The government does not decide in advance whether to focus on a specific space field. It only looks at what proposals emerge in the field and designs support programs accordingly.
On the 24th (local time) in Bern, Jonas Habich, scientific adviser at the Swiss Space Office (SSO), described the characteristics of Switzerland's space industry this way. Switzerland is one of Europe's leading space powers. The first experiment conducted after Apollo 11 landed on the moon 50 years ago was a solar wind probe developed by Switzerland. Since then, Switzerland has built its presence in core technologies such as satellites, rocket components, and space robots, and has established itself as a founding member and major contributor to the European Space Agency (ESA).
What is striking is that the SSO, which oversees Swiss space policy, has only 15 staff members. The government organization is small, but the industry is strong. The government does not unilaterally set the direction of the industry; ideas born in the private sector—such as corporations and universities—drive the flow. The Swiss government steps in with support only after that flow is verified. This bottom-up system, with universities and corporations at its center, is cited as a key pillar of competitiveness not only in Switzerland's space industry but across the country.
◇ An "innovation park" where ideas become industry
This bottom-up structure is embodied concretely in the Swiss Innovation Center. The Swiss Innovation Center is a nonprofit established through cooperation between the government and the private sector to build an industry-academia-research innovation ecosystem and to commercialize research. It currently operates innovation parks in six locations nationwide, including Zurich and Lausanne, and about 700 corporations and research institutions are housed there. Among them, the Zurich Innovation Park focuses on the space industry.
The Swiss Innovation Park serves as a platform that connects corporations, researchers, and public institutions, going beyond simple office space. A representative example, the parabolic flight program, began in 2015 from researchers' curiosity. The program flies an aircraft in a parabolic trajectory to create microgravity conditions and then conducts physics and life-science experiments; it has been run for more than 10 years and expanded into experiments on the International Space Station (ISS). Some of the research results were published in the international journal Nature Communications Physics.
Cora Thiel, director of international cooperation at the Swiss and Liechtenstein Space Center (CSA), said, "If there is a good idea, we do not wait for government instructions; we start on our own," and noted, "When a project that began this way grows organically and proves its results, that is when the government steps in with support."
This innovation system works the same regardless of region or field. The Lausanne Innovation Park (PARK WEST EPFL), centered on nearby academic infrastructure such as the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), has produced more than 300 deep-tech startups over the past 10 years and attracted over $5 billion (about 7 trillion won) in investment. Deputy director Giovanni Porcellana said, "Our goal is to help corporations build the capacity to collaborate naturally with the research ecosystem," adding, "The greatest value is created when large corporations effectively leverage collaboration with academia." In fact, global corporations such as TSMC and LVMH are participating as partner organizations here.
◇ An innovation powerhouse built by a "small government"
The bottom-up structure, in which the field leads policy, is rooted in Switzerland's distinctive political culture. In Switzerland, where direct democracy and decentralization are advanced, the government prioritizes the choices of citizens and local communities rather than unilaterally setting a direction. Industrial policy likewise takes the form of the central government institutionally backing flows that have formed in the private sector.
A structure that minimizes government intervention has, paradoxically, produced high efficiency. Academia and corporations have been able to focus on long-term "disruptive innovation" without being trapped by short-term results. Thanks to this environment, Switzerland has ranked No. 1 on the Global Innovation Index (GII) for 15 consecutive years.
The institutional backing is strong as well. Regulations are relaxed, but intellectual property (IP) protection is thorough. The average corporate tax rate is about 12%, and up to 90% tax benefits are granted on IP income. In particular, Switzerland's business-friendly environment is so strong that it is often called "America within Europe."
On the back of this environment, Google built its largest research and development (R&D) center outside the United States in Zurich, and global big tech companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Meta, and Nvidia have made Switzerland their European base. This, in turn, is leading to a virtuous cycle that strengthens cooperation between domestic academia and startups.