Zurich wants to become Europe’s next IT-Hub

There is going to be a new star in the European IT-Heaven. Switzerland is bundling its powers to make the city of Zurich a new IT-Hub. The first steps have already been taken.

Its an association of all relevant players which wants to Zurich to become Europe’s next big IT-Hub: Representatives of the state university, ETH Zurich, of companies like Ernst & Young Switzerland and Google Switzerland as well as important politicians. Beginning of July they declared to work together under the framework of DigitalZurich2025 to improve the IT-Industry in the capital of Switzerland.

The first steps have already been taken. Once every year an international digital congress will be held in Zurich. It will build upon the already established worldwebforum. Apart from this a “Swiss Investors Summit” is planned, which will be aligned to the World Economic Forum in Davos, as well as a “Swiss Creative & Digital Academy” which will boost Know How in universities, for experts and ICT-Companies.

Further cooperation between Zurich and the CeBIT 2016 in Hannover, Germany is planned. Switzerland wants to work together with established companies, innovative Start-Ups, universities and polytechnic colleges. A fifth step will include the setup and expansion of a start-up-accelerator program.

The young entrepreneur Sunnie J. Groeneveld will be leading the digital mega-project. Born in Zurich, she studied economics at Yale University and finished the Y-Combinator-Accelerator-Program in Silicon Valley 2011 with her own start-up. In Switzerland she is known as CEO of the start-up Inspire 925.

In a ranking of the European Commission for IT-Hubs in Europe 2014, Zurich was not part of the list. This could change in the future.

Link:
DigitalZurich2025 Website

Foto Title:
(c) Wendelin Jacober – no change