EPFL Innovation Park

The Foundation EPFL Innovation Park was established in 1991 adjacent to the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), making it Switzerland's first and leading university science park. It provides structured knowledge transfer from EPFL and other regional universities to the private sector via co-location, coaching, grants and VC networks.

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. EPFL has generated over 500 spinoffs since the park's founding.

Financially, EPFL spinoffs and park companies combined raised CHF 769 million in 2023 alone (CHF 470M from direct EPFL spinoffs). The park's 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. Sectors represented include digital health, cybersecurity, robotics, energy and advanced materials.

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. It connects regional and national government support, venture capital, and accelerator programmes into a comprehensive university-to-market pipeline.

Read the full analysis: https://www.epfl-innovationpark.ch/