What NCCR Automation does

NCCR Automation, officially NCCR Dependable Ubiquitous Automation, is a Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant 51NF40_180545) and hosted at ETH Zurich's Automatic Control Laboratory at Physikstrasse 3, Zurich. The center is a publicly funded research consortium, not a commercial enterprise, with 51-100 employees and a network of 35+ researchers drawn from ETH Zurich, EPFL, Empa, FHNW, University of Basel, UZH, SUPSI, ZHAW, and OST. Its mission is to advance automation and control systems across five research challenges: Automation Enablers (foundational methods), Responsible Automation (ethics, safety, and societal implications), Sustainability through Automation (energy, mobility, manufacturing), Real World Demonstrators (Grid2050 and Sisslerfeld living labs), and Theory Moonshot (fundamental theoretical advances in control, optimization, and machine learning).

The center's outputs include open-source software and datasets (TTOBench, Direct Multiple Shooting, Kuafu flexibility platform, PCNNs), scientific publications, and hardware-validated solutions deployed with industrial partners. Industry collaborators include Swissgrid (voltage support procurement), SBB (rail trajectory optimization, 2+ TWh annual impact), Stadler (ATO integration with hardware-in-the-loop testing), Alpiq (renewable-storage coordination), TPF (on-demand fleet orchestration for 34.5 million annual passengers), and Siemens (Digital Twin development on Siemens Amesim). Technology transfer is facilitated through Bench2biz workshops, the EU-TALENT Centre, and the REAL Lab student incubator.

NCCR Automation generates no commercial revenue. Its operating model is grants-based, with SNSF funding as the primary source and in-kind contributions from partner universities. Education and outreach programs include the international Fellowship Programme, the CAS ETH in Applied Automation Technology professional certificate, the inControl Podcast, the Via Automation explainer series, and the NCCRWomen diversity campaign. Distribution relies on academic channels (publications, open-source repositories on GitHub and Zenodo) and direct industry collaboration rather than a sales-led GTM. The center's strategic significance for a PE/VC audience is primarily as a talent and IP source for spin-offs rather than a direct investment target.

Name

NCCR Automation

Legal name

NCCR Dependable Ubiquitous Automation

Website

https://nccr-automation.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

NCCR Automation is a Swiss National Science Foundation-funded research consortium at ETH Zurich that advances automation and control systems through five research challenges, collaborating with Swiss industrial partners on energy, railway, and manufacturing applications while training researchers and producing open-source software and datasets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research & Development Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Nec (3569)

akta.pro primary industry

Control System Integration & Engineering Services (Design, Commissioning, Retrofits) (IMAGABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Controllers & Control Systems (PLCs, PACs, CNC Controllers) (IMAHAHAH), Motion & Machine Control (CNC, Robotics Controllers, Servo/Motion Controllers) (IMAGABAG), Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM)

Keywords

• Automation research
• Control systems
• Industrial automation
• Energy systems research
• Transportation automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: NCCR Automation is funded as a National Centre of Competence in Research by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), with additional support from partner institutions ETH Zurich, EPFL, and other Swiss universities. This is a non-commercial research organization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NCCR Automation is a Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research that conducts automation and control systems research across theoretical foundations, practical innovations, and industrial implementation. The center delivers research outputs (algorithms, software, datasets), education programs (fellowships, certificate courses, lab programs), industry collaboration projects, and living lab demonstrators in energy and mobility domains.

Product overview

NCCR Automation is a Swiss National Science Foundation-funded National Centre of Competence in Research that brings together theoretical breakthroughs, practical innovations, industrial implementation, and inclusive education to advance automation and control systems. Rather than a single commercial product, the organization offers a portfolio of interconnected research programs and educational offerings. The core research is organized around five challenges: Automation Enablers (foundational tools), Responsible Automation (ethics and safety), Sustainability through Automation (energy and mobility), Real World Demonstrators (living labs), and Theory Moonshot (fundamental research). Supporting these are educational programs including the REAL Lab (student project incubator), Fellowship Programme (international research exchanges), CAS ETH certification, and outreach via schools programs. Technology transfer is facilitated through Bench2biz workshops, EU-TALENT Centre partnerships, and industry collaboration projects. Knowledge sharing occurs through publications, datasets/software repositories, the inControl Podcast, and the Via Automation explainer series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• REAL – Research Explanation and Application Laboratory A laboratory program where students pursue application ideas from proof-of-concept to industrial collaborations, start-ups, or open science projects, with a focus on explaining and communicating research to people from other fields.
• NCCR Automation Fellowship Programme International research fellowship program for Master's students, PhD candidates, and postdoctoral researchers to conduct research at Swiss institutions within the NCCR Automation network.
• CAS ETH in Applied Automation Technology Professional education program providing targeted training in automation, feedback control, and machine learning for working professionals, delivered through ETH Zurich's School for Continuing Education.
• Bench2biz Workshops Annual workshops guiding researchers through exploring the commercial potential of innovative ideas, assessing marketability, and developing business plans for scientific spin-offs.
• Datasets and Software Repository Open-access collection of datasets and software code including tools for train trajectory optimization, energy systems, mobility research, and computational methods, available via GitHub and Zenodo.
• inControl Podcast Podcast series covering topics in control theory, featuring deep dives into modern control theory concepts including Kalman filters, state-space approaches, and feedback systems.
• Real World Demonstrators Living lab projects deploying and testing automation solutions in real-world settings including Grid2050 for energy transition and Sisslerfeld for industrial-municipal integration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research outputs include open-source software, datasets, and publications available to the research community
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• ETH ZurichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome institution hosting the NCCR Automation headquarters at the Automatic Control Laboratory. Principal investigator institutions include ETH Zurich.
• EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution contributing researchers and hosting principal investigators. Key research collaboration in automation and control systems.
• Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner hosting PhD students and contributing to automation research, particularly in energy systems and urban applications.
• FHNW (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution contributing to research in electric power systems and railway optimization.
• SwissgridmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss transmission system operator collaborating on OPFV2 project for automated incentives for voltage support procurement in the Swiss transmission grid.
• SBB (Swiss Federal Railways)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss Federal Railways collaborating on nuorail project for energy-efficient train trajectory optimization, consuming over 2 TWh annually.
• StadlermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrain manufacturer integrating NCCR-developed numerical optimization software into ATO (Automatic Train Operation) systems, tested through hardware-in-the-loop simulations.
• AlpiqmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy supplier collaborating on optimized coordination of portfolio of co-located renewable and storage resources with stochastic optimization approaches.
• TPF (Public Transport of Fribourg)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic transport operator collaborating on COORD project for on-demand fleet orchestration, transported 34.5 million passengers in 2022.
• SiemensmajorTechnology or IntegrationIndustrial partner for Digital Twin development and validation. Algorithm development at ZHAW, DT development on Siemens Amesim platform, validation at Siemens Digital Industries lab in Leuven, Belgium.
• ZHAW School of EngineeringmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZurich University of Applied Sciences contributing to robotics and control research with robot arm validation platforms.
• OST (Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution in the NCCR Automation research network.
• inspiresupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institute partner contributing to the NCCR Automation network.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights12 records

Broad incumbents

• Schneider Electric Research: Schneider Electric operates global R&D centers focused on energy management and industrial automation, overlapping with NCCR's sustainability and energy systems research. As a major automation incumbent, it represents both a partner opportunity and a competitor for applied automation talent.
• Bosch Research: Bosch operates global research labs focused on industrial automation, manufacturing control, and AI-driven processes. Its applied automation and Industry 4.0 agenda overlaps with NCCR's sustainability and manufacturing research challenges, positioning it as a comparable large incumbent.
• Siemens Research: Siemens is both an industrial partner of NCCR Automation and a broad incumbent in industrial automation, Digital Twins, and control systems. It operates its own internal R&D labs (including Siemens Digital Industries in Leuven) that overlap substantially with NCCR's automation and control research domains.
• ABB Research: ABB operates global research centers focused on industrial automation, robotics, and control systems. Its work in motion control, process automation, and energy systems directly overlaps with NCCR's research challenges in industrial controllers and sustainability through automation.

Direct peers

• Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems: This German Max Planck institute conducts public-funded research on process control, optimization, and complex technical systems. Its research portfolio and funding model closely parallel NCCR's automation enablers and process optimization research areas.
• DFKI (German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence): DFKI is Germany's largest public-sector applied AI research center with strong programs in robotics, industrial automation, and control systems. It mirrors NCCR's public funding model, multi-institutional structure, and industry collaboration focus, serving a comparable European industrial base.
• NCCR Robotics: Another Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research operating under the same SNSF funding scheme and hosted at a leading Swiss university. Both centers advance robotics and automation research with overlapping principal investigators and shared industrial partners, making them structurally and functionally comparable.

Emerging players

• Stanford Intelligent Systems Laboratory: Stanford's SISL conducts foundational research in control, optimization, and learning for autonomous systems. It overlaps with NCCR's Theory Moonshot and Automation Enablers research, producing similar peer-reviewed outputs and competing for top PhD talent in control theory.
• MIT CSAIL: MIT CSAIL houses leading research groups in control theory, optimization, and autonomous systems that publish in the same venues as NCCR. While not a national center, it is a globally comparable academic automation research hub that competes for talent, grants, and industry attention.

Regional players

• CREATE (Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise): CREATE is a Singapore-based public-private research platform partnering with global universities on energy, mobility, and automation. It serves a comparable national research mission outside Europe, making it relevant as a regional peer operating in adjacent problem spaces.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nccr_automation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYFWF8NvVySt20KUfakFbaQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nccr-automation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about NCCR Automation