Swiss Academic Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum

Event agenda

Tuesday, 19 January 2027

09:00 - 10:00

Meetings

Registration & Coffee

Location:
  • SSF (Main Hall)

Meeting duration:15 minutes time slots

10:00 - 10:45

Welcome & Plenary Session

Location:AuditoriumTrack:Opening Remarks

Explore how strong innovation ecosystems are built through collaboration between academia, industry, and entrepreneurship, with insights from UnternehmerTUM followed by an interactive Q&A.

10:50 - 11:30

Structured Networking Session

Location:SSF (Main Hall)Track:Networking

11:45 - 12:45

Breakout Session: Beyond Job Creation - Embedding Impact in Tech and Entrepreneurship

Track:Workshops

Explore how social innovation can strengthen social and environmental impact, improve project proposals, unlock new sources of funding and become part of teaching and curricula.

Breakout Session: Building a Swiss-wide Ecosystem for Talent & Opportunity Matching

Track:Workshops

Uncover how Switzerland-wide talent matching initiatives can connect students, researchers, ideas and startups, examining their vision, real-world examples, feasibility and implementation.

Breakout Session: Female Founders – Fixing the System, Not the Women

Track:Workshops

Rethink how the innovation ecosystem supports female founders by exploring barriers to funding, support, networks and visibility, and developing concrete ideas for more equitable support structures.

Breakout Session: Postcards from 2030 - What Will Startups Need from Their Universities?

Track:Workshops

Imagine what university startup support could look like in 2030 and work backwards to identify the policies, programmes, partnerships and first steps needed to get there.

12:45 - 13:45

Meetings

Standing Lunch & Networking

Location:
  • SSF (Main Hall)

Meeting duration:15 minutes time slots

13:45 - 14:45

Breakout Session: AI Changes Entrepreneurship - How Can We Support It?

Track:Workshops

Discover how AI is reshaping entrepreneurship through current trends, an AI-native startup case study, and shared experiences on supporting startups with AI tools.

Breakout Session: Beyond the Buzzword - What Does It Really Mean to Be an Entrepreneurial University?

Track:Workshops

Together, we will examine what it means to be an entrepreneurial institution and identify practical ways to embed an entrepreneurial mindset across research, curricula and regional business ecosystems.

Breakout Session: Entrepreneurship Education in Practice - Inspiration, Experiences & Lessons Learned

Track:Workshops

Through expert insights and group discussions, participants will uncover cultural and institutional differences, share challenges, and generate ideas for collaboration.

Breakout Session: From Support Units to Ecosystem Builders

Track:Workshops

We will explore the roles of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Offices and exchange practices, challenges and ideas to strengthen their strategic responsibilities, support services and impact.

Breakout Session: Switzerland Innovation Park

Track:Workshops

Details to follow.

14:45 - 15:00

Meetings

1-1 / Coffee

Location:
  • SSF (Main Hall)

Meeting duration:15 minutes time slots

15:00 - 15:30

Wrap-Up Panel

Location:AuditoriumTrack:Panel Session

Theme: From Discussion to Action

15:35 - 15:45

Closing Remarks

Location:AuditoriumTrack:Closing Remarks

15:45 - 17:00

Meetings

Apéro & Networking

Location:
  • SSF (Main Hall)

Meeting duration:15 minutes time slots