Building Their Own Companies With Timber and Robots
January 9, 2017 | ETH ZurichEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
ETH Zurich can once again look back on a successful year of spin-offs: as in 2015, a total of 25 new companies were incorporated in 2016. This is thus the tenth time in a row that over 20 spin-offs have been founded at ETH in a single year – a unique achievement in Switzerland’s higher education landscape. Furthermore, ten of the newly founded ETH spin-offs were created through the Pioneer Fellowship programme.
For Detlef Günther, Vice President Research and Corporate Relations, the consistently high number serves as proof that ETH Zurich is following the right path by providing support to students from an early stage. “A university’s greatest achievement is to help young people put their ideas into practice. We have students who, as Pioneer Fellows in 2016, have already founded a company after the course of their Master’s degrees. This takes conviction, commitment and courage, as the path to success can be a long one,” says Günther.
The topical focus of the 25 new spin-offs reflects the entire breadth of research at ETH Zurich. With eight new companies, the field of information and communications technology is once again well represented. There was also a welcome increase in the field of mechanical engineering, where no fewer than six new spin-offs were founded – twice as many as in the previous year. In the field of biotechnology, four spin-offs were founded, matching the figure for 2015.
From research project to new company
Among the newly founded spin-offs, two companies offer solutions in the field of timber engineering. This is not by chance; on the contrary, the startup Swiss Timber Solutions emerged from the House of Natural Resources project. This unique building, owned by ETH Zurich, is used for testing innovative technologies and new structural parts made from Swiss hardwood. The spin-off deals with questions relating to the fire protection, structural design and maintenance of timber structures. The second spin-off, Swiss Wood Solutions, develops and markets high-quality timber products around the world. For Detlef Günther, these are impressive examples that demonstrate how knowledge transfer works at ETH Zurich: “When we inaugurated the House of Natural Resources a year ago, we were fascinated by the possibilities that our researchers discovered in timber construction. Now, these findings are already leading to the establishment of new companies.”
Robotics is another stand-out area among last year’s new startups. With the companies Aerotainment Labs, ANYbotics and Wingtra, renowned walking and flying robots from ETH are poised to make the leap into independence. These robots vary widely and can be used for inspection tasks on difficult terrain, for monitoring tasks in the agricultural sector, or even for animation and entertainment.
Suggested Items
Siemens, Foxconn Team Up to Optimize Forward-thinking Manufacturing
05/16/2024 | FoxconnSiemens AG, a leading technology company, and Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn), the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to drive digital transformation and sustainability in smart manufacturing platforms.
TactoTek Licenses IMSE Technology to Polestar for Sustainable Electronics Design Innovation
05/15/2024 | TactoTekPolestar, the Swedish electric performance car brand, and Finnish smart surface pioneer TactoTek, have entered a collaboration to explore integration of Injection Molded Structural Electronics (IMSE) technology into Polestar’s vehicle programs.
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Manufacturing Intelligence from the Factory Floor
05/15/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPONolan Johnson and Ranjan Chatterjee, Vice President of Smart Factory Business Units at PDF Solutions, discuss the background of Cimetrix and PDF Solutions. They explore the analytics tools provided by PDF Solutions, the merging of semiconductor and electronics manufacturing, and data handling in these industries. They also discuss different product lines, standards, packaging technologies, data usage, and integration with ERP systems
Saki Set to Highlight Cutting-Edge Inspection Technology at SMTConnect 2024
05/15/2024 | Saki CorporationSaki Corporation, an innovator in the field of automated optical and X-ray inspection equipment, will be exhibiting at SMTConnect 2024 in Nuremberg, Germany from June 11-13. As a key highlight of the Selecs booth #235 in Hall 4, Saki will be showcasing its unique range of automated inspection solutions including the award-winning X-ray Automated Inspection System (AXI) and innovative ‘One Programming’ and AI Solutions Features.
SiPearl: Partnership with Samsung Electronics for built-in HBM in Rhea
05/14/2024 | BUSINESS WIRESiPearl, the company building the high-performance low-power European microprocessor for HPC and AI inference, has signed a partnership with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a world leader in advanced memory technology, to equip its Rhea series with Samsung’s advanced memory solution ideal for HPC and AI applications.