evidoria

← Back to browse

Good practice Imported

EPFL Innovation Park

Switzerland · Lausanne · See the Switzerland profile · See the Lausanne profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 10% 86/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

The EPFL Innovation Park in Lausanne houses 250 high-tech companies and 2,500 researchers, enabling structured university–industry knowledge transfer. EPFL-related startups raised CHF 769 million in 2023, with 500+ spinoffs since 1991.

250 companies
High-tech companies hosted (2024)
2,500 people
Entrepreneurs and researchers employed on campus (2024)
500+ spinoffs
Cumulative EPFL spinoffs since 1991 (1991-2024)
769 CHF million
Funding raised by EPFL spinoffs and park companies (2023)
470 CHF million
Funding raised by direct EPFL spinoffs (2023)
145 spinoffs
Spinoffs supported via Innogrant programme (since 2005)
31 startups
Early-stage startups hosted at La Forge (current)
EPFL Innovation Park

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Foundation EPFL Innovation Park
Period
1991–present
Region (NUTS)
CH01
Keywords
knowledge transfer, deep tech, university spinoffs, entrepreneurship, R&D

Context

The Foundation EPFL Innovation Park was established in 1991 adjacent to the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland's first and leading university science park.

Objectives

Provide structured knowledge transfer from EPFL and other regional universities to the private sector via co-location, coaching, grants and VC networks.

Activities

As of 2024, the park hosts 250 high-tech companies -- startups, SMEs and R&D centres of large corporations -- employing approximately 2,500 entrepreneurs and researchers across its 140,000 m2 campus. The Innogrant programme, running since 2005, has supported 145 spinoffs with early seed grants; La Forge, the park's co-working space, hosts 31 early-stage startups.

Results

EPFL has generated over 500 spinoffs since the park's founding. EPFL spinoffs and park companies combined raised CHF 769 million in 2023 alone (CHF 470 million from direct EPFL spinoffs).

Conclusions

The park is a founding node of the Switzerland Innovation national network, which replicates its model across six sites in Basel, Bern, Eastern Switzerland, Geneva and the Jura Arc, connecting regional and national government support, venture capital and accelerator programmes into a comprehensive university-to-market pipeline.

Implementation
Indicative cost
High (€500k–€5M) — 140,000 m2 campus with federal, cantonal and private co-funding; no total foundation operating budget figure found in source.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Founded 1991; 33 years of continuous operation to 2024.
Staffing & skills
Foundation EPFL Innovation Park, EPFL, regional universities, Switzerland Innovation national network partners

Conditions for success

  • Strong anchor research university (EPFL) generating a continuous spinoff pipeline
  • Dedicated seed-grant mechanism (Innogrant) since 2005
  • National-level co-ordination via the Switzerland Innovation network

Common failure modes

  • EPFL's unique research anchor makes full replication outside Switzerland difficult

Where it fits

Governance type
non-profit foundation anchored to a public research university
Scale
campus-level (140,000 m2), part of a six-site national network
Income level
high-income country (Switzerland)

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes Horizon Europe

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

Do you run this practice? Claim it — verified implementers get a public contact pathway and can propose corrections.

Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

Where it's been adopted

Documented replications and adaptations of this practice elsewhere.

PlaceWhenAdopterOutcome
Basel, Switzerland — Switzerland Innovation network One of six national sites replicating the EPFL Innovation Park knowledge-transfer model
Bern, Switzerland — Switzerland Innovation network One of six national sites replicating the EPFL Innovation Park knowledge-transfer model
Jura Arc, Switzerland — Switzerland Innovation network One of six national sites replicating the EPFL Innovation Park knowledge-transfer model
Geneva, Switzerland — Switzerland Innovation network One of six national sites replicating the EPFL Innovation Park knowledge-transfer model

Similar practices you may find useful