The knowledge will soon flow here

The Innovation Park Central Switzerland already has 60 members, and the new premises in Suurstoffi 18 in Rotkreuz are ready for use. The last two years were spent in a 400-m² temporary accommodation, but now there will finally be enough space in the 1,500-m² new premises, says Sem Mattli. The 41-year-old ETH engineer has been managing director of the park since February 1, which is the result of a joint initiative by industry, science and the central Swiss cantons (see box).

Mattli proudly shows the three-dimensional wooden logo - a house that is open at the top. This will represent the innovation park, which offers the infrastructure, which can then be filled with innovations. "We are a kind of innovation laboratory here," says Mattli. He gives us a short guided tour. "The first wing is used flexibly, for example, for conferences, workshops and lectures." The next corridor consists of open workspaces and detachable workshop rooms that can be rented as needed.

The six core members - the V-ZUG, Zug Estates, Otto Fischer, the allthisfuture AG, the Innovation Laboratory of the WWZ and ITZ (Innovations Transfer Zentralschweiz), among others - have their permanent premises in the third corridor of the park. Core membership costs CHF 40.000 a year. The core members have a representative office in the Innovation Park and can have their own team there. "It can be an advantage not to have certain teams at the company headquarters. The teams that deal with innovations and new business models tend to work longer-term, which can conflict with the daily business that otherwise prevails," says Mattli. In addition to the core membership, there are two other membership models.
 

The innovation park started with 34 members, and now has 66, 53 of which are from industry. Apart from Nidwalden, at least one company from each central Swiss canton is represented. The main topic is "Building Excellence", whereby companies that are active in the field of building technology and construction are addressed - an important industry in Central Switzerland. "And this industry is currently being challenged by digitisation, the energy transition and ever-increasing complexity," explains Mattli. "And that's why many companies have realised that they cannot do everything alone anymore, and need to network." The Innovation Park is designed to help in this area. Several projects have already been created in the park. In order to initiate such projects, the Innovation Park has created so-called ‘Sprint Groups’, in which bringing various topics can be brought together with researchers and developers in order to develop a prototype. "In this way, knowledge from research can be targeted to business partners," says Mattli. The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences is also represented in the Innovation Park with both teams and its own project space. The park itself is managed by Mattli and two colleagues, who are supported by Gianni Bomio, the long-standing Secretary General of the Economic Department of Zug, who strongly supported the founding of the park together with his former boss, Government Councillor Matthias Michel. His expertise will occasionally be available to users. "It's a completely different way to work," notes Bomio.

But, what does it mean when different companies and thus sometimes competitors suddenly become partners? Anyone who is a member of the Innovation Park must, in principle, sign a basic confidentiality agreement and undertake to adhere to the values, says Mattli. "What we do notice, however, is that companies are very soon ready to cooperate in general projects." This readiness decreases, however, once the core of the matter becomes more important and concrete plans arise. We still have to work on this.

Impressions from the innovation park: the WWZ team; Managing Director Sem Mattli arranges reference books; Mattli's colleagues Melissa Kneubühler (left) and Aline Buschauer are preparing for the opening ceremony.

Expansion at a cost of CHF 1.5 million

The costs for the expansion of the innovation park amounted to "slightly less than 1.5 million francs" according to CEO Sem Mattli. These were pre-funded by the owner, Zug Estates, and will be repaid in installments. In addition, Zug Estates granted a greatly reduced rent in the construction phase. The operational business is financed from the contributions of the members. The cantons are also involved through the Innovation Transfer Central Switzerland (ITZ), which participates in the innovation park through a 10-year core membership, and also provides start-up financing for the expansion. The six Central Swiss cantons are also involved as Basic Members. The Canton of Zug and the municipality of Risch-Rotkreuz also contribute to the rental costs.
"As a result, we have start-up funding for the next four years, after which the Innovation Park must be self-supporting." The aim is for the Innovation Park to be accredited by the national Switzerland Innovation Network. The overall Swiss perception of the economic strengths of the region should thereby be improved. The corresponding admission procedure is already underway.