ETH Zurich backs Innovation Park Zurich

This spring, ETH Zurich began renting two halls at Innovation Park Zurich (IPZ), along with the associated annexes and main buildings, under a 20-year phased agreement. ETH’s aim in choosing the location is to promote collaboration between science and industry. The Innovation Park fulfils the necessary requirements: the 70-hectare site, formerly part of Dübendorf airfield, is devoted to research, development and innovation. In addition to ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich and the first businesses are already on site. Other well-known companies are also planning to set up here.

In future, ETH will use Hall 3 at IPZ for focus and competition teams involved in its project-based learning programme. These student teams run their own projects and take part in international competitions, for example. ETH is already using six of the ten bays in Hall 3. In addition to teaching projects, Hall 3 already houses units from the Centre for Immersive Wave Experimentation, which is developing a fundamentally new approach to seismic wave research. The remaining four bays of Hall 3 and the interior of Hall 2 are scheduled to be completed by 2024. Construction of the annexes and main buildings and renovation of the exterior will then be completed in spring 2026.

Cooperation with industry

ETH wants to establish the location even more strongly as a hub where skills and expertise can be transferred to industry. The university is therefore pursuing a different concept in Hall 2. The focus here is on fixed-term cooperation projects between industry and spin-offs or professors and their research teams. “The aim is that our active curation and the special geographical proximity will encourage the development of marketable products,” explains Cyril Kubr, who is responsible for the project at the Vice President’s Office for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations at ETH. “Our plan is that three large project teams will be able to work side by side in the hall from 2025 onwards. It is envisaged that each of these projects will take three to five years.”

IPZ plays an important role for ETH

The IPZ location plays an important role for ETH. While space is limited at ETH Zurich’s central and Hönggerberg campuses, there is plenty available at IPZ. The two halls each measure 3,000m² – enough to house projects that require larger spaces in the future. The competition and focus teams mentioned above consist of up to 60 people, all requiring sufficient space for their work.

Shared workshops and large test areas

In Hall 3, there is a maker space with shared facilities such as wood and metal workshops and an autoclave in which fibre-composite components such as vehicle chassis or aircraft wings are produced. Between them, the teams are therefore able to produce almost everything they need. There are also adequately sized test areas on the apron in front of the halls. Teams already on-site include e-Sling, Academic Space Initiative Switzerland (ARIS), Swissloop and the Academic Motorsports Club Zurich (AMZ). Depending on the activity, a team may occupy an area of up to around 300m².

Students feel at home

ETH expressed interest in the IPZ location at an early stage. The idea dates back to 2016. “ETH Zurich’s Real Estate Management department recognised the potential of this location early on and pursued it over the years, despite all the obstacles,” explains Christian Feghali, Real Estate Portfolio Manager at ETH. “We presented a variety of ideas and concepts and did everything we could to make our ideas a reality in this location in order to encourage new forms of research. The students also feel very much at home there.”

The park aims to facilitate innovation and provide the space to try out new things. The focus is on robotics and mobility, aerospace and advanced manufacturing. The Innovation Park Zurich Foundation was set up in 2015 by the canton of Zurich, Zürcher Kantonalbank and ETH Zurich. The University of Zurich, Empa, the municipalities of Dübendorf and Zurich and company representatives are now also represented on the Board of Trustees. The site is set to undergo major development over the coming months with the arrival of more companies. Ideally, this will result in synergies with other institutions and businesses in the future.