EPFL Innovation Park

EPFL Innovation Park
Name	EPFL Innovation Park
Established	1991
Type	Science and technology park
Location	Ecublens, Lausanne, Switzerland
Parent	École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne

EPFL Innovation Park EPFL Innovation Park is a technology park associated with the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne that hosts startups, spin-offs, and established companies. Founded to bridge École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne research with industry, it sits near academic laboratories and corporate campuses to foster collaboration among institutions such as Nestlé, Rolex, Philips, IBM, and Intel. The park promotes technology transfer, entrepreneurship, and incubation linked to Swiss research networks including Swiss National Science Foundation, Innosuisse, and European frameworks like Horizon 2020.

History

The park was created in 1991 to commercialize innovations from École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne and regional institutes including University of Lausanne and CHUV. Early collaborators included companies such as Logitech, Nagra, Alstom, Sandoz, and Roche, with later ties to Novartis, GE Healthcare, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, and ABB. Key milestones involved partnerships with organizations such as Fondation Genève and programs like European Research Council grants, while incubation models drew inspiration from Silicon Valley incubators, Cambridge Science Park, and Station F. Over time the park expanded alongside infrastructure projects like the Lausanne Métro extension and transport links to Gare de Lausanne.

Location and Campus

Situated in Ecublens, Vaud near Lausanne, the campus neighbours research hubs including EPFL Innovation Park's academic anchor École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology context, and clinical partner Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois. Proximity to corporations like Swatch Group, Philip Morris International, Richemont, and Syngenta enables collaborations, while accessibility is enhanced via Lausanne railway station, regional roads connecting to Geneva, Bern, and Zurich, and connections to European Organisation for Nuclear Research corridors. The park’s setting places it within the broader Swiss technology corridor that includes Basel, Zürich, Lausanne Canton, and the Lake Geneva economic region.

Facilities and Infrastructure

The site features office space, laboratories, clean rooms, prototyping workshops, and conference facilities modeled after innovation centers like Cambridge Innovation Center and Massachusetts Institute of Technology's industrial liaison offices. Technical amenities include high-performance computing clusters linked to Swiss National Supercomputing Centre resources, telecommunications via providers such as Swisscom, and fabrication equipment comparable to Fab Lab networks and CERN testbeds. Support services incorporate legal advice referencing World Intellectual Property Organization standards, accounting linked to PricewaterhouseCoopers practices, and mentoring from incubators inspired by Y Combinator and Techstars.

Research and Innovation Activities

Research at the park spans fields connected to laboratories at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne such as materials science, microengineering, biotechnology, information technology, and robotics. Projects often cite collaborations with entities like Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Paul Scherrer Institute, IDIAP Research Institute, EPFL Center for Artificial Intelligence initiatives, and consortia funded by European Research Council awards and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Innovation clusters focus on precision medicine involving Novartis ties, renewable energy partnerships echoing Shell and ABB research, and digital health projects linked to Roche Diagnostics, Medtronic, and Siemens Healthineers.

Startups and Companies

The park hosts a mix of startups, scale-ups, and multinational R&D units, including spin-offs from École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne such as ventures echoing successful examples like MindMaze, Doodle (software), BestMile, Spoon, and Gamaya. Other resident firms resemble profiles of SenseFly, Nexthink, ID Quantique, CERN spin-off companies, and technology subsidiaries of Swatch or Nestlé Health Science. Acceleration programs draw mentors from founders with backgrounds at Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, and finance partners including Credit Suisse, UBS, Andreessen Horowitz, and Index Ventures.

Partnerships and Funding

Funding and partnerships come from regional investors, venture capital firms, corporate R&D, and public agencies such as State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, Innosuisse, and European Investment Bank schemes. Collaboration frameworks have involved UNESCO initiatives, bilateral projects with ETH Zurich, joint programs with Lausanne University Hospital, and corporate partnerships with Nestlé Open Innovation, Swisscom Labs, and Rolex philanthropic initiatives. Investors and accelerators involved include Sequoia Capital, Balderton Capital, Redalpine, Swiss Venture Club, and family offices in Geneva and Zurich.

Impact and Recognition

The park has contributed to regional competitiveness reflected in rankings where Swiss innovation ecosystems join Global Innovation Index lists and OECD studies, and has produced notable exits and IPOs akin to those of Logitech and Nexthink. Recognition includes awards and mentions in reports by World Economic Forum, European Commission, Swiss Innovation Forum, and regional economic development agencies. The cumulative impact spans job creation influencing cantonal statistics in Vaud, technology transfer measurable through Swiss National Science Foundation indicators, and contributions to clusters comparable to Basel Life Sciences Cluster and Zürich ICT Cluster.

Category:Science parks in Switzerland