Why Switzerland

Why is Switzerland number 1 in innovation?

Innovative Switzerland

Our country has a long tradition of innovation

Don’t look at the rankings (even if we are not that bad in this field) but look at the outcomes. Switzerland innovation is result oriented.

Facts and figures

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A rocket takes off

Startup Impact

 

  • 50'000 are employed by Swiss startups
  • 34% of funds generated by Swiss start-ups come from the US. 23% originate from Switzerland
  • 7% of the financing rounds in Switzerland are carried out by women-led companies
  • Start-ups with investors create 5× more jobs than start-ups without investors
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A podium with a Swiss cross at the top

Ranked Highest

Swiss innovation is worldwide recognized

  • Number 1 in Global innovation index 2020
  • Number 1 in European innovation scoreboard 2019
  • Most internationally registered patents per million inhabitants
  • 3.2% of Swiss age cohorts have a PHD
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We are a Nation of Scientists

 

  • 23 scientists with Swiss citizenship have won the Nobel Prize in the natural sciences and in medicine
  • ETH Zurich best university in continental Europe (QS ranking)
  • R&D 22.5 bn invested yearly (28% higher education institutions, 69 % private sector)
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Connected Country

 

  • > 90% of households have an internet connection
  • The World Wide Web was invented at CERN in Geneva in 1989
  • More than 20 international organizations involved in overseeing and managing the internet  are based in Geneva