swissnex

What swissnex does

Swissnex is Switzerland's global network for science, education, and innovation diplomacy, operated as an initiative of the Swiss Confederation under the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER), administered by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). Founded in 2000 with its first location in Boston — described as the world's first Science Consulate — the network has expanded to six main locations (Boston/New York, San Francisco, Brazil/Rio-São Paulo, China/Shanghai, India/Bangalore, Japan/Osaka) plus approximately twenty Science Offices and Counselors embedded in Swiss Embassies worldwide.

The organization delivers four core service pillars: Academia Services (connecting Swiss universities and researchers internationally), Startups Programs (equity-free internationalization camps and investor roadshows), Innovation Services (foresight, technology and trend scouting), and Arts & Science (support for Swiss-affiliated artists at the intersection of arts with education and technology). Signature programs include the Swiss-Korean Innovation Week, Innosuisse-powered Startup Camps in the UK and Korea, Venture Leaders fintech roadshows, and the GTC Cybersecurity Bootcamp. Swissnex does not develop proprietary technology; its core capability is diplomacy, network orchestration, and event programming.

Its business model is government-funded rather than revenue-generating. Swissnex is structured as a non-profit public-private partnership funded through the Swiss federal budget managed by SERI, with services provided free of charge to beneficiaries including Swiss universities (EPFL, ETH Zurich, University of Zurich), Swiss startups, government institutions, alumni networks, and Swiss-affiliated artists. Revenue model classification is therefore not applicable in the conventional venture sense.

Name

swissnex

Legal name

Swissnex (an initiative of the Swiss Confederation, under the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI)

Website

https://swissnex.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Swissnex is Switzerland's government-backed global network for science, education, and innovation diplomacy, operating six main offices and approximately twenty embassy-based Science Offices to connect Swiss universities, researchers, startups, and artists with international innovation ecosystems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Science and Innovation Diplomacy Services

NAICS

International Affairs (928120), International Affairs (92812), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

International Affairs (9721), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Third-Party Short-Term Academic Program Providers (Multi-Discipline) (EDAIAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Branch Campus & Offshore Program Partnerships (EDAIABAI), Corporate/Industry-Sponsored International Internship Programs (EDAIAFAH)

Keywords

• Science diplomacy
• Innovation networking
• Academic exchange
• Startup internationalization
• Research collaboration

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Swissnex is funded by the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) through the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). The organization operates as a non-profit public-private partnership focused on knowledge exchange rather than revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Swissnex is a government-funded science, education, and innovation diplomacy network that connects Swiss universities, researchers, startups, and entrepreneurs with global innovation ecosystems. It delivers four service pillars — Academia Services, Startups Programs, Innovation Services, and Arts & Science — through six main overseas locations and approximately 20 Science Offices embedded within Swiss Embassies worldwide, providing free programs, internationalization camps, investor roadshows, and bilateral cooperation initiatives.

Product overview

Swissnex is Switzerland's global network for science, education and innovation diplomacy, connecting innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs with academia, startups, industry and government. The organization operates through a network of six main locations (Boston/New York, Brazil, China, India, Japan, and San Francisco) plus approximately twenty Science Offices and Counselors based in Swiss Embassies worldwide. Its core service portfolio consists of four pillars: Academia Services (connecting Swiss universities and researchers internationally), Startups Programs (equity-free internationalization programs and camps), Innovation Services (foresight, technology and trend scouting), and Arts & Science (support for artists at intersection of arts with education and technology). Signature programs include the Swiss-Korean Innovation Week, Startup Camps in UK and Korea, Fintech Venture Leaders UK, and the GTC Cybersecurity Bootcamp UK. The network also facilitates student exchanges, industry internships, and administers scholarship programs including Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships and JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Swissnex Boston and New York: Swissnex's North American hub covering Boston and New York operations
• Swissnex in Brazil
• Swissnex in China
• Swissnex in India
• Swissnex in Japan
• Swissnex in San Francisco
• Science & Technology Office Tokyo
• Science & Technology Office Seoul
• Science & Technology Office London

Products and services

• Academia Services International academic exchange and research collaboration services connecting Swiss universities, researchers, and academics with peer institutions and researchers abroad. The service includes facilitating joint research projects, student and faculty exchange programs, and bilateral cooperation frameworks.
• Startups Programs Equity-free, tailor-made internationalization programs and camps helping Swiss startups expand globally, including country-specific market validation, investor introductions, and acceleration support delivered through Swissnex's overseas offices.
• Innovation Services Foresight, technology scouting, and trend intelligence services drawing on Swissnex's global innovation ecosystem, providing insights across education, research, and innovation to Swiss public and private stakeholders.
• Arts & Science Programs supporting Swiss-affiliated artists, designers, architects, curators, and cultural institutions working at the intersection of arts with education, research, and technology, with a focus on international collaboration and global reach.
• Swiss-Korean Innovation Week (SKIW) Annual bilateral platform facilitating cooperation in science and technology between Switzerland and Korea, featuring symposiums, startup workshops, scientist workshops, and student workshops.
• Innosuisse Korea Camp Equity-free internationalization camp powered by Innosuisse and managed by Swissnex, providing Swiss startups with R&D partnerships, technology validation, and market entry support for South Korea.
• Startup Camps UK Powered by Innosuisse and managed by Swissnex in London, providing Swiss startups with market validation and market entry support for UK expansion through personalized counseling and networking.
• Fintech Venture Leaders UK Investor roadshow organized with Venturelab for Swiss fintech startups seeking to expand into the UK market, including private pitching, feedback sessions, and networking with industry leaders.
• GTC Cybersecurity Bootcamp UK Hybrid program for European and Israeli cybersecurity startups to understand the UK fintech landscape, build corporate partnerships, and scale in the UK market.
• Swiss-Korean Life Science Initiative Public-private platform nurturing interdisciplinary collaboration between medical doctors, scientists, engineers, startups, and industry to bring pharma and biotech from laboratories to market.
• Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships Scholarships awarded by the Swiss Confederation to promote international exchange and research cooperation, available through Swissnex offices for foreign researchers and artists (for example, Japanese researchers and artists).

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2025Signed Memorandum of Cooperation with SNSF for joint research projects. JSPS offers postdoctoral fellowships for Swiss researchers to stay in Japan for 12-24 months.
• Japan - Quantum Science PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2025Memorandum of Cooperation in quantum science, technology and innovation signed between Switzerland and Japan at the 22nd STS Forum in Kyoto.
• State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSERI is the Swiss federal government body that oversees and funds the Swissnex network as part of Switzerland's science, education, and innovation diplomacy efforts. Swissnex supports the outreach and active engagement of SERI's international partners.
• Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSNSF supports the Indo-Swiss Joint Research Programme in geoscience, healthcare and drug development. Swissnex facilitates connections for SNSF-funded researchers internationally.
• Innosuisse (Swiss Innovation Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnosuisse powers the internationalization camps and startup programs managed by Swissnex offices globally. Swiss startups enrolled in Innosuisse coaching programs can access Swissnex's international network through equity-free camps.
• VenturelabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenturelab selects the Swiss National Startup Teams (Venture Leaders) and organizes investor roadshows. Swissnex collaborates on roadshows to innovation hubs like London for fintech startups.
• Switzerland Global EnterprisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwitzerland Global Enterprise collaborates on Switzerland's official presence at international events like BIO International Convention, showcasing Swiss biotech innovations.
• Swiss Biotech AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in organizing Swiss pavilion at BIO International Convention 2026 in San Diego, showcasing Swiss biotech innovations.
• India's Department of Science and TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports the Indo-Swiss Joint Research Programme alongside SNSF, funding joint research in geoscience, healthcare and drug development with new initiatives expected in science, technology and startup ecosystem.
• Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports the Swiss-Korean Life Science Initiative, a public-private platform to nurture interdisciplinary collaboration between medical doctors, scientists, engineers, start-ups and private industry.
• Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIAT provides funding for joint Swiss-Korean innovative projects through Innosuisse's counterpart programs, supporting follow-ups from startup camps and R&D partnerships.
• Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) - JapancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEXT signed MoC with SERI to enhance STI cooperation between Switzerland and Japan. The ministry coordinates bilateral science and technology collaboration programs.
• Leading House Asia (ETH Zurich)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMandated by SERI to promote and foster scientific cooperation with East and Southeast Asian institutions. Runs funding instruments open to all Swiss researchers for mobility and partnership programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Direct peers

• German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD): DAAD is the German government's flagship international academic exchange and scholarship organization, operating globally to promote German universities and researchers abroad — a direct functional analogue to Swissnex's academic and science diplomacy mission.
• German House for Research and Innovation (DWIH): DWIH is a network of German-government-funded hubs in innovation hubs worldwide (San Francisco, New York, São Paulo, Tokyo, etc.) that promotes German research and startups internationally — closely mirroring Swissnex's embassy-anchored hub-and-spoke model.
• UK Science and Innovation Network (SIN): SIN is the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office network of science officers embedded in British embassies, supporting bilateral R&D collaboration and innovation diplomacy — a near-identical structural peer to Swissnex.
• Campus France: Campus France is the French national agency promoting higher education and international student mobility, with a global office footprint similar to Swissnex's, supporting French academic institutions and researchers abroad.
• Business France: Business France is the French national agency supporting French companies and startups in international expansion, including innovation promotion — overlapping with Swissnex's startup internationalization mandate and bilateral event programming.
• Mitacs: Mitacs is a Canadian not-for-profit that designs and delivers research and training programs linking Canadian universities, companies and international partners — functionally analogous to Swissnex's academic exchange and researcher-mobility work.
• Institute of International Education (IIE): IIE is a US-based nonprofit operating the Fulbright Program and other large-scale international academic and cultural exchange initiatives — a comparable government-aligned intermediary facilitating international research and student mobility.
• Innovation Norway: Innovation Norway is Norway's state-owned innovation and internationalization agency running global offices that help Norwegian startups scale abroad — structurally comparable to Swissnex's international startup camp and internationalization offering.
• Vinnova (Swedish Innovation Agency): Vinnova is Sweden's national innovation agency funding and supporting Swedish research, startups and international collaboration — comparable to Swissnex in mandate but with stronger domestic funding remit.

Others

• Venturelab: Venturelab is a Swiss public-private organization that runs the Venture Leaders national startup teams in partnership with Swissnex — adjacent rather than competitive, given their co-delivery of roadshows and camps described in Swissnex's data.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/STofficeTokyo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbDmuDN_XzaDy-8_BUc0QbQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swissnex-brazil
• Instagraminstagram.com/stofficetokyo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about swissnex