Various political and non-political personalities attended a press conference in Bellinzona on Wednesday, 13 November. During this event, two significant announcements were made. First, the formal recognition of the Ticino Innovation Park as part of the Switzerland Innovation network was revealed. This federal initiative aims to enhance Switzerland’s international position as a leader in innovation. Second, the establishment of Switzerland Innovation Park Ticino SA was announced; this non-profit organisation will be responsible for managing the Park.
This milestone reached after six years of work, represents a starting point for Ticino, as was also emphasised by State Councillor Christian Vitta , Director of the Department of Finance and Economy, who went on to recall how the Innovation Park represents an opportunity to diversify Ticino’s economic fabric: "The Innovation Park is a key initiative aimed at fostering economic development in Ticino, aligning with the vision of creating a more competitive, interconnected, and attractive canton. One of its primary goals is to promote research and development projects in collaboration with regional university institutions through its competence centres. This initiative not only strengthens our ties with the north of the Alps but also aims to build synergies that extend beyond national borders".
Christian Vitta’s words were echoed by those of State Councillor Marina Carobbio Guscetti , director of DECS, who emphasised the value of the collaboration between institutions, the economic world and university research, which the Park aims to optimise and stimulate: "The competence centres will not only enable the sharing of knowledge among various stakeholders but also promote the development of innovative technical and technological solutions. They will provide access to high-quality laboratory facilities and a network of qualified professionals. The goal is to accelerate innovation, facilitate access to research funding, maintain the competitiveness of existing companies in the Canton, and attract new ones".
Establishing a communication and exchange network between research and industry and creating both physical and virtual hubs is a key objective of the Innovation Park. "What we are aiming at,’ explained USI Rector Luisa Lambertini , "is the development of applied research activities that start by joining forces with companies that want to do technological work in various fields and that need university research and expertise". One example of synergy between the university world and the corporate world, as explained by the Rector, is the field of drones: "To conduct experiments with drones, we need an infrastructure that enables vertical flight. This requirement could create a collaboration between companies seeking to test new technologies and professors and lecturers who are developing these technologies in our laboratories".
The recognition of the Ticino Innovation Park came about thanks to the work of the Agire Foundation , which, on behalf of the Canton, supervised the development of the Park and the application process. Luca Bolzani, president of the Foundation, explained how recognition by Switzerland Innovation was achieved: "Switzerland currently boasts six Innovation Parks, along with eight satellite parks, each possessing unique characteristics. Some parks are home to large multinational corporations, while others host polytechnic institutions. In preparing the dossier, we had to consider the distinct features of Ticino, which include a strong university system, a dense network of small and medium-sized enterprises, and a strategic geographic position along the north-south axis". Three potential competence centres have been chosen from the twelve initially evaluated: the Swiss Drone Competence Centre in Lodrino, the Life Sciences Competence Centre in Bellinzona, and the Lifestyle Tech Competence Centre in Lugano. There are plans to merge the various competence centres in the former "officine" quarters in Bellinzona.
"At this stage, we are analysing the business plans of the three competence centres," explained Gianmaria Frapolli , director of the Switzerland Innovation Park Ticino, "we want to carefully assess their content and identify any aspects that need to be improved. We will then allocate the funding by June 2025". The Canton has earmarked a contribution of CHF 10 million for the next four years, funding that Gianmaria Frapolli aims to manage according to three criteria: "Firstly, a lean structure that knows how to make decisions quickly-secondly, the ability to transform and question oneself. And finally, to attract companies and capital from outside the Canton in order to grow further". The Park will not finance individual projects but competence centres, within which there will be several working groups.
As Mauro Dell’Ambrogio , president of the board of directors of Switzerland Innovation Park Ticino, recalled, the financing received from Ticino’s politicians, as well as the approval to use the Switzerland Innovation brand, are recognitions that cannot be taken for granted. To be able to operate with the national label requires balanced governance (in the case of Switzerland Innovation Park Ticino, the shareholders include - in addition to USI - SUPSI, representatives of the economy and the Canton). "It is a balanced governance," Mauro Dell’Ambrogio commented, "because to be able to act and use resources, it is necessary to have the consensus of the various partners".
