Lausanne-based start-up routRank recognized by MIT Technology Review’s TR35 listing of the World’s Top under 35 Innovators
Jochen Mundinger, chairman and founder of routeRANK – a EPFL-based start-up that participated in the 2007 Venture Leaders program – was listed among the Top Young Innovators for 2010 by the prestigious MIT Technology review’s TR35 ranking.
Founded in 2007, routeRANK is a global travel search engine that integrates rail, road and air to provide users with the best possible routes according to their priorites, such as price, travel time or CO2 emissions.
Piano Concerto by Luisa Splett
Under the “Inspiration Switzerland” motto, swissnex Boston organized a piano concerto with Luisa Splett, a young Swiss talent, on August 26th. Luisa Splett is a promising soloist and chamber musician with concert experiences in Argentina, Chile, Germany, Hungary, the United States, Russia and Switzerland. She performed her graduation concert at the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and received an “excellent” mark. Luisa performed a combination of contemporary and classical pieces by Emil Frey, Frank Martin, Alexander Skrjabin and Franz Liszt, all composers related to Switzerland.
The audience, friends and partners of swissnex Boston, enjoyed this musical delight and the subsequent Swiss buffet and networking event. The concert also coincided with the arrival of Andreas Rufer, swissnex’s new Deputy Consul, together with his family, as well as the farewell of Emil Wyss, who will take on his new assignment as Deputy Consul General in Toronto in October 2010. The event was a good opportunity for Andreas to make his first contacts among the partners and friends of swissnex Boston.
The ICARE Project visits swissnex Boston
Taking a tour around the world aboard a solar and wind-powered vehicle to meet the local players of the Green Economy, ICARE launch their world traveling project. It is managed by the young Swiss engineer Marc Muller in close collaboration with several industrial and academic partners in Switzerland, among which are the Schools of Business and Engineering Vaud (Yverdon) and Fribourg. On August 16, Marc Muller visited Boston which is the first stage of his American tour that will lead him through the whole continent.
Since he is still dealing with the customs formalities, Marc was unfortunately not able to drive through Massachusetts with his solar car. The swissnex team was delighted anyway to hear more about his project and to connect him to the local key players in cleantech as well as some policy makers of the environment office of the City of Boston.
Follow the ICARE project here.
EPFL professor Marc Gruber 'connects the dots' on entrepreneurship and innovation
In continuing to link Switzerland and New England, swissnex Boston recently held valuable talks with an esteemed Swiss scholar on innovation and entrepreneurship. On August 2nd, we welcomed Marc Gruber, associate professor at the College of Management of Technology at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), to our Cambridge offices. Prof. Marc Gruber, who holds the Chair of Entrepreneurship and Technology Commercialization (ENTC), came to Cambridge to attend the 8th Annual International Open and User Innovation Workshop at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He then proceeded to Montreal for the Academy of Management’s Annual Meeting 2010.
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SACC Boston Chapter at the Harvard Faculty Club
The American Swiss Chamber of Commerce under the leadership of its President, Peter Vogel, bid farewell to Emil Wyss, Deputy Consul of Switzerland at a breakfast gathering on August 13, 2010. Emil Wyss expressed his gratitude for the wonderful support and friendship of the members of SACC Boston. The incoming Deputy Consul, Andreas Rufer (on the photo first person on the left) had the pleasure of meeting this group of friends of swissnex Boston.
Venture Leaders 2010 company raised 1.8 milion CHF in a Series A financing
This June, the CEO of InSphero AG, Dr. Jan Lichtenberg, participated in Venture Leaders, the entrepreneurial bootcamp organized by venturelab and swissnes Boston. Lately, InSphero AG announced it has secured 1.8 million CHF in a Series A financing led by Redalpine Venture Partners.
InSphero AG is a leading supplier of organotypic, biological 3D microtissues for efficacy testing and toxicology of new compounds in drug development. The company’s three-dimensional microtissues closely resemble native tissue (e.g. liver or tumor) in terms of cellular structure and tissue functionality. InSphero’s unique technology allows its customers, for the first time, to implement organotypic microtissues as a replacement for conventional, artificial monolayer cultures while still maintaining the same instruments, processes and assays. By easily upgrading cell-based assays from 2D to 3D, compound developers in pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries can achieve better and earlier insights into mode-of-action, efficacy and safety of new compounds; thereby saving time and money.
InSphero will invest the capital from Redalpine, business angels and the Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) to better serve its global customers. The Company will create a dedicated sales and customer-support team as well as increase its production capacity for InSphero’s unique portfolio of organotypic microtissues.
"Command-control" over R&D to address real problems
Is today’s R&D innovation focus really addressing our present, most pressing concerns? If not, then how should research institutions and governments go about establishing “command control” over the direction of innovation to elicit the most pertinent solutions?
These questions guided a recent seminar at swissnex Boston on July 29 to 30, 2010. Scholars from Europe, Japan and the USA were gathered by Professors Dominique Foray (EPFL), David Mowery (UC Berkeley) and Richard Nelson (Columbia), eventually to generate papers for the journal Research Policy.
Indeed, this is an era of grand challenges, such as climate change, food shortages, water scarcity and global health crises. In order to cope with these challenges and risks, it is not enough to proceed with the old, “mission-oriented” technology policy rationale and design. The customary neutral allocation of R&D subsidies, tax credit, framework conditions and patent policies, therefore, must be revisited.
It was agreed that randomly increasing the rate of innovation would not suffice. Rather, it is necessary to emphasize the domains and sectors where the centrality of R&D is emerging as a solution to structural problems.
Thus, there is the need to accelerate the rate of advancing knowledge and implementing solutions in certain directions. This hinges on increasing some kind of command-control on the direction of innovation. The difficulty, however, is the risk of imposing predefined technologies, freezing or petrifying competition, and finally dissipating the extraordinary power of a free-market economy. The current system, after all, boosts large numbers of experiments in a decentralized way, allowing innovations to occur universally.
Chat with Riley Crane (winner of DARPA Network Challenge 2009) on how to efficiently leverage Social Media to spread information
Finding the latitude and longitude coordinates of 10 red balloons randomly scattered across the United States in less than 9 hours. That’s what Riley Crane and his team from MIT Media Lab achieved to win the DAPRA Network Challenge in December 2009. Their strategy was to build a platform based on a networked incentive using own website and social media (read more).
Riley has been studying the patterns behind collective social behavior at MIT Media Lab after 3 years at ETH Zurich. swissnex Boston thanks him for sharing his recent experiences on leveraging social media.
Tune in and listen up! swissnex Boston hits the airwaves
swissnex Boston enjoyed a fabulous week of media coverage with two pieces relating recent swissnex events aired on the Boston public radio WBUR.
First, Pierre Dorsaz, was interviewed in a preview of the Make Music Harvard Square festival held on June 19th. For the second consecutive year swissnex Boston was a proud sponsor of this event that brings to Harvard Square the spirit of the “Fete de la Musique”. It was a unique occasion swissnex to support a cultural activity that showcases the creativity and diversity of Switzerland. Listen Now.
The Inter-consular Soccer Tournament organized by swissnex Boston and the Consulate General of France was also in the spotlight thanks to the show “Only a Game” (NPR) that reported the victory of the British Consulate General with a lot of humor. Listen to the comments of the players and the reporter now.
Please have a look at our blog to read more details about the above events and the rest of our activities.
Benvenuti! Chat with the Italian Consulate
swissnex Boston has always promoted the inter-consular dialogue, especially among the young, talented diplomats of the Boston area. To this end, swissnex was delighted to welcome six young delegates from the Consulate General of Italy (Alice Duchini and Fabricia Casu working for the academic affairs, Sofia San Marino and Fabio Motta in charge of communication and Giuseppe Costa from the economic affairs) for an informal breakfast to get a dynamic overview of their activities especially in education, business and communication and to share experise in those fields.
Dress up and bike… to the Bay State Bike Festival!
On May 21 swissnex Boston participated in the Bay State Bike Festival for the second time after launching the “Dress up and Bike to Work” initiative last year. Strengthened with a nutritious Swiss breakfast, the bike convoy peddled to Boston’s City Hall Plaza. There swissnex Boston’s bikers enjoyed promoting Switzerland as a country with many innovative and sustainable means of transportation. The curious cyclists were invited to the opening of the sustainable transportation exhibit opening the same day. Richard Fries puts it in a nutshell by saying “we are working hard to make both Boston and Switzerland great biking communities. |
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Venture Leaders 2010: ‘An incredible experience’
Johannes Reck, GetYourGuide: “Venture Leaders was an incredible experience. I personally learned a lot, particularly in areas where I didn’t expect to...Going back to Switzerland, I will take with me—apart from the new networks I’ve built here in Boston—new insights, frameworks and strategies for doing start-ups.”
This is just what Venture Leaders is about. For ten years, swissnex Boston has partnered with venturelab to bring 20 Swiss entrepreneurs annually to Boston for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
It includes a packed itinerary of visits to high-tech companies, academic courses, skills-training workshops, rare discussions with some of Boston’s best Swiss-based and American entrepreneurs and copious networking opportunities with potential investors. In so doing, Venture Leaders arms these brilliant young men and women with the experience, expertise and tools to take their innovations further. As Nina Geib of Virometix noted: “It was a great opportunity to get our business further: learning new things about the US, business and financing, and all the other tools we need to grow our business.”
As Venture Leaders 2010 drew to a close, ten days of activities ensured that the entrepreneurs developed the skills and knowledge needed to break into new markets, chart the volatile global economy and brand themselves as the top tier of Swiss innovators.
In 2010, swissnex Boston supplied the Venture Leaders with a diverse, enriching and instructive program of activities—especially networking: “That’s actually what I really liked about our time in Boston,” Geib added, “meeting a lot of people who can give valuable input and ask all the right questions.”
Indeed, meeting new people involved more than just pitching: “I particularly liked when we had the opportunity to showcase some of our most urgent problems and to discuss them with the team or get concrete feedback from our coaches,” said Samuel Mueller of Mirasense.
Venture Leaders impress investors at Global Pitchfest
pitch (verb): to approach or court (as a person, company or the public) in hope of a sale, approval or interest; make an appeal to.
...and that’s exactly what the 20 Venture Leaders did at this year’s “Global Pitchfest.”
They had only 60 seconds to “pitch” their ideas or business plans in the hope of acquiring cash, collaboration and contacts—as well as two top prizes decided by the audience. Yet the Venture Leaders matched 19 of their American counterparts to impress an audience of venture capitalists. In the end, Venture Leader Alexandre Alahi’s VisioSafe, an on-demand video surveillance service that is simpler and cheaper than traditional surveillance systems, captured second place. He said: “These past days have been amazing...We had all kinds of advisors. They told us how to enter the US market: what we should do and not do. It definitely helped!” 
The winning innovation, Fenugreen, took home a plane ticket to Switzerland for its patented biodegradable and sustainable technology that extends the shelf-life of produce. Global Pitchfest is itself an innovation of Consul/Director Pascal Marmier. | |
Make Music Harvard Square Festival/Fête de la Musique in Cambridge Vol. 3
A Parisian atmosphere filled the air around Harvard Square on June 19, 2010. More than 150 local bands from every genre performed live in 20 different spots as part of the third edition of the Make Music Harvard Square. The festival is directly inspired by the French street music festival “Fête de la Musique” that celebrates the beginning of the summer. In total, more than 12’000 people stopped and enjoyed the pleasant combination of great weather and music outdoors. After the sunset, listeners gathered in front of the main stage in Winthrop Park for a memorable concert by Lulu Gainsbourg (the son of the French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg), followed by the French DJ Kamal.
swissnex Boston sponsored the event for the second consecutive year. Gabriela Martina, a young and dynamic Swiss singer from Lucerne who just completed her degree at Berklee College of Music, added the Swiss notes to the French festival.
2010 World Cup Kick off: Inter-counsular Soccer Tournament, June 10, 2010
One day before the kick off of real the World Cup in South Africa, the Consulates of the Boston area competed in their own Tournament on the fields of Harvard University. Organized by the French Consulate General and swissnex Boston, the competition gathered teams from the consulates of Great Britain, Israel, Italy, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, France and the Swiss National Startup Team, the Venture Leaders.
After many tight games in difficult weather conditions (a very British mist and light rain), the best team did win. Check the video below to find out who won our local World Cup (just a hint: they have not won the real World Cup since 1966)
Besides the success of the event, we were delighted that the event got such a nice media coverage. Please listen to the NPR radio show “Only a Game” aired on June 19th that reported the event with a lot of humor. LISTEN NOW (link 2) and read the related article.
Venture Leaders 2010 launched among success stories with ties to Switzerland
Networking was never more ardent than on Wednesday, June 9, at the launch of Venture Leaders 2010.
Twenty bright, young entrepreneurs from Switzerland, the “Venture Leaders”, arrived with energy, ideas and minds ready to soak up more than just the legendary Boston spring during their 10-day program. In seeking to woo Boston-area venture capitalists with their ideas and solicit the ever-elusive nod of approval, swissnex Boston gave them the opportunity to build relationships with counterparts in the Boston area. The Venture Leaders were able to consult with countrymen who had successfully navigated the uncertainties and difficulties of setting up innovative start-ups in the valuable American market. Among successful entrepreneurs with ties to Switzerland like Jost Allmeling of Plexim, Andreas Goeldi of Buzzient and Hadi Barkat of RedCut, the Venture Leaders got personal stories on the start-up experience, feedback on refining their presentations and advice on charting their trajectory in the volatile markets of competitive fields like medtech, biotech, nanotech, software and IT. As the first of many such sessions during their stay in Boston, this networking opportunity was a fitting start to an intense and hopefully profitable 10-day experience.As the first of many such sessions during their stay in Boston, this networking opportunity was a fitting start to an intense and hopefully profitable 10-day experience. 
Social Media and Nation Branding:
The Increasing Role of New Communication Channels in Public Diplomacy May 25th, 2010
Nation branding is a big undertaking, yet nowadays it requires little more than a cellphone.
At a breakfast panel discussion on May 25 called “Social Media and Nation Branding,” this new channel of public diplomacy was revealed as the fastest, cheapest and simplest.
According to John Della Volpe, Managing Partner at SocialSphere and Director of Polling at the Harvard Kennedy School, “a well-thought-out, authentic social media strategy can rebrand a country...much quicker and at a fraction of the cost that a traditional campaign could.”
Yet, as community builder and social media strategist Jim Storer explained, governments often go for “quick wins.” Thus, countries new to social media should focus on a specific-use case approach, such as the hosting of an international event.
Indeed, if they stick to old-fashioned media, governments will lose out, said Miriam Meckel, Berkman Fellow (Harvard) and Managing Director of the Institute for Media and Communication Management (St. Gallen)
“If you don’t get involved you will lose influence, and if you are into social media you will gain influence by giving away control to the people on those social networks,” she said.
The discussion was moderated by social media journalist and content specialist Jeff Cutler, and Director of the Public Diplomacy Collaborative at Harvard Kennedy School, Jed Willard.
Swiss transport style to ‘integrate’ Greater Boston area?
Can a railway timetable be an “integrating force” for an entire country? In Switzerland it can.
Culminating our contribution to this year’s Cambridge Science Festival—including the fun “Kids on Wheels” and “Bike to Work” events—swissnex Boston hosted a panel discussion on “Sustainable Transportation: A Challenge for the 21st Century.” The May 21 event enlightened US stakeholders on the exemplary Swiss model as improvements to the Boston-area transport system are currently being explored.
The discussion featured moderator Fred Salvucci of MIT and panelists Amy Cotter of Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), William Lyons of the US Department of Transportation/Volpe Center, and the man responsible for the above declaration, Eric Cosandey from SMA and Partners (Switzerland).
Mr. Cosandey said Switzerland’s railway timetable actually brings cities “closer” simply by cutting connection times. Compact cities have been established, connected by dense railway networks and multiple transportation modes.
His interest piqued by the Swiss example, Mr. Lyons called for a similarly integrated system in Boston/Cambridge. Ms. Cotter, meanwhile, advocated “polycentric cities” that would better connect the Greater Boston area.
“Sustainable Transportation” was hosted in collaboration with the City of Cambridge with assistance from Think Swiss and Cambridge Public Library. Our special thanks to Cambridge City Councilor Sam Seidel.
Think Swiss video clip on sustainable transportation
PDF of Exhibit Sustainable Transportation: A Challenge for the 21st Century
Sunny Memories Opening, Center for Architecture, New York, May 16, 2010
Sunny Memories, a travelling exhibition from EPFL and ECAL Lab, explors the fusion of solar technology and industrial design. It is on display at the Center for Architecture in New York until June 5, 2010. The exhibit is a joint venture of four international design schools: Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne,California College of the Arts (San Francisco), Royal College of Art (London), Ecole Nationale Superieure de Creation Industrielle(Paris). The students’ projects aim to showcase the integration of photovoltaics in design. They are inspired by the new generation of colored, transparent and flexible solar cells invented at EPFL by Professor Michael Graetzel.
To celebrate the opening of the exhibit in New York, the Centre for Architectur organized a panel discussion on the future of Solar Energy in Design that gathered Nicolas Henchoz (EPFL+ECAL Lab), Yves Behar (CCA), Paul Thompson (RCA) and Anna Dyson (MateriaLAB at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute).
Sunny Memories will be shown at the Laboratory at Harvard (Cambridge, MA) from October 25 to November 5, 2010.
Watch our interview with Nicolas Henchoz (EPFL+ECAL Lab) outlining the concept of the exhibition.
Wellesley College Alumnae of Boston (WCAB)
The spring gathering of the WCAB took place on Sunday, May 23 in the offices of the Swiss Consulate. The WCAB, founded in 1891, is the largest of the approximately 100 Wellesley alumnae clubs worldwide.
Over 50 WCAB members attended the meeting and enjoyed the presentation "Through the Labyrinth: How Women Become Leaders" by Prof. Linda Carli of Wellesley's Department of Psychology.
swissnex Boston hosted its first live webinar
On Wednesday, May 12th, swissnex Boston hosted its first live seminar on the web. In partnership with the program on humanitarian policy and conflict research at the Harvard University, the seminar examined questions and challenges linked to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in humanitarian activities.
Increasingly used by humanitarian professionals in situations of emergency, armed conflicts and disasters, ICT has emerged as a component of effective and sustainable delivery of humanitarian relief. Yet ICT remains relatively under-theorized and utilized differently across contexts. Against the background of the increased use of ICT in humanitarian activities, the Live Seminar addressed the following questions:
· How have technological innovations shaped the roles and responsibilities of humanitarian professionals?
· In what ways has ICT affected the selection, collection, and dissemination of conflict-related information?
· What metrics are available to discern the scope and significance of ICT?s effects on coordinating humanitarian aid delivery?
· How has ICT transformed institutions providing humanitarian relief?
These questions were examined through critical inquiry into recent innovations in ICT, their application, and their (potential) consequences for humanitarian professionals. The experts were Sanjana Hattotuwa (ICT4Peace Foundation), Salem Avan (United Nations), Olivier J. Cottray (iMMAP), Mark Dalton (ReliefWeb), Mike Hartnett (Global Relief Technologies, Inc.), Patrick Meier (Harvard Humanitarian Initiative).
Please find here the link to the recorded version of the webinar:
swissnex Boston at the EF Language School International Day
On Friday, May 7, Swiss students, currently studying at the EF Language School in Brighton, participated at the International Day, a platform provided by the school for the students to represent their countries. The Swiss put a lot of effort in providing a Swiss ambience and explaining Switzerland’s diversity to other students, teachers and visitors. swissnex Boston supported their activities with Swiss flags, brochures, Lindt chocolate and Swiss cookies.
Kids on Wheels shows the joys of biking
The gods were smiling on May 1 as warm sunshine graced Cambridge for swissnex Boston’s first Kids on Wheels event. The children were smiling, too—under their helmets! They rode onto Ellery Street on bicycles and scooters for an afternoon of races, prizes and chocolate-covered fruit.
The race course was overseen by parents, volunteers and the swissnex team. The kids peddled, scooted and even “limboed” through obstacles towards the finish line. They also took turns preparing fruit smoothies with a bicycle-powered blender!
As part of its wider efforts at introducing Swiss-style transportation to the Boston area, Kids on Wheels showed the young ones the joys and benefits of biking as an alternative to fuel-driven or mass transport. It was hosted in partnership with scooter manufacturer Mirco Mobility Systems and the City of Cambridge represented by the Bicycle Committee, the Police Bike Unit and City Councilors Craig Kelley, Sam Seidel and Ken Reeves.
Giving out the "kids on wheels" raffle prizes, like bikes, scooters, games and bike accessories (lights, helmets, SIGG waterbottles, and reflectors) was only the cherry on top of the cake of swissnex Boston’s contribution to this year’s Cambridge Sc!ence Festival.
A Class on Swiss Politics at Boston College
As part of his class on Post-War European Politics, Jonathan Laurence, Associate Professor of Political Science at Boston College, invited Pascal Marmier and Pierre Dorsaz from swissnex Boston to present the specificity of the Swiss political system. The interactive discussion with the students focused on the issues of European integration, multiculturalism, direct democracy as well as the recent implications of Switzerland in international affairs such as the financial crisis.
Watch our interview with Prof. Jonathan Laurence.
Felicitas Hoppe im Goethe Institut
In der Lesung ‘Der beste Platz der Welt’ erzählte Felicitas Hoppe aus ihrer Zeit im schweizerischen Wallis. Die von Kurt Fendt moderierte Lesung der Autorin fand reges Interesse und das Goethe Institut war bis auf den letzten Platz gefüllt. Zum Abschluss des Abends offerierte das Konsulat-swissnex Boston einen Empfang mit Spezialitäten aus dem Wallis und anderen Teilen der Schweiz.
Bicycle blended smoothies at Cambridge Science Festival
On April 24 thousands of people gathered on the grounds of the Cambridge Public Library for the annual Cambridge Science Festival. Enjoying blissfully balmy Saturday, they were curious to learn about the latest inventions from both innovation companies and innovative students, games and even “liquid nitrogen” ice cream!
swissnex Boston is proud to be a part of the Cambridge Science Festival for the third year. This year’s booth featured scooter rides, free gadgets and smoothies swirled on the spot by a bicycle-powered blender!
Craig Kelley, City Councilor, stepped into the pedals to blend the smoothies. The method was a hit with the kids. They helped prepare the tasty treats as Craig peddled tirelessly all afternoon, ensuring an endless supply of refreshment.
Café des Sciences #29: Prof. Olivier de Weck (MIT)
Café des Sciences #29: Prof. Olivier de Weck (MIT) : L’Ingénierie des systèmes complexes.
Le Café des Sciences de Boston, rendez-vous hebdomadaire de la communauté scientifique francophone, faisait escale à swissnex Boston en avril.
A cette occasion, la parole fut donnée à Olivier de Weck, professeur associé d’astronautique et d’aéronautique et directeur associé de la Division Engineering Systems du MIT.
Ancien élève de l’ETH Zurich, ce professeur d’origine fribourgeoise a évoqué les apports d’une approche scientifique interdisciplinaire récente : l’ingénierie des systèmes complexes.
En partant de son expérience dans le domaine de l’aéronautique, (notamment l’ingénierie des avions de chasse F/A 18), Oliver de Weck a, dans un premier temps, tenté de définir les contours d’un système complexe qui se caractérise notamment par un « un grand nombre d’entités [humaines et technologiques] en interaction locale et simultanée. ». De cette définition, il a exposé les méthodes scientifiques (notamment les travaux du ESD au MIT) mises en place pour étudier ces systèmes artificiels, en se focalisant notamment sur la propagation des changements dans un environnement à haute complexité technologique et sociale
Enfin, dans une seconde partie, le professeur de Weck a présenté les applications concrètes de cette approche scientifique « globale » en s’appuyant sur des études de son département dans des domaines aussi divers que l’évaluation de la conduite des personnes âgées ou la réglementation sur les changements climatiques.
Retrouvez les détails de sa présentation ICI et jetez un œil à la vidéo ci-dessous pour découvrir l’atmosphère du Café des Sciences
Le prochain Café des Sciences se déroulera le 18 mai 2010 au Broad Institute de Cambridge. Plus d’infos sur le calendrier :http://cafesciences.wordpress.com.
TSR journalists (Specimen) inquire into lie detection
Specimen is a new series of documentaries on human behavior produced by the Swiss French public television TSR. The next episode (aired on June 2, 2010) will decode the mysterious question of lying. With this in prospect, Bettina Hofmann, director of the documentary and Luigi Marra, journalist, visited the Boston area to meet with some of the world leading researchers in brain sciences and lie detection, among whom, Nancy Kanwisher from the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT as well as a few experts at Harvard University.
swissnex Boston was delighted to support the journalists in their investigation efforts in the Boston area.
Big Bang 2.0 Switzerland
The universe may be vast, but our understanding of it is getting clearer - especially for those who attended “Big Bang 2.0 in Switzerland.”
On April 16, participants at swissnex Boston heard from Prof. Felicitas Pauss of ETH Zurich’s Institute for Particle Physics. A live videoteleconference connected Boston with the Command Center at CERN’S Large Hadron Collider in Geneva.
This inventive format transported guests straight to the hub of pioneering scientific activity. Excited researchers shared the workings of the most revolutionary particle accelerator on Earth, and hosted a live Q&A with swissnex guests.
Pauss, who is Head of International Relations at CERN, interviewed the CERN researchers.
In her interactive and lively presentation, she presented CERN’s latest findings and underscored its international composition of scientists.
US-Swiss Dialogue on Clean Tech: Green Job Creation
Switzerland Trade and Investment Promotion, swisscleantech, ThinkSwiss and the Embassy of Switzerland organized a three-days long “US-Swiss Clean Tech” event in Washington DC from April 12-14, 2010. Both Switzerland and the US have fast growing and innovative clean tech industries which can benefit and enhance each other. To accelerate growth, know-how, potential partnerships and investment opportunities, the dialogue between the US and Switzerland in clean tech needs to be enhanced.
The program included a Capitol Hill luncheon briefing on “Green Job Creation” with the President of Switzerland, Doris Leuthard, and US officials, a match-making day for US and Swiss clean tech companies as well as a visit to the Philip Merrill Environmental Center.
Nina Ryser from swissnex Boston attended part of the 3-day program. Besides the official program, especially the briefing on Capitol Hill and the many discussions confirmed that Switzerland and the US can learn a lot from each other when it comes to clean tech. Toward the end of this year, swissnex Boston’s events will focus on the shift of the economy towards green thinking and its impact on the workforce needs.
“US-Swiss Dialogue on Clean Tech: Green Job Creation”, April 12-14 2010, Washington DC
swissnex Boston case study in Daylighting
Of swissnex Boston’s many outstanding attributes, one is seen by thousands of people daily: the office space. Conceived by Muriel Waldvogel, the second-floor extension in particular is a striking interplay of glass, angle and natural light.
This office space was a case study for MIT students in a Daylighting course. Under the tutelage of Marilyne Andersen, Associate Professor of Building Technology in the Department of Architecture, they sought to develop integrated solutions for the building’s façades, focusing on glare, overheating and energy requirements.
On Tuesday, April 27, the students exhibited their findings at MIT’s Wolk Gallery, displaying building models, simulations, audio and film. The reception launch was followed by lectures from Prof. Anderson and Davidson Norris, Principal of Carpenter/Norris Consulting, New York.
Prof. Anderson was particularly proud of the students’ work on this swissnex Boston case study given not only their outstanding results, but also as it marks the end of her time in Cambridge before returning to Switzerland.
The exhibition runs until July 30.
Big is back: 2nd Boston Corporate Innovation Forum
What are the new approaches to Innovation in the areas of Design, Material Technologies, and Disruptive Technologies? What is the best way to make your corporate environment innovation-friendly? What can you learn from a start up innovation model?
To prosper under the difficult and always more competitive economic climate, big corporations need to consider the above questions.
The 2nd Boston Corporate Innovation Forum organized by swissnex Boston along with the Swedish and the Swiss American Chambers of Commerce on April 14 aimed to highlight the most recent trends in Innovation both from an Academic and Industrial perspective. The one-day seminar designed for professionals responsible for innovation within big companies gathered professors, managers, consultants and designers around four different topics:
Industrial Design driving Innovation:
Sebastian Fixson, Assistant Professor of Technology and Operations Management, Babson College.See his presentation
Harry West, CEO, Continuum.See his presentation
Organizing for Innovation (Teams, Culture and Process):
Jay Rao, Professor of Technology and Innovation, Babson College.See his presentation
Dan Keldsen, Principal, InformationArchitected.See his presentation
Materials Technologies Enabling Innovations:
Francesco Stellaci, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, MIT.See his presentation
Per Baverstam, President, Baverstam Associates.See his presentation
Disruptive Technologies Driving Innovations:
Howard Anderson, William Porter Distinguished Lecturer, Behavioral Policy Science, MIT Sloan School of Management.See his presentation
Robyn Bolton, Manager, Innosight.See her presentation
For the second part of the seminar, the participants split in three groups and explored more in depth specific methods about how to bring innovation from the idea to its implementation within a big corporate environment.
The three topics of the workshops were:
1) Learning from the small and fast ones. How can large companies adopt startup product development cycles?
Serge Roux, Principal Industrial Designer, Cambridge Consultant Inc.
2) Connecting Invention to Innovation. How to distinguish Technology development from a pure research development or product development approach.
Gerhard Pawelka, CEO/Harald Quintus-Bosz, VP of Engineering/Kim Blair, VP of Business Development, Cooper Perkins, Inc.
Caitlin Toombs, Program Development Associate/Craig McCarthy, Principal, Continumm.
Watch the video of the moderators summarizing the outcomes of their workshop.
swissnex strengthens its relationship with Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse has been one of swissnex’s main partners over the past decade. Two Credit Suisse IT experts rotate twice yearly to support swissnex’s endeavors onsite at its outposts in Boston and San Francisco.
Now, Credit Suisse reaches beyond this collaboration to strengthen its cooperation with swissnex, seeking to find new uses for their synergy.
Richard Zaloom, CIO of Credit Suisse Americas, and Heidi Solomon, of Credit Suisse IT Human Capital Support Americas, visited the swissnex Boston office in Cambridge, MA, on Friday, April 23, 2010, to discuss further collaborative projects with both the Boston and San Francisco outposts. Pascal Marmier (Consul/Director, swissnex Boston) and Heike Saenze (Credit Suisse IT Consultant to swissnex Boston) were joined via videoconference by Christian Simm (Director, swissnex San Francisco) and Marcel Schoenbaechler (Credit Suisse IT Consultant to swissnex San Francisco) for the discussion.
Videoconference with swissnex San Francisco Left to right: R.Zaloom, H.Saenze, P.Marmier, H.Solomon
Breakfast Meeting with Thomas Hurter Swiss National Councilor (Schaffhausen)
National Councilor Thomas Hurter visited swissnex Boston on April 21. Mr. Hurter is pilot at Swiss International Airways and a member of the Swiss People’s Party. swissnex Boston invited him and 6 young Swiss from the Boston region for an informal breakfast meeting. National Councilor Hurter gave an overview on the most pressing topics at the agenda of the Swiss parliament. The young Swiss discussed a wide array of subjects with National Councilor Thomas Hurter. Mr. Hurter was accompanied by his wife Dr. Cornelia Stamm Hurter and their two daughters Nora and Maud.
massChallenge helps entrepreneurs win
On April 14, MassChallenge launched the world’s largest startup competition designed to help entrepreneurs transform great ideas into great companies. The platform allows entrepreneurs solve problems of all kinds. MassChallenge is all about giving risk takers a chance.
The website www.masschallenge.org invites you to “join MassChallenge and compete for access to workshops, mentors, executives, other team members, free resources such as office space and sources of funding”. Anyone can enter the competition with any idea from anywhere in the world.
Guest Article of Pascal Marmier
Pascal Marmier, Director-Consul, was invited to write a guest article in the 2009 Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy. Published by the John Adams Innovation Institute, the index is the premier fact-based benchmark for measuring the performance of the Massachusetts knowledge economy through 25 socio-economic indicators.
Pascal Marmier commented on swissnex Boston’s specific role in the innovation economy of New England. Read the full article HERE.
Networking Boston
On March 29 and 30, swissnex Boston hosted a delegation from the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland. The students’ visit took place within the framework of “Networking New York”, an annual project organized by students in business administration to identify the advantages of professional networking. Their two-week trip to the USA included a short stay in at the Embassy of Switzerland in Washington and several business meetings in New York City.
During their visit in Boston, the group was hosted by the Consulate of Switzerland/swissnex Boston. Evelyn Lager, the Director of the Executive Education at Babson College, presented the students with a closer look at the entrepreneurs at Babson College as well as with her take on being a Swiss citizen in the US. Pascal Marmier then welcomed the students with a summary of the activities of swissnex Boston and the business and innovation opportunities in the Boston area. The afternoon was focused on the academic institutions in Boston. Swiss students who are currently studying in Boston, Matthias Oberli (MIT) and Christa Wirth (Harvard), led the guided tours through MIT’s and Harvard’s campus. Finally, Swiss and American Students shared their own business experiences with the students from NYNW at the Harvard Business School.
The second day started with a visit of Novartis, followed by an interactive discussion with Kleem Chaudhary, the Associate Director of Strategic Alliances at Novartis. In the afternoon, the delegation visited the MIT Sloan School of Management where Thomas Jakob, Sloan Fellow, MIT Sloan School of Management, compared “Boston, Silicon Valley, Switzerland: Three different perspectives on Innovation”. The delegation finished their visit in Boston with a visit of the Cambridge Innovation Center and presentation of the Company Prompt Communication by Hazel Butters.
From LEGO Molecules to Science in the News…
There was a lot to discover at the 15th Symposium on Biotechnology Education at the Boston Museum of Science. Over two hundred New England middle and high school teachers had the chance to participate in 15 sessions to enrich their science classroom experience with great story telling, exciting props (did you use LEGO’s in your science class?) to the latest online resources provided by Harvard and MIT. Among those teachers Sam Ginsburg and Lorenz Leumann who came all the way from Switzerland to bring back their experience into Swiss Science class rooms at Kantonsschule Raemibuehl and Wettingen.
Swissnex Boston was delighted to meet the Swiss delegation, including Janine Herman representing Interpharma and the Swiss pharmaceutical industry. Besides the goal to further strengthen the link between the two Bio hubs Basel and Boston, swissnex Boston underlined its commitment to support excellence in Science education.
Guest blog from the conference Altruism and Compassion in Economic Systems in Zurich (3/3)
Day 2 at the Mind and Life XX Conference in Zurich, was devoted to the “dismal science” of economics and the research that is being conducted in the areas of altruistic/pro-social behaviour and how pro-sociality might be introduced into economic systems. Throughout the day the audience was challenged to reflect on our current financial system and whether it is contributing to or negatively impacting our happiness. You might have guessed that the answer is the latter. We were also enlightened by research findings that help explain how altruism works in both the private and public sectors. Finally we were introduced to creative and courageous pioneers who are initiating alternative methods of dealing with the world’s poor.
Guest blog from the conference Altruism and Compassion in Economic Systems in Zurich (2/3)
While he who seeks to make others happy will find happiness.”
Hundreds of people from all walks of life and regions of the world filled the Kongresshaul for the Mind and Life XX Conference Altruism and Compassion in Economic Systems and to hear His Holiness the Dalai Lama who is attendance and participating in all of the sessions. The mood is both peaceful and electric. Today’s topics for discussion included compassion, empathy, altruism and pro-social behaviour and the evolutionary origins and modern expressions of altruism. Each session featured a conversation between experts in these fields and His Holiness who asked questions, offered commentary and provided analysis with his unique blend of charm, wit and humor.
Kick Out Malaria by Harvard Men’s Club Soccer Team
The Harvard men’s club soccer team hosted on April 10 the “Kick Out Malaria” tournament for the second year in a row. The competition featured matches between the men’s club teams from Harvard, Boston College, Brown, and Northeastern in the hopes of raising money to prevent malaria in Sierra Leone.
The contest started last year when the Crimson squad partnered with an international NGO called Global Minimum (Gmin), a volunteer-based organization co-founded by the Harvard club soccer team’s former co-president, David Sengeh, a former swissnex intern. The NGO undertakes projects to help distribute insecticide-treated mosquito nets to households in Sierra Leone.
The Swiss Consulate of Boston sponsored the event, and all profits will go towards helping Global Minimum pay the costs of organizing its educational tournament in Sierra Leone.
Soccer World Cup Roundtable
The 2010 World Cup kick-off in South Africa is getting closer. What will the event actually bring to the African continent? Will the tournament boost the interest for Soccer in America in the long run or can it be a threat for the local Major League Soccer?
To answer those questions, Steven Apostolov, visiting Lecturer at Tufts University along with swissnex Boston gathered a panel of local experts on soccer including: Frank Dell’Apa from the Boston Globe, Patrick McCabe, FIFA Players’ agent, Craig Tornberg, New England Revolution’s VP, and Andy Crossley, General Manager of Boston Breakers, as well as a two professional players of the team.
The panelists discussed the diverse mindsets in the management of sport both in Europe and the US and the consequences of such cultural differences on the way soccer is marketed in America. According to the panel, the American system of franchise is safer to build a popular support around a soccer team and secure investors whereas the European promotion/relegation system is more competitive and challenging but financially riskier.
For further information, visit Steven Apostolov’s website and have a look at his publications.
King Open Kindergartner’s Fieldtrip to Switzerland!
Friday morning 10 am - K4 takes over swissnex Boston!
Together with their teachers Kim and Ana fifteen curious, bubbly and giggly Cambridge King Open School kindergartners are ready to explore Switzerland.
How is it possible that a country as small as Vermont and New Hampshire combined has four official languages? Where does the famous Swiss cheese come from and how does their friend’s Dave hometown St.Gallen look like?
But the best thing about Switzerland is – what a surprise – the chocolate!
Guest blog from the conference Altruism and Compassion in Economic Systems in Zurich (1/3)
Guest blog from Michèle Stanners visiting Zurich to take part in the conference Altruism and Compassion in Economic Systems: We are welcoming Michele to our blog, who is a research fellow at Harvard (Weatherhead Center) and whose trip to Switzerland we are happy to support. She will report on her experience at the Mind and Life Conference and affiliated visits and meetings.
It’s Thursday just before midnight and Zurich is quiet, save for a few voices rising from the restaurant patio outside my window one floor down. I arrived this morning to attend the Mind and Life XX Conference Altruism and Compassion in Economic Systems www.compassioneconomics.org
The program takes the format of a dialogue on economics, neuroscience and contemplative sciences and will begin formally tomorrow, April 9. My interest in this springs from a four day January course I attended at the Kennedy School entitled Faith and Leadership in a Fragmented World. Hosted by the Center for Public Leadership, it was co-taught by four Harvard luminaries: Diana Eck of the Center for Pluralism, Bernie Steinberg, President of Hillel, Marshall Gantz of the Kennedy School and Nitin Nohria of Business School.
Michèle with Chairman and CEO Adam Engle
Francophonie 2010 (3/3): Swiss Night at the French Library of Boston
On March 25th you could follow the smell of cheese to reach the entrance of the French Lib on Marlborough street: The French Library/Alliance Francaise of Boston celebrated the cultural treasures of Switzerland as part of the traditional national night of La Quinzaine de la Francophonie.
In close partnership with swissnex Boston the French Lib welcomed more than 150 guests, eager to discover regional tastings of Switzerland such as a delicious and aromatic home-made Raclette, traditionally served with white wine. Two bands with young Swiss musicians from Berklee College of Music (Gabriela Heer and Massimo Buananno) gave a taste of what Switzerland’s next generation of talented artists could look like.
Hadi Barkat, founder of Helvetiq, the Swiss board game, organized an unique networking exercise that united French and English speaking guests in a bilingual quiz about Switzerland.
Have a look at the Helvetiq website to get to know more about the game!
Francophonie 2010 (2/3): Visite de Monsieur P. Couchepin, March 16-17
Petit-dejeuner pour la communauté
scientifique francophone
Dans le cadre de son traditionnel petit-déjeuner pour la communauté scientifique francophone organisé en partenariat avec le Café des Sciences, swissnex Boston a eu l’honneur de recevoir M. Pascal Couchepin, ancien Conseiller fédéral en charge du Département de l’Intérieur (comprenant notamment la formation et la recherche) et ancien Président de la Confédération en 2003 et 2008. En présence de l’Ambassadeur Moussa Camara, représentant permanent de l’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie aux Nations Unies et devant un parterre d’une centaine de scientifiques francophones, M. Couchepin a notamment évoqué les grandes lignes de la politique de la science et de la recherche en Suisse avec un accent sur son financement et ses stratégie d’internationalisation, notamment les nouvelles coopérations avec les acteurs mondiaux de l’innovation.
M. Couchepin s’est ensuite rendu à Concord dans le New Hampshire afin d’assister à la levée de Drapeau de la Francophonie dans les jardins de la State House, en compagnie de représentants politiques locaux et des acteurs du tissu associatif francophone du New Hampshire. M. Couchepin a partagé son expérience de Grand Témoin de la Francophonie aux Jeux Olympiques de Vancouver et insister sur le rôle historique du français, au même titre que d’autres langues, dans l’expansion du savoir, de la diversité et de la civilisation.
Rencontre avec 10 jeunes talents suisses de la région de Boston
M. Couchepin s’est par ailleurs entretenu avec 10 jeunes talents suisses de la région de Boston, représentant les milieux de la recherche, de l’enseignement, de l’innovation et de l’entreprenariat (Biotechnologie, Pharma, Réseaux sociaux). La discussion s’est articulée autour des nouvelles formes de soutien public à la recherche, l’enseignement supérieur et la création d’entreprise, notamment pour des Suisses vivant a l’étranger et désireux de rentrer aux pays. Le débat a aussi couvert la problématique du financement des start-up et les différentes approches transatlantiques en la matière. Enfin, les jeunes talents ont pu partager de manière ouverte et informelle leur expérience et défis de Suisses de l’étranger ainsi que leurs espoirs pour le futur du pays.
Pascal Couchepin, former President of the Swiss Confederation (2003 and 2008) and Federal Council in charge of Home Affairs (including Education and Research), was the keynote speaker of the 2010 Networking Breakfast for the French-speaking community of the Boston area that took place at swissnex Boston on March 16. Mr. Couchepin was also appointed Grand Temoin de la Francophonie for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Games. He took advantage of his stay in New England to meet with the local actors of the Francophonie as well as with a few Swiss young talents - researchers or entrepreneurs -- in the Boston area.
The 11th Annual AJC Boston Diplomats Seder: Journey to Freedom
Switzerland was represented by Pascal Marmier and Nina Ryser at the 2010 AJC Boston Diplomats Seder, which gathered over 400 people at the Kennedy Library. Here is a short summary from the American Jewish Committee The highlights of the Diplomats Seder were the moving stories of the "Journeys to Freedom" of a former slave from Sudan and Ethiopian and Lebanese refugees who now live in Boston."One of the wonderful features of the annual Seder is that it embeds in all who participate a passion for freedom while also challenging each of us present to come to terms with what freedom means for oneself, one's community, and indeed all of humankind," said AJC Boston Director Robert Leikind. More…
American Swiss Foundation Celebrates Reunion at swissnex Boston
The American Swiss Foundation hosted a reunion of alumni of its Young Leaders Conference from the New England area at swissnex on March 3rd. Thirty alumni of the Young Leaders Conference and friends of the American Swiss Foundation and swissnex gathered for a panel discussion on healthcare reform featuring two distinguished alumni of the 2009 Conference, Tarren Bragdon (Maine Heritage Policy Center) and Dr. Rodney Jamil (Harvard Medical School). They stayed on for lively conversation and a buffet dinner generously hosted by Pascal Marmier, the Swiss Consul and Director of swissnex. Everyone enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and meeting interesting new people. We were most appreciative that Ambassador Faith Whittlesey, Chairman Emeritus, and Board members Steven Hoch and Doug Sears were able to join us. Our thanks go to Pascal Marmier for extending his hospitality.
Patricia Schramm, President American Swiss Foundation
Glass and Glazing Conference at MIT
Stefan Truempler, Director of Vitrocentre, Swiss Research Center for Stained Glass and Glass Art, represented Switzerland at this MIT conference. The 3 day event took place from March 20-22, 2010 and was put together by Technology and Conservation, the MIT Department of Architecture's Building Technology Program, and the Boston Society of Architects/AIA's Historic Resources Committee.
Stained glass windows reflect the glory of more than 800 years of European history. The art of stained glass is a genuine European phenomenon that has always held a fascinating attraction for people. Conservation of stained glass with natural and synthetic polymers as surface coatings, paint consolidants and adhesives has been performed for more than 50 years to preserve the objects in their integrity and in their original architectural surrounding. This project responds to the urgent need expressed by scientists and conservators dealing with stained glass to carry out a sustainable assessment of treatments, their reversibility and re-treatability. Moreover, new and innovative conservation materials and measures will be introduced and performed. Stefan Truempler presented the latest research results of his Institute located in Romont, Switzerland.
The Deputy Consul, Emil Wyss honored the organizer of this Conference, Susan Schur with a swissnex goodie bag for her long and fruitful relationship with the Consulate-swissnex Boston.
Susan Schur enjoys a friendly talk with Stefan Truempler, Emil Wyss
participants of the conference
Ambassador Peter Maurer visits Boston
As his tenure at the United Nations (UN) drew to a close in February, swissnex Boston was honored to host Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the UN Ambassador Peter Maurer. Before taking on his new role as Secretary of State at the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs this month, Ambassador Maurer visited Boston for a two-day, whirlwind speaking engagement among students and lecturers, diplomats, business executives and global collaboration partners.
1. February 17: Boston University (BU)
Ambassador Maurer was first honored at a luncheon led by Vice President of the Swiss-American Foundation and BU Assistant Provost Dr Douglas Sears. The intimate setting permitted Ambassador Maurer to reminisce among BU international affairs researchers on his five years at the UN. He willingly entertained questions, even on hot topics such as religious freedoms in Switzerland.
2. February 17: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Ambassador Maurer then moved to MIT’s Center for International Studies, where he spoke to 50 guests and students from MIT and Suffolk University. Moderated by Ford International Associate Professor of Law and Development Balakrishnan Rajgopal, students demonstrated their conversance with UN protocol and practice, inquiring about the future relevance of the UN in a fast-changing world.
3. February 17: Tufts University
At the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, students, diplomats and faculty filled the room later that day. Moderated by Prof. Ian Johnston, Ambassador Maurer recalled his experiences as Chairman of both the UN General Assembly 5th Committee and the UN Burundi Configuration. As is customary, swissnex Boston sponsored wine and hors d’oeuvres for guests following the conference.
4. February 18: Harvard University
Beginning the second day of his visit with a breakfast meeting at the Harvard Faculty Club, Ambassador Maurer spoke to a selected audience of faculty and students on human rights. Hosted by Director of Harvard’s Center for Human Rights Studies, Prof. Jacqueline Bhabha, the Ambassador probed the UN’s efforts in human rights, peacekeeping and peace-building.
5. February 18: World Boston/United Nations Association for Greater Boston (UNAG)
Ambassador Maurer’s final public engagement occurred at Hampshire House in historic Beacon Hill. Hosted by World Boston Director Bill Clifford and UNAGB Executive Director Lena Granberg, more than 60 guests from consulates and the business community feasted on a sumptuous lunch. When Ambassador Maurer took the mic, he focused on non-proliferation and armed violence, before engaging in an interactive Q&A.
Energy innovation takes the stage in Washington D.C. and Boston
How can the USA accelerate energy innovation and ensure commercialization in a way that guarantees a leadership position in Greentech? In early March, two East Coast conferences addressed this very relevant question.
The first event, the inaugural ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, was held in Washington D.C. on March 1-3. ARPA-E’s mission is to fund high-risk, high-payoff concepts—technologies promising genuine transformation in ways that can generate, store and utilize energy.
The conference brought together the nation’s top energy leaders and members of the scientific community to begin building the next industrial revolution in clean energy technologies, according to US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. Indeed, it was attended by 1,700 energy experts, who participated in a diverse program ranging from keynote speeches to panel discussions. Yet the informal networking in the hallways of the Gaylord Convention Center and conversations over the technology innovation showcase were imperative features of the conference, transferring knowledge among newly connected participants.
In the same week, 800 professionals and students in the fields of technology, policy, industry, and finance attended the 5th MIT Energy Conference on March 5-6 in Boston. The goal of this conference was similar to that of the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit—to assemble energy leaders to develop solutions to the the world’s most pressing energy challenges. The conference was entirely managed by MIT students and the program featured John Rowe (CEO of Exelon Corporation), Nobuo Tanaka (Executive Director International Energy Agency) and Jeff Bingaman (Senator of New Mexico) as keynote speakers.
With the bulk of keynote speeches and panels addressing the importance of consistent policies and the impact of a price on carbon on energy innovation, both conferences illustrated the relevance of the energy discussion at this time.
· The Tech
Francophonie 2010 (1/3): Diffusion de Home (Ursula Meier), French Library of Boston
Pour lancer les activités de la Quinzaine de la Francophonie 2010, La French Library/Alliance française de Boston en collaboration avec swissnex Boston a diffusé le film Home, réalisé en 2008 par la Suissesse Ursula Meier. Cette initiative s’inscrit dans une série d’activités culturelles dédiées à la Suisse organiseés par la French Library, qui accueille par ailleurs durant tout le mois de mars l’exposition Listening to these walls du photographe fribourgeois Christian Waeber.
Grand succès du cinéma helvétique, Home a notamment reçu le Prix du Cinéma Suisse 2009
Launching the Celebration of the Francophonie 2010, The French Library of Boston in partnership with swissnex Boston showed the film Home (2008) by the Swiss director Ursula Meier. The film screening is part of series of cultural events promoting Switzerland at the French Library. The library will hosts the exhibit of the Swiss Photographer Christian Waeber “Listening To These Walls" until the end of March.
Blockbuster in Switzerland, Home got among others the award of the Best Fiction Film at the Swiss Film Prize 2009
Strategic Paths to the Future Energy System
Given the ramifications of carbonization and climate change in an increasingly mobile and industrialized world, what will power the Earth of tomorrow?
According to Prof. Konstantinos Boulouchos, an expert on Swiss energy strategy, electricity is the backbone of future energy systems. Prof. Boulouchos was speaking at a breakfast roundtable on “Transformation Paths for the Swiss Energy System in the Context of Climate Change” at swissnex Boston on March 10.
Prof. Boulouchos explored strategies towards decarbonization, such as the “Four Rs”: Replacing, Recycling, Reducing and Removing carbon energy. Strategic climate-relevant goals, he said, can only be met by utilizing the flexible portfolio of electricity’s inputs (sources) and outputs.
Twenty energy experts and researchers attended the interactive session, including representatives from MA Clean Energy Center, MA Clean Technology Transfer Center, City of Boston, Cambridge City Council, Venture Capital Companies, MIT Energy Initiative, MIT Energy Club, Harvard Business School, and Cleantech Companies from the Boston area.
Prof. Boulouchos has co-authored 120 publications and established the research group on unsteady combustion at the Institute of Energy Technology, Switzerland. A former Visiting Scientist at Princeton University, he is now Full Professor and head of the Aerothermochemistry and Combustion Systems Laboratory at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ).
swissnex Boston will continue the discussion around the energy topic during the year. One of the focus areas will be the aspect of “Green Jobs” and how Switzerland and the U.S. approach this topic.
For more information:
Prof. Konstantinos Boulouchos’ biography
Presentation “Strategic Paths to the Future Energy System”
EXPERTS DEBATE SWISS HEALTHCARE MODEL AT HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL FORUM
Ruth Dreifuss, former President of the Swiss Confederation (1999), headlined a panel discussion on healthcare at Harvard Business School (HBS) on March 4.
The discussion was moderated by National Public Radio correspondent Julie Rovner. Afterwards, the 250 guests had the opportunity to meet Ms. Dreifuss at a lavish reception hosted by HBS.
The Consulate-swissnex Boston, supporter of the STEP for Bulgaria Foundation
The Bulgarian-American Center organized a fundraiser for the Step for BulgariaFoundation.STEP for Bulgaria is a youth organization that implements innovative youth initiatives aiming at Bulgaria's human, cultural, natural and economic potential. The result was a marvelous success: $1200 raised for the STEP Bulgaria 2010 Summer Academy! Emil Wyss from the Consulate-swissnex Boston attended the event and provided a funding match on behalf of swissnex Boston for the first $500 gathered at the event. Step for Bulgaria volunteers from last summer shared with the guests their experiences. Step for Bulgaria was founded by a former intern of the Consulate-swissnex Boston, Evgenia Peeva. More info: http://stepforbulgaria.org/en/
The Swiss Bakers celebrated their successful first year in business
The Swiss Bakers in Reading MA celebrated their successful first year in business.
Swiss Bakers is owned by Helen and Thomas Stohr. They already catered over 60 events with style and a high sense of Swiss quality for the Consulate-swissnex Boston.
Peter Hechenbleikner, Deputy Swiss Consul Emil Wyss, and Helen Stohr
What does Lumbrein (GR) and Providence (RI) have in common?
Nothing obvious at first sight… but there are two architects who are excited about collaboration that fosters the exchange between Swiss and American students in Architecture.
Chris Bardt, Rhode Island School of Design, Ramun Capaul and Daniel Walser, HTW Chur observed the students enthusiasm when it comes to solve architectural challenges of a small municipality like Lumbrein in Grisons Switzerland. How can a village like Lumbrein sustain in the 21 century, when its very own inhabitants leave and second home owners take over? What does “go g-local” mean when it comes to architecture? These and other questions where addressed during various studios and study trips.
After supporting the initiative on different levels from the very beginning, swissnex Boston brainstormed with Chris and Ramun on how to bring the transatlantic collaboration to the next level. To learn more about some exciting ideas check out the project “spazi Art e Cultura”.
Brainstorming with RedCut, the company behind Helvetiq!
RedCut is a swiss start-up company providing games and nation branding products.
Its flagship product platform is named Helvetiq. It lets you rack up knowledge about Switzerland while having fun. It ranges from an iPhone game app to a red cardboard game box bearing the swiss flag. The company serves the game market as well as cities and countries for their branding efforts. RedCut is making inroads in additional countries in Europe and North America.
"Swissnex enabled us to brainstorm with Fletcher school students, a couple of boston-based swiss postdocs and the Swissnex team members themselves. During a short and focused session, participants brought greatly appreciated insights and perspectives. We were able to generate a long list of ideas for growth. We are now taking these ideas further to evaluate and enhance our company's growth strategy. This session was of great value to us. It showed the power of brainstorming and the value of Swissnex. We hope to do it again."
swissnex connects Young Talent Markus Taussig with Oikos International
swissnex connected me with an exciting and rapidly growing organization called Oikos, which is dedicated to promoting the socially beneficial side of business and finance. Thanks to swissnex's funding, I spent a week in the Swiss Alps exchanging ideas with other like-minded researchers from Europe, Asia, and the US.
Swiss Valentine Cookies at HLS International Fair!
On Saturday, February 13th, the traditional International Party took place at Harvard Law School, where the school's international community -- 165 students from 62 countries -- presented a mix of cultural traditions from all over the world. In addition to live performances on stage, many countries were represented by a table, where the more than 500 visitors could taste local food or experience the country's cultural and touristic highlights. The Swiss table, sponsored by Swissnex Boston, offered chocolate, Swiss "Zopf" and Valentine's cookies in addition to a quiz where visitors could show their knowledge of Switzerland and win, among others, a Swiss watch.
2010 World Economic Forum Debriefing: “Rethink, Redesign, Rebuild”
Followers of the World Economic Forum (WEF) that took place last January in Davos, Switzerland, had many questions about the annual event and sought answers at swissnex Boston on February 9.
Moderated by Senior Advisor of the USA’s Leadership Team to the WEF Paul Smyke, a panel assembled to give insight into the workings and outcomes of this year’s meeting through a spirited Q&A with around 80 guests. Experts with different background included Alex Pentland, Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT Media Lab; Elisabet de los Pinos, Co-founder and CEO of Aura Biosciences Inc.; and Dan Shapiro, Director of Harvard’s International Negotiation Program who narrated his experience of team exercises at the Davos forum. In a microcosm of current global geo-political trends, he noted that differences in values as well as competition among states preclude real progress.
Both panelists and guests were optimistic on the outcome of this year’s forum, particularly with the appropriateness of its theme to rethink, redesign and rebuild given the world’s changing economic successes. However, they also noted improvements they hope to see, including greater participation by women at Davos, and overcoming the language barrier, which affects WEF participation.
Regarding innovation and entrepreneurship, Elisabet del los Pinos suggested a shift in entrepreneurial focus away from return on investment. Positioning her statement amid the global economic slump, she noted: “The best time to start up a company is in times of crisis, offering not just jobs but innovation as well.”
Amid an array of hors d’oeuvres, panelists mingled with guests afterwards in more informal Q&A sessions.
Interview: Interview with Paul Smyke, Senior Advisor World Economic Forum USA Leadership Team
Students from EPFL represent Italy and the Republic of Congo
Students from Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, EPFL, represent Italy and the Republic of Congo at the Harvard National Model United Nations Conference
Edimer: Switzerland-based Company successful in the Boston Area
Edimer Biotech S.A. is a Switzerland-based biotechnology start-up that develops therapeutics for treatment of X-Linked Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia (XLHED), a genetic disease. The company went through the coaching process of the Innovation Promotion Agency CTI and received the prestigious CTI Start-up ’Label’ in 2009.
We are delighted to announce that recently, the Boston-based venture firm “Third Rock Ventures” financed the U.S. site of the company with Series A financing in the amount of over 20 million dollars. The U.S. company is now located in Kendall Square and company officials say that the funding they got will last through approval of the drug target.
Healthcare 2.0: Focus on nurses
Perhaps the chief political issue gripping the nation for the past year has been President Barack Obama’s proposed reform of the healthcare system. With this in mind, swissnex Boston assembled a panel of experts from Switzerland and the USA in front of a packed house.
Speakers included: Former Director of the Federal Office of Public Health Thomas Zeltner; Professor at HECVSante Beatrice Despland; Boston College’s Dean of the William F. Connell School of Nursing Susan Gennaro; Professor of Nursing at HEdS La Source Blaise Guinchard; and Associate Chief Nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital Theresa Gallivan.
Speakers explored and compared the healthcare systems of both countries to propose the most effective ways of “Inventing the Healthcare System of the Future,” particularly as these related to nursing. They concurred that any healthcare reform must be approached systematically and continually rather than individually and drastically. They also reasoned that there must be a focus not only on educating and hiring more nurses to buttress the nation’s hospitals, but also on recognizing the quality of nurses’ output and improving their workplaces.
Following the presentations and a short Q&A with the audience, swissnex Boston hosted all of the guests in a networking reception. While enjoying hors d’oeuvres and wine, guests interacted one-on-one with the speakers the evening’s knowledge exchange on this burning topic of nursing and healthcare reform augmenting.
swissnex Boston shows the way to a European career
Are students interested in science and technology careers in Europe? The scores that turned out for swissnex Boston’s Career Opportunity Networking Reception and the hundreds at MIT’s European Career Fair (ECF) on January 29 and 30 respectively showed that they were.
What began 14 years ago as MIT European Club’s promotion of Europe as the ideal setting in which to pursue a profession in industrial research, academia or science policy has grown into a staple on the student calendar in the Boston area—and beyond. Students and researchers journeyed from as far as Pennsylvania and Illinois to find out about careers in Europe.
Among the 130 organizations were universities and research centers like Delft University of Technology and European Research Council. Companies ranged from Orange and VW to Continental and Procter and Gamble.
Swissnex Boston was on hand to illustrate the Swiss science and technology industry among a ready pool of students and researchers. Complementing these efforts, its booth was flanked by Novartis; ABB; Holcim; Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH); and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL)—taking up an entire wall at MIT’s Johnson Athletics Center.
More info:open jobs at Universities
These Swiss companies and universities were also available to around 100 students in a more intimate setting the night before the ECF. At its 420 Broadway office, swissnex Boston hosted a Career Opportunity Networking Reception on January 29. Students from schools across New England and as far away as New York City were eager to discover Switzerland’s career and research opportunities.
The evening featured visual presentations from all of the organizations, including fascinating video overviews of prospects in science and technology. While dining on a delicious array of hors d’oeuvres, students were then able to chat one-on-one with organization representatives. Lasting until well after 9 pm, awareness of Swiss career and research opportunities flourished among the audience, who left with the image of a country rich in possibilities.
European Entrepreneurship and Innovation Workshop
Preceding the ECF was the 2nd European Entrepreneurship and Innovation Workshop, where swissnex Boston played an interesting role.
How to get the attention your company needs – Social media breakfast
Boston is one of America’s oldest cities, rich with history and culture. Additionally, the city is home to many of the founding fathers of social media, making Boston a fabulous place to learn all about its use and impact.
The focus of the Social Media Breakfast Boston was on “How do you get the attention your company needs to grow and reach its business goals?” The event at the Microsoft Nerd center is designed to help entrepreneurs make the important decisions needed to launch their brand, product or service and to learn about how the initial “social” in “social media” has evolved from a communication tool to a full-fledged marketing and business management philosophy.
How swissnex Boston connects entrepreneurs - Starmind Harvard group founded
The first contact between swissnex Boston and Starmind.com, a young company from Switzerland, was established in December 2009. Starmind connects outstanding people and talents around the globe to challenge them with real-world problems that private industry, science and individuals face. Expanding Starmind’s fast growing international network to the US market seemed difficult at first. Thanks to a conversation between Jacqueline Gasser-Beck, Advisor Education and Academic Affairs, Pascal Marmier, Director and Consul at swissnex Boston and Pascal Kaufmann, CEO and founder of Starmind.com a local team in Boston could be installed in less than 2 months.
Swissnex Model - inspiration and best practice
swissnex Boston was pleased to welcome two delegations from our German speaking neighboring countries. Philipp Marxgut, Science and Technology Advisor to Austria in Washington DC and Anke Lischeid Science Councilor at the German General Consulate in Boston, invited their respective colleagues Melanie Csida, Stefan Eichberger from Brainpower Austria (located in Vienna), Beatrix Wegner form the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research to visit swissnex while staying in Boston. Our guests run similar networks in their home countries and were highly interested to learn more about the unique concept of the private-public partnership that empowers swissnex. We look forward to collaborate with Brainpower Austria as well as with the German Center for Research & Innovation soon to be officially opened in New York.
Wishes for a ‘New Beginning’ mark milestone year for swissnex Boston
On January 20, 2010 swissnex Boston’s more than 200 partners, sponsors, associates, friends, and special guest Swiss Ambassador to Canada Werner Baumann celebrated “New Beginnings” with a festive reception, ushering in the Consulate’s tenth year. From the never-ending sushi bar to the dessert room—literally a room-full of desserts—guests indulged in quintessential Swiss hospitality.
Marking the imminent anniversary on October 10, 2010, guests also shared their wishes for swissnex and the world for the next ten years through an unusual exercise.
Earlier in the day, the children of swissnex Boston’s friends and partners enjoyed their own event with science workshops, cookies and hot chocolate. In the craft room, they ornamented paper snowflakes.
The swissnex office was then decorated with hundreds of these snowflakes, on which guests penned their wishes. These included relief aid for Haiti and other underdeveloped States and a positive outcome to the Copenhagen summit on climate change. The guests could win a trip to Switzerland sponsored by Swiss International Airlines, a Mondaine Wall Clock, a Complimentary One Night Stay in a Luxury Garden View Suite at the TAJ Boston, and Swissbäkers Gift card.
Visit of Rico Baldegger, School of Business Administration Fribourg
Professor of Entrepreneurship at the School of Business Administration in Fribourg, Rico Baldegger is currently working on a new program that aims to help young Swiss entrepreneurs to enter the US cleantech market. swissnex Boston organized a few meetings with entrepreneurs, consultants and investors of the local cleantech scene in order to provided him with an overview of the challenges for the Swiss companies that plan to launch operations in the US. Rico also met Karl Jessen, the Director of Cluster Development at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.
The Consulate-swissnex Boston contributes $ 1,200 for victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti
The Consulate-swissnex Boston contributes $ 1,200 for victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. The amount was transferred to Swiss Solidarity.
Swiss Solidarity and its partner relief organizations have already released 2.5 million Swiss Francs for emergency relief in Haiti.
Deutschschprachiger Besuch vom MIT
Im Rahmen des MIT Deutschunterrichts bei Ellen Crocker, haben einige ihrer StudentInnen am 15. Januar 2010 einen Besuch auf dem Schweizer Konsulat-swissnex Boston abgestattet.
Die StudentInnen interessierten sich für die Schweiz, für swissnex Boston und für die Projektarbeit der einzelnen MitarbeiterInnen. Seitens swissnex Boston standen der stellvertretende Konsul, die Beraterin für Ausbildung und akademische Fragen sowie eine Praktikantin aus der Schweiz Rede und Antwort. Besonders im Mittelpunkt waren Fragen des interkulturellen Zusammenlebens, der Mehrsprachigkeit, die Position der Schweiz in Europa und die Ergebnisse der letzten Volksabstimmung.
Switzerland Essay Contest – Newman School Boston
This past fall 2009, swissnex held a high school essay contest for students in the Boston area. Three students, Sheng Bi, Jessica Mac Neil and Nick Frasso, from Brad Riggs’ expository writing class at the Newman School submitted essays on holidays, health care, and peace in Switzerland. For their participation, they received a gift bag with chocolates, books, and other Swiss memorabilia. Jessica Mac Neil and Nick Frasso are pictured here with Brad Riggs; Sheng Bi has returned to China.
Text and photo: Beth Boorman
Local Part Time Internship, Beth Boorman, Northeastern University, Boston
In August 2009, I started my part time interning at swissnex Boston. As a political science and international affairs student at Northeastern, I was immediately excited when Jacqueline mentioned swissnex had room for a local intern. Not only did I learn a lot about Switzerland but I also discovered this new and innovative style of diplomacy. This experience has not only given me valuable professional experience, but has broadened my perspective of different styles of connecting with people that I will use as I start my career.
While interning for swissnex in the summer, I was given the opportunity to work on exciting projects and events. While working with Jacqueline, the Advisor for Education, I assisted her in partnering American and Swiss universities so that they could work together so their students and professors can broaden their perspectives. This was interesting for me as I learned the Swiss university system and specific colleges while using knowledge from being American.
During the fall semester, I worked with Emil, the Deputy Consul, to plan a brainstorming session to explore how the Consulate will look in 2020. This was an exciting project to work on because it was an interesting topic and it needed careful planning. For the event I was able to choose the music, gifts, articles to be distributed as well as write letters and emails to the participants. I am grateful for the opportunity to do this work because it will help me in my future career in planning events.
I also started an essay contest for high school students in the Greater Boston area. This was fun to talk to students and teachers and give them information to learn about various topics such as healthcare, transportation, innovation, and more to compare and contrast the US and Switzerland.
Working for swissnex has broadened my knowledge not only of the country itself, but of new and innovative methods of diplomacy. I learned the importance of personalized contact and hospitality as well as creative approaches to projects and events in diplomacy and will use this knowledge as I further my studies and begin my career.
Text and photo: Beth Boorman
Douglas Sears received the 2009 Stratton Prize for Intercultural Achievement
Douglas Sears, Boston University associate Provost and assistant to the President for outreach and special initiatives, received the 2009 Stratton Prize for Intercultural Achievement from the Friends of Switzerland.
The prize is awarded to American or Swiss citizens who facilitate an international flow of ideas and technology. A committee of Stratton laureates awards the prize, which was instituted in 1966. The foundation sends American students to Switzerland and Swiss students to the United States to learn about cultural similarities and differences. “We want an accurate understanding of each country inside the other country,” says Sears. “The stereotype of the Swiss is numbered bank accounts, chocolate, and watches, but they are also a leading producer of Nobel prizes in physics.” “I thought hearing all those nice words would spoil my character,” Sears said after the award ceremony, “but I was happy to hear them anyway.”
swissnex Boston Day Lighting Case Study at MIT December 3rd 2009
The Day lighting course is taught at MIT during the Fall semester 2009 by Marilyne Andersen, a faculty member of the Building Technology Program in the Department of Architecture. This course aims at providing the tools necessary for an efficient integration of day lighting issues in the overall design process of a building. By getting familiar with the factors and quantities involved in a given (day)lighting situation, students are able to assess it in different ways (visual assessment, experimental survey, calculations or computer simulations) and to propose advanced (day)lighting strategies to improve it, a knowledge they apply to the analysis and (re)design project of an existing building. This year, the outcomes of this design project will be exhibited in the Wolk Gallery at MIT (inauguration on April 27, 2010) for an exhibition organized in collaboration with and sponsored by swissnex Boston, entitled: 'Delight in Greener Daylight - A Class Perspective on Façade Renovation'. As part of their design project for this class, eighteen students worked in teams of three to four to each analyze a designated portion of the recent second floor extension to the Swissnex building in Cambridge MA from a day lighting perspective, focusing on visual and thermal comfort (glare, illumination, overheating risks), ensuing energy requirements and visual interest of the spaces. They took measurements in situ, proposed improvement objectives, then validated a first design proposal through scale model measurements, and a second iteration through simulation methods. They presented this process and their results on December 3, 2009 at MIT to a panel of design and building technology faculty that also included the Swiss Consul, Deputy Consul and Counselor for Science and Technology from the Swiss Embassy in Washington DC.
Swiss Graduate Student Christina Alfirev’s Boston Experience
As my stay in Boston is coming to an end since I am going to take on a position with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in New York, I would like to use this opportunity to express my tremendous gratitude for swissnex´ continuous support and interest in my work. Much more than the delicious and abundant display of Swiss chocolate and strong coffee, it is the swissnex team that has meant to me “a piece of home” throughout the past two years.
