Innovation Hub at the Swiss Innovationplatform Open-i 2026
On 26 November 2026, Zurich will become a hub for innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship: The Open-i innovation conference will bring together leading minds from research, science, business, entrepreneurship, and politics.
The focus will be on technologies, business models, and developments that will be crucial for the economy and society in the coming years. Open-i creates a space for relevant perspectives, curated encounters, and discussions that can lead to concrete collaborations and entrepreneurial opportunities. The University of Zurich is participating for the first time as an innovation partner at this year’s Open-i. The Innovation Hub is responsible for curating all presentations and will showcase a diverse range of pioneering innovators from UZH.
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“As an innovation partner of Open-i, we are proud to highlight the University of Zurich as a key player in the innovation ecosystem and to showcase groundbreaking innovations on site.” Maria Olivares, Head Innovation |
Diverse Insights with Added Value
The multifaceted program, featuring representatives from the innovation network and innovators from the University of Zurich, offers excellent opportunities to gain insights into the diversity of forward-looking innovation fields and to participate in exciting discussions.
Flyer with program overview (PDF, 562 KB)
Progam
We invite you to join us for a discussion in the Open-i exhibition area with the following representatives from the UZH Innovation Network:
- UZH Innovation Hub
- UZH.ai presenting the innovation project IMMERSE
- UZH Space presenting Space Life Sciences
- UZH Translational Medicine Accelerator (TMA) together with Alexander Nitsch, CEO of UZH Spin-off OxyPrem
Attend presentations by representatives from the UZH Innovation Network, which will take place on various stages at Open-i:
► Blue Stage
14:55 – 15:20 | Medicine 2050: Breakthroughs for Patients
Keynote & interview with Michio Painter (Head TMA) followed by presentations of Bio- & MedTech innovation projects of Isaac Bugueno Valdebenito, MutaDent | Thomas Look, Cati Therapeutics | Vera Vollenweider, PyoBeta | Jelena Skorucak, IntelEEGent | Harani Lakshminarayan, Mudra DX.
► Science Stage
09:45 – 10:30 | From AI to Immersive Intelligence
Keynote by Philipp Fürnstahl (Balgrist University Hospital) on IMMERSE: XR and AI-based applications in higher education.
14:50 – 15:20 | Shaping Innovation for Positive Impact: Focus on Drones and Life Sciences
Round table discussion with Elisabeth Stark (Vice President Research), Cora Thiel (Deputy Head UZH Institute of Aerospace Medicine & co-founder UZH Spin-off Prometheus) and Davide Scaramuzza (Professor of Robotics and Perception at UZH & co-founder of UZH Spin-off SUIND).
Podcast production at Open-i
13:30 - 13:50 | From Spark to Scale
Elmar Zurbriggen, CEO of UZH Spin-off Moving Spine, shares his story of turning a visionary idea for dynamic spinal stabilization into a successful medtech solution. An insight into the challenges, success factors, and power of interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Elmar Zurbriggen, CEO Moving Spine (UZH Spin-off)
- Eva Maria Håkanson, UZH Deputy Head Innovation
- Thomas Siegrist, Group Section Head «New Product Visions» Helbling Technik AG
