeships. This makes vocational education and training a cornerstone of Zurich, Switzerland's largest business location - and it should remain so in the future.

The Secondary School and Vocational Training Office (MBA) is committed to ensuring that the willingness of training companies to provide training remains high and, above all, that new training companies can be recruited. This is precisely where the MBA comes in with the "Future Zurich" project.

The aim of Zukunft Zürich is to attract new companies to the training program and to support existing companies so that they can guide apprentices to a successful apprenticeship qualification.

In order to be prepared for future challenges, the Department for Economic Affairs wants to further strengthen the attractiveness of Zurich as a business location. A year ago, the first «Fokus Standort» was launched as a successful series of events focusing on the future of Zurich as a business location. At yesterday's «Fokus Standort» event, around 150 people from the worlds of politics, business, science and administration once again discussed future trends that will have a significant impact on the economy and the quality of the Canton of Zurich's location in the medium and long term.

The topics of discussion were based, among other things, on the results of the «Trend Analysis for the Canton of Zurich as a Business Location», which the research and consulting company Infras compiled on behalf of the Department for Economic Affairs on the basis of a survey of experts. Selected trends - as of August 2024 - were classified as particularly relevant for the canton of Zurich: advancing digitalization, especially with AI applications; continuing population growth and ageing, which also affects the labour market; increasing regulatory density and the associated rise in administrative costs; and Switzerland's uncertain relationship with the EU. The experts surveyed in the study assessed the significance of each trend and outlined the consequences and options for action.

Strong impetus for sustainable location development

The «Fokus Standort» used this overview to shed more light on the topics of skilled workers, technology, regulation and mobility in four workshops. One of the questions was, for example, which processes can be used to relieve the burden on companies and promote competitiveness despite increasing regulatory density and administrative effort. They discussed how the use of AI can be improved in everyday working and studying life and how digital skills can be specifically promoted in schools and training. Another topic was what companies are doing to empower their employees and how SMEs can keep up with large companies in this respect. Another question was how organizations and companies can reduce the distances travelled each day or implement the switch to sustainable mobility.

Possible solutions were developed in the workshops and measures were formulated and concretized. The findings are now being further processed in working groups.

Government Councillor Carmen Walker Späh then introduced the final part of the event with her presentation: The discussion on demographic trends and their impact on labor shortages. The problem: more and more people are retiring, but fewer and fewer young people are taking over. Immigration alone cannot remedy this imbalance. Walker Späh therefore opened the dialog on possible solutions: «A better work-life balance must lead to more people working longer hours,» she said. Productivity must also be increased through innovation and technological progress. After all, says Walker Späh, «we won't be able to avoid working longer. Nobody wants to hear that. But it's a fact.»

A concluding panel discussion with Milan Prenosil, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Confiserie Sprüngli AG, Veronica Weisser, Head UBS Pension Innovation Hub, Amalia Zurkirchen, Managing Director of Kaufmännischer Verband Zürich, and Manuel Buchmann, Project Manager "Demografik" and author, took up the appeal of the Government Councillor and addressed the issue of labor shortages due to demographic change. The labor market gap will widen further in the coming years and pose challenges for the Zurich economy. The panel participants discussed the solutions proposed by Government Councillor Walker Späh and discussed other possible measures to counteract the shortage of workers and ensure future economic growth.

Links

• «Fokus Standort»
• Division of Business and Economic Delevopement
• Study "Trend analysis for the canton of Zurich"

Now in its second edition, the RiseUp Summit is dedicated to fostering a vibrant, equitable landscape for female entrepreneurs, with a focus on sustainable growth and purpose-driven innovation. More than 50 expert speakers took the stage to share their insights, sparking meaningful discussions and new collaborations to drive the future of entrepreneurship.

"Diversity isn't just a buzzword at RiseUp — it's the foundation of our vision for a better entrepreneurial ecosystem," said the event organizers. "We're committed to empowering female founders and ensuring their voices lead the way in shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future."

Celebrating Female Leadership and Diversity

The summit featured 25 engaging sessions that delved into crucial topics such as breaking down barriers for women in business, advancing diversity in leadership roles, and scaling startups sustainably. A highlight of the day was the pitch competition, where female entrepreneurs took center stage, presenting innovative, high-impact businesses that are tackling pressing global challenges.

The keynotes resonated with attendees by focusing on how diversity can drive stronger, more adaptable businesses and how female leaders can champion sustainability while building resilient companies. Participants left with actionable insights, powerful connections, and the confidence to push their ventures forward.

"The RiseUp Summit is a testament to the growing influence of women in entrepreneurship. It’s not just about networking; it’s about forging partnerships that fuel long-term change," said one attendee.

A Movement for the Future

As the RiseUp Summit continues to grow, so does its impact on the startup ecosystem. The event is more than just a gathering — it’s a movement dedicated to building a future where diverse voices and female leaders shape the way forward for sustainable, purpose-driven entrepreneurship.

For more information, visit: riseupsummit.ch

Press Contact:

Vanessa Mohrig & Marcela Durand

Female Founders Initiative Switzerland
Email: info@female-founders.ch

The playbook for sustainable innovation!

In today's dynamic business world, profit is critical, but at B Lab we believe that success goes beyond the bottom line. We are committed to ensuring that sustainable innovation becomes the norm for current and future business models. Our focus areas include improving existing models, creating SDG-oriented business models, creating an innovation infrastructure for SDG-oriented solutions and promoting innovation for systemic change.

We equip SMEs, member organizations, funding institutions and innovation services with the knowledge and tools they need to integrate sustainability into their business models and innovation processes.

The Sustainable Innovation Playbook offers concise descriptions of methods, tools and best practices for considering the sustainability dimension in every innovation process.

U-blox has secured a record number of automotive projects in 2023, , the global provider of positioning technologies, wireless communication, and services announced in a press release. U-blox anticipates revenue of more than $100 million from 2026 onwards for these project wins with various automotive manufacturers in the Asia-Pacific region.

According to the information provided, upcoming vehicle models from these manufacturers will be equipped with u-blox's highly precise GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) platform F9. This platform features key functions essential for autonomous driving, such as decimeter-level positioning, enabling reliable lane detection and lane keeping. GNSS-based positioning is intended to complement the perceptual capabilities of other sensors, thereby enabling autonomous driving in a growing number of scenarios.

These recent successes, along with other tenders won in 2023, underscore u-blox's leading role in shaping autonomous mobility U-blox expects its GNSS positioning solutions to have a deployment rate of over 32% by 2030, compared to 10% in 2023. "We are proud and encouraged by the value we create with our innovations," said CEO Stephan Zizala. ce/mm

Zurich-based truvami GmbH will be presenting its ambient light-powered smart label at the GITEX tech and start-up trade fair in Dubai from October 14 to 18. According to a press release, this innovative solution uses the Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) and organic photovoltaic technology (OPV) to enable precise indoor and outdoor localization and thus improve logistics and asset tracking applications.

In contrast to conventional labels, which require manual scanning, the smart label from truvami transmits location data and other important information such as temperature and vibration or movement independently to a cloud application via wireless communication, according to the press release. The particularly small smart label uses organic photovoltaic technology developed by the French deep-tech company Dracula Technologies in Valence. OPV cells, which are printed on a thin film, capture ambient light from their immediate surroundings and convert it into energy, making batteries superfluous.

The LoRaWAN-based tracker enables precise localization both indoors and outdoors. The technology developed jointly with the CSEM technology center in Neuchâtel achieves a positioning accuracy of several meters. The CSEM played a key role in improving the capabilities of the Smart Label.

The collaboration between CSEM, Dracula Technologies and truvami underlines the commitment to innovative, sustainable solutions in the tech industry. According to truvami, the smart label represents a significant advance in goods tracking technology. ce/gba