From Fundamental Research to Industrial Application: The Global Competitiveness of Swiss Universities

The pivotal role that academic institutions play today as essential drivers of innovation, which creates market value and warrants a high standard of living in a fiercely competitive global economy, is unparalleled. For Switzerland, where the cost of living is among the highest in the world, it is a must to perform at the very top now as the impact of deficits will only be felt years later. Therefore, one needs to ask if the academic institutions are performing at the required level? In a benchmark study, Swiss universities were compared with some of the world’s leading research institutions through the analysis of 40 performance indicators with a focus on the efforts “Science to Market.” Looking at higher education in Switzerland, it is notable that the student population has been growing disproportionally since 2010 due to the higher enrolment of foreign students. Furthermore, Swiss universities are known for their excellence in fundamental research including public/private partnership projects. This was confirmed with the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology leading in front. However, when focusing on “Science to Market” efforts, the rankings were pretty low. Whether looking at invention disclosures, patent applications, technology licensing, university spin-offs, or venture capital deals, a significant weakness in the competitive position of Swiss universities vis-à-vis its global competitors became apparent.