Switzerland and India: exceptional synergies

Given the two countries' strengths and complementarity in various fields, as well as the flow of capital, technology and know-how between the two, their scientific and economic rapprochement will present fantastic opportunities to entrepreneurs and investors.

The canton of Vaud is the ideal place to invest in innovation in Europe: it is home to 35,000 companies, nearly 10% of which are involved in high-tech activities, including research and development in fields such as life sciences, cybersecurity and aerospace. The canton ranks second nationally in the attraction of venture capital funding and number of financing rounds and the Greater Lausanne Area has been named 11th emerging ecosystem worldwide by Startup Genome.

India economy and tech scene are booming. The country is slated to become the world’s third largest economy by 2030, it produces 1.5 million engineering graduates annually and is home to some of the best universities in the world, including the Indian Institutes of Technology with its campuses spread across the country. India has invested heavily in areas like semiconductors, financial technology and even electric vehicles and it is paying off. It’s political, economic and scientific leadership is dedicated to turning India into Asia’s tech powerhouse.

We see many Indian students, particularly those who obtained a doctorate, opt to stay in Switzerland after completing their studies at universities such as EPFL or ETHZ. While there are no exact figures, it is estimated their numbers run in the hundreds. Aside from a large number working in research, numerous members of the community also take the entrepreneurial leap to commercialize and transform their technology into promising startups and later scale-ups.