Espace des inventions

What Espace des inventions does

Espace des inventions is a Swiss non-profit foundation (Fondation de l'Espace des inventions) established in 1998 and inaugurated on 1 December 2000 in Lausanne. It operates an interactive science museum in the Vallée de la Jeunesse, offering hands-on exhibitions on physics, biology, technology, and engineering for children, families, and school groups. Core products include permanent and temporary exhibitions, educational workshops, summer and holiday camps, birthday-party events, and an itinérance programme that loans exhibitions to partner institutions in France and Switzerland.

The foundation was co-founded by EPFL, the Ville de Lausanne, the État de Vaud, the University of Lausanne (UNIL), and CVAJ, and remains embedded in those institutional networks. It operates with approximately 20 employees and serves an estimated 25,000–30,000 visitors per year. Revenue is generated through a mix of ticket admissions, workshop and camp fees, birthday-party hosting, and grants from public sponsors including the Loterie romande. It is a member of the Réseau des Musées de Lausanne and maintains collaboration agreements with peer science centres such as Technorama and Ideatorio.

The museum is temporarily closed for a full renovation of its venue, with reopening planned for August 2026. During the closure, the foundation continues operations through its traveling-exhibition programme — deploying shows to Saint-Étienne, Montbéliard, and Jupille in France, and to Ideatorio in Lugano — and through new off-site formats including an at-home Escape Game and the "Science aux petits oignons" event series. Leadership comprises Frédéric Herman (President), Daniel Chuard (Vice-President), and Emmanuelle Giacometti (Director).

Name

Espace des inventions

Legal name

Fondation de l'Espace des inventions

Website

https://espace-des-inventions.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Espace des inventions is a Lausanne-based non-profit science museum offering interactive exhibitions, workshops, and camps on physics, biology, and technology for children, families, and school groups, with around 20 staff serving 25,000–30,000 visitors annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Science Museum and Educational Discovery Center

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro primary industry

Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s Museums (THAJADAE), Makerspace, Innovation Lab & Fab Lab Operations (Tools, Safety, Programming) (EDAEAGAI), Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA)

Keywords

• Interactive science exhibitions
• Children's science museum
• Educational workshops
• Vacation day camps
• Hands-on science discovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Exhibition Admissions: Ticket sales for museum exhibitions. Online ticketing system available for visitor purchases.
2. Workshops and Activities: Fees for workshops and activities, particularly for children. Registration required, payment made online.
3. Summer/School Holiday Camps: Vacation day camps for children (centres aérés) operated since 2017 when EDI took over from CVAJ.
4. Birthday Parties: Birthday party organization at the museum venue, requires advance reservation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Espace des inventions operates an interactive science museum in Lausanne that designs, builds, and presents rotating exhibitions on scientific, technical, and cultural themes aimed primarily at children aged 7+ and families. The institution complements its exhibitions with supervised hands-on workshops, vacation day camps (centres aérés) for Lausanne children, school and parascolaire educational visits, birthday party services, scientific dinner events, and downloadable at-home activities such as Escape Games. The museum also lends its traveling exhibitions to partner science centers across Switzerland and France.

Product overview

Espace des inventions is a science museum offering interactive exhibitions, workshops, and educational activities for children and families. The core offering consists of rotating interactive exhibitions on scientific, technical, and cultural topics, complemented by hands-on workshops, vacation day camps (centres aérés), online ticketing services, and at-home activities like escape games. The museum typically hosts 25,000-30,000 visitors annually, presenting 1-2 exhibitions simultaneously in its Lausanne venue, with exhibitions also traveling to partner institutions. Current major exhibitions include Robot (robotics), Voyage en Nord (Arctic exploration), Tic tac tectonique (earthquakes), and L'arbre (trees), among others. The institution was founded in 1998 and is temporarily closed for building renovations until August 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Expositions (Interactive Exhibitions) Rotating interactive exhibitions on scientific, technical, and cultural themes, designed for children (age 7+) and families, featuring hands-on experiments and discovery through play. Open to walk-in visitors, school groups, and event organizers.
• Ateliers (Workshops) Supervised science and technology workshops for children, offering hands-on learning activities. Requires online registration and payment.
• Centres aérés (Vacation Day Camps) Vacation day camps for children of Lausanne during summer and autumn school holidays, including educational activities and supervised childcare. Operated since 2017 after taking over from CVAJ.
• Birthday Party Services Organization of children's birthday parties at the museum venue, requiring advance reservation.
• Science aux petits oignons (Scientific Dinners) Scientific supper events combining a meal with science content, a unique format in French-speaking Switzerland inspired by Technorama's In Vino Scientia.
• Robot Exhibition Interactive exhibition on robotics exploring what robots are, their components, purposes, and societal stakes. Includes workshops. Targeted at children from age 7 and curious adults.
• Tic tac tectonique Exhibition Interactive exhibition about earthquakes and tectonics, exploring the mechanisms of seismic events through interactive displays. Created with CPPS.
• Voyage en Nord Exhibition Exhibition aboard the Gaia sailboat for discovering Arctic waters and natural sciences through interactive and playful exploration of sailing, Arctic animals, and icebergs. For all ages from 7.
• Da ün Giacometti e l' altar Exhibition Cultural exhibition exploring the Giacometti family of artists from the Bregaglia valley. Features games, interactive displays, and artwork reproductions.
• L'arbre, de la petite graine à la vieille branche Exhibition Interactive exhibition about trees, their biology, ecology, utility, and artistic inspiration.
• Comme une ... à la poste Exhibition Workshop-exhibition introducing mail art, stamp art, and postal art. Visitors create and mail artwork through postal services. Targeted at families and children from age 7.
• Escape Game (Pschitt) At-home escape game activity available for download, providing family entertainment outside museum visits.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25,000 to 30,000 visitors per year

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Founding member and ongoing strategic partner. EPFL professors Gerald Zambelli and Bernard Vittoz originated the concept. EPFL's Centre LEARN collaborated on the Robot exhibition. EPFL is represented on the Foundation Council.
• Ville de LausannecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Founding member and host city. Provided the building in Vallée de la Jeunesse. Represented on Foundation Council by M. Simone Horat (chef du service quartiers, jeunesse et familles) and M. David Payot (Conseiller municipal, Directeur de l'enfance, de la jeunesse et des quartiers).
• État de VaudcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Founding member and canton of Vaud government. Major funder and supporter of the institution.
• Université de Lausanne (UNIL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Founding member. Represented on Foundation Council by M. Frédéric Herman (Recteur) and Mme Marie Neumann (Directrice du Service Culture et Médiation scientifique).
• Centre vaudois d'aide à la Jeunesse (CVAJ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Founding member. In 2017, EDI took over CVAJ's activities at the ground floor of Rotonde including holiday camps and cultural awakening exhibitions.
• Lausanne RégionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional tourism and development organization providing promotional support.
• HES-SOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland, with Olivier Naef on Foundation Council representing HES-SO.
• Akademien Schweiz (Swiss Academies of Sciences)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLargest scientific network in Switzerland advising political authorities and public on science-related matters. Partner on Robot exhibition.
• Ideatorio (USI Lugano)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEquivalent institution in Ticino/Tessin region. EDI's Robot exhibition is currently on loan/rent to Ideatorio in Lugano from September 2025 to June 2027.
• Technorama (Winterthur)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience museum in German-speaking Switzerland. EDI launched Science aux petits oignons, a scientific supper unique in French-speaking Switzerland, inspired by Technorama's In Vino Scientia events.
• Rézo ScienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork grouping several science-oriented institutions in French-speaking Switzerland.
• Loisirs.chminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRomandie leisure portal featuring EDI in the Passeport Loisirs guide.
• SimplyScienceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWebsite for children, parents, and teachers featuring activities, workshops, and science exhibitions information.
• Lausanne MuséesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNetwork of 21 Lausanne-region institutions under Lausanne Musées banner for promotion and synergies.
• Centre LEARN (EPFL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated in designing the Robot exhibition.
• CPPS (Centre pédagogique, prévention, séisme)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Tic Tac tectonique exhibition. CPPS has the largest earthquake simulator in Europe.
• BioScope (Université de Genève)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on L'Arbre exhibition on trees.
• Centro Giacometti (Stampa)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Da ün Giacometti e l'altar exhibition. Centro Giacometti offers exhibitions, conferences, and a Giacometti trail in Val Bregaglia.
• Science & Voile avec GaiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Voyage en Nord exhibition featuring Gaia sailing vessel.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Deutsches Museum: One of the world's oldest and largest science and technology museums in Munich. Comparable as a major science museum with interactive elements, though far broader in scope than EDI.
• Exploratorium: Pioneering large-scale hands-on science museum in San Francisco. Operates in the same interactive-science-museum category as EDI but at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.
• Science Museum (London): Major UK science museum with interactive galleries and family programming including a dedicated children's zone. Comparable in mission and audience to EDI, at much larger scale.
• Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie: Europe's largest science museum in Paris, offering interactive exhibitions, kids' areas and educational programming. Same category of family-facing science exhibition center, much larger footprint.
• Palais de la Découverte: Historic Parisian science museum with interactive exhibits and live demonstrations for families and school groups. Broader and longer-established, but in the same family-oriented science museum category.

Regional players

• Musée de la Main (UNIL-CHUV): Lausanne-area museum of the human body and health with interactive family exhibits. Closest local peer in the same city/region, offering complementary rather than directly competing programming.

Direct peers

• Ideatorio (USI): USI Lugano's interactive science and innovation center serving families and schools in Italian-speaking Switzerland. EDI's Robot exhibition is touring there from Sept 2025 to June 2027, evidencing direct content and audience overlap.
• Technorama: Swiss hands-on science museum in Winterthur with interactive exhibitions and maker-style programming. Directly comparable as a Swiss science center; EDI explicitly modeled its Science aux petits oignons events on Technorama's In Vino Scientia.
• Pavillon des sciences de Montbéliard: Regional science center in eastern France offering interactive exhibitions to families and schools. Comparable size and programming mix, currently hosting EDI's Voyage en Nord exhibition.
• La Rotonde - Centre de Sciences de Saint-Étienne: French science center hosting hands-on exhibitions and family programming. Comparable as a regional science center that licenses traveling exhibitions (currently hosting EDI's Tic Tac Tectonique).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/espace-des-inventions
• Instagraminstagram.com/espace_des_inventions/?hl=fr

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Espace des inventions