Switzerland offers ideal conditions for drone companies thanks to highly innovative researchers, close collaboration between academia and industry as well as pragmatic regulations. The open source software PX4 (Pixhawk), which was developed at ETH and has become the gold standard for drone control, is only one of many examples when Switzerland has carried out pioneer work in the field. The country has established itself as a leading location for innovation, testing and deployment of UAV technologies in a highly regulated but “open skies” environment.
The Virtual Swiss Drone Industry Tour is a four-part webinar series that was co-organized with Greater Geneva Bern area (GGBa), our partner organization in Western Switzerland. The webinars give a representative idea of the opportunities and possibilities in the Swiss drone industry including insights from top-notch experts from leading companies, R&D institutions and regulators.
Switzerland: Home of Drones
In the first session, we gave an overview of the Swiss UAV and drone ecosystem and you can learn why Switzerland offers ideal conditions for drone companies.
Speakers:
- Manu Lubrano, President of Drone Industry Association Switzerland (DIAS)
- Marcel Kaegi, Innovation and Digitalization Manager of Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA )
- Kevin Sartori, Co-Founder of Auterion and Board Director of the Dronecode Foundation
Innovate and Collaborate
In the second session, we provided in-depth knowledge of how companies collaborate with the world’s leading drone labs and how they can apply for federal funding to support their advancements.
Speakers:
- Prof. Dr. Roland Siegwart, Head of Autonomous Systems Lab at ETH Zürich
- Mélanie Guittet, Co-Founder of Involi
- David Lanter, Co-Founder of Tinamu Labs
- Enzo Giannini, President of Swiss Drone Base Camp in Lodrino
- Dr. Alessandro Giusti, Head of Robotics Lab at IDSIA
Testing and Refinement
During the third session, we provided an in-depth exploration of how companies are testing and refining their technologies in real-world conditions.
Speakers:
- Jens Henkner, CEO of CertX (safety and certification)
- Guillaume Catry, Co-Founder and CEO of WindShape (airframe testing)
- Massimo Fiorin, Director Business Park, Swiss Aeropole (dedicated infrastructure)
- Barry Koperberg, Founder and GM of Wings for Aid (Schmerlat airfield testing)
- Anna Chernova, Co-Founder and CPO of Daedalean (Schmerlat airfield testing)
Partner and Deploy
In the final session, you had the opportunity to get to know potential Swiss partners and learn to become one of the pioneers in deploying new drone technology.
Speakers:
- Andrea Marrazzo, Head of Autonomous Delivery & IoT & Blockchain at Swiss Post
- Tom Rehwinkel, Head of Regulatory Affairs Europe of Matternet
- Andreas Lamprecht, CTO of Airmap
- Andreea Perca, Airspace Engineer, Innovation & Risk Management, Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA)
Our partners
The Virtual Swiss Drone Tour is co-organized by Greater Zurich Area Ltd (GZA) and Greater Geneva Berne area (GGBa), the official investment promotion agencies of the economic area of Zurich and Western Switzerland.
Contact us
Can we put you in touch with a peer company or research institute? Do you need any information regarding your strategic expansion to Switzerland's technology and business center?
info@greaterzuricharea.com