Western Switzerland’s answer to Silicon Valley gets another boost

French-speaking Switzerland's own version of California's Silicon Valley, is situated next to the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, and is investing millions of francs in a major expansion programme.

French-speaking Switzerland’s own version of California’s Silicon Valley, is situated next to the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, and is investing millions of francs in a major expansion programme.

The Science Park Foundation was created in 1991 and is aimed at fostering and helping new high-tech companies to get off the ground using academic expertise from Lausanne’s two seats of higher education, the University and the Institute. The Foundation has so far built two new office blocks housing 43 high-tech companies launched with the help of its academics, past and present.

But office space has already run out and the waiting list for further companies wanting to make their home at the park is growing by the day. One of the Foundation’s directors, Laurent Piguet, said, “We expect our third building, the E-Centre, will be completed by the middle of the year 2001. This means around 200 jobs will be created here on our site.”

The new E-Centre will cost around SFr14 million, two thirds of which has already been donated by groups from industry and local authorities. It will provide space for around another 40 companies as well as a conference centre.

Whether or not all these investments will be able to reverse or at least stop the brain drain syndrome – that is, highly-qualified Swiss scientists leaving for jobs in the United States – is not yet clear. Laurent Piguet admitted, “Brain drain is a problem but I think it’s getting less serious. I know plenty of people working in Silicon Valley who are ready to return to Switzerland on the strength of our computer industry.”

Clearly there is plenty of optimism at the science park which has set its sights on becoming Switzerland’s top high-tech sites.

By Greg Morsbach