swissnexDay: Different Faces of Innovation in Asia

”Innovation“ has recently become a major buzzword. For many years, Switzerland has been among the world›s most innovative countries. Innovation has been a consistently positive symbol for good and especially desired new developments. At times, however, the significance of this term as well as the various facets and forms are fully not grasped.

The swissnexDay’14 is not only devoted to the topic of ”innovation“, but also to its various forms in three Asian countries. Finally, discussion of the ”different faces“ is not only intended to shed light on the different facets of innovation but rather also to gain a differentiated understanding of what innovation implies, using the Asian continent as the centre of focus.

Diversified programme This year marks the fifth time that swissnexDay has been organised. The event will be held on the new campus of the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) in Olten. The FHNW has worked with higher education institutions from Asian countries for many years.

After the opening remarks by Markus Freiburghaus from the FHNW’s School of Business and State Secretary Mauro Dell’Ambrogio, Sebastian Friess, head of SERI›s Innovation Section will give a presentation on the federal government›s innovation policy and explain the importance of the Asian continent within the context of international cooperation in innovation.

Three subsequent thematic sessions will be discussed by the swissnex CEOs in China, India and Singapore. Each will present the various forms of innovation. swissnex Singapore, for instance, will focus on technological innovation (i.e. the development of new products and processes, changes to existing ones, and how they are brought to the market).

An introductory video on entrepreneurship in Singapore will be followed by a presentation by David Deperthes, Vice President of Business Development and Licensing at Debiopharm International SA. swissnex India will handle the thematic session devoted to frugal innovation – a form of innovation that seeks to create high-quality products that are both affordable and durable.

Finally, swissnex China will discuss social innovation. This type of innovation refers to efforts to find solutions to social problems. Social innovation benefits society as a whole. An excerpt from a documentary film on innovation in China, produced by Bern Art School Professor Jürg Neuenschwander, will introduce the topic.

Philipp Egger, CEO of the Gebert Rüf Foundation, and Lennart Bolliger will then discuss lessons learnt from philanthropic developments in China. The morning session will end with a Q&A session.

This will be followed by a standing lunch, which will give participants the opportunity to interact with one another. In the afternoon session, an interactive workshop will give participants the chance to discuss the various topics in greater detail.

Registration Participation in swissnexDay’14 is free of charge, but places are limited. Please register by 26 February at: http://swissnexday14.eventbrite.com.

swissnex is part of the Swiss ERI Network, which, in addition to the six swissnex consular annexes, also includes 18 science counsellors. swissnex is a public-private partnership established in international science and innovation centres. It is jointly run by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).

The six swissnex locations in Boston, San Francisco, Singapore, Shanghai, Bangalore and Rio de Janeiro support the internationalisation efforts of Swiss academic institutions and start-up companies with a strong R&D focus. They enable researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers and government officials to interact with one another through a knowledge network.