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Good practice Imported

Technopark Zürich

Switzerland · Zurich · See the Switzerland profile · See the Zurich profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 63% 62/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Switzerland's pioneering science park in Zurich-West links ETH Zurich and University of Zurich research to industry, hosting ~260 companies (~2,800 jobs), including dozens of ETH spin-offs, since opening in 1993.

260 companies
Tenant companies (2026)
2,800 jobs
Jobs hosted (2026)
58 companies
ETH spin-off tenants (2013 snapshot) (2013)
93 %
Startup survival rate (cumulative, self-reported)
1,000+ jobs
Jobs created (NZZ estimate) (2003)
170 CHF million
Construction cost (1993)

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Foundation TECHNOPARK® Zürich
Period
1993–present
Region (NUTS)
CH040
Keywords
Science park, technology transfer, ETH spin-offs, deep-tech startups

Context

Technopark Zürich is Switzerland's first and best-known science park, opened in March 1993 on the former Escher Wyss industrial site in Zurich-West. It is run by the non-profit Foundation TECHNOPARK® Zürich, with the real estate owned by Swiss Life and Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB); construction (CHF 170 million) was originally financed by Sulzer-Escher Wyss, ZKB, and two insurers.

Activities

The park provides roughly 47,000 m² of office and lab space and today hosts around 260 companies employing about 2,800 people, a mix of established high-tech firms, service providers and research spin-offs linking ETH Zurich and University of Zurich research to industry.

Results

A 2013 snapshot by ETH Zürich's own history magazine Æther recorded 285 tenant companies, of which 58 (about one in five) were direct ETH spin-offs, with the affiliated Bio-Technopark Schlieren alone hosting 40+ university spin-offs. Technopark cites a 93% survival rate for startups it has ever hosted, though no independent audit of that figure was found. A 2003 Neue Zürcher Zeitung report credited it with at least 1,000 jobs created and said it operates without direct public subsidy.

Conclusions

Multi-stakeholder governance (ETH Zurich, University of Zurich, a bank, an insurer and the city's industrial legacy) has kept the park running for over three decades.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Very high (> €5M) — Construction cost CHF 170 million, financed by Sulzer-Escher Wyss, Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) and two insurers; real estate now owned by Swiss Life and ZKB. Operates without direct public subsidy per a 2003 NZZ report.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Opened March 1993; has operated continuously for over three decades (as of 2026).
Staffing & skills
Run and operated by the non-profit Foundation TECHNOPARK® Zürich

Conditions for success

  • Multi-stakeholder governance combining ETH Zurich, University of Zurich, a bank and an insurer sustained the park for over three decades
  • Located on a large former industrial site (Escher Wyss) in Zurich-West providing scale (47,000 m²)

Commonly funded by

Own resources / municipal budget

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Data sources

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

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