The best of innovative Switzerland arrives in Milan, the one you don't expect

It is called House of Switzerland and will host the excellence of Swiss technology, innovation and sustainability.To discover frontier knowledge.

Always close, Italy And Swiss, But have they ever truly understood each other?Do these two neighboring countries know each other?And if so, what do they think of each other?To ask yourself these questions – legitimate, if you consider that in Switzerland there are around 80 thousand cross-border workers and that 300 thousand Italians live across the border and 35 thousand Swiss live in Italy – it was the neutral country par excellence, the only one with a square flag and not a rectangular one like all the others, known for its chocolate, mountains, cheese with holes and everything else stereotype come to mind.From the answers the idea of ​​was born House of Switzerland – a traveling house that already stopped in Stuttgart last year – meeting place to talk about the lesser-known version of the country.

It is a temporary networking and communication platform that promotes Switzerland's visibility in important neighboring regions and strengthens and develops relations with European partners.The House is an incubator for discussing new cooperation and common perspectives in the nearby town.

What is House of Switzerland?

TO Milan Therefore, from 26 April to 12 June 2022, we will have the opportunity to discover another Switzerland thanks to meetings focused on the themes ofinnovation, from the sustainability, of theart and of culture.The location chosen is not random:it is, in the central district of Brera, from the House of artists which, although young, is already a point of reference in Milan for those who love to delve deeper and not remain on the surface of the world of art and thought in general.

The aim, for all scheduled events, is to create valuable connections and relationships between two neighboring countries, of exchange best practices in areas in which both excel, also due to their fruitful collaborations.Many people worked for such an ambitious project:“House of Switzerland” is the result of the entire “Team Switzerland”:beyond Swiss Presence, the Swiss Embassy in Rome and the Swiss Consulate General in Milan in collaboration with strategic partners Switzerland Tourism, Switzerland Global Enterprise/Swiss Business Hub Italia and Pro Helvetia.

What will happen in this house?

A pleasant place in the city center to meet people and exchange ideas.Inspired by the popular concept of pop up shops, House of Switzerland, albeit temporary, will be an open place in Milan because, even if virtual platforms are becoming increasingly important, experience has shown that there is no substitute for face-to-face meetings and on-site experiences.This happy return to the old ways is already an incentive to participate.But concretely, what will we find at the Artists' House from 26 April 2022? Over 30 events including exhibitions, debates, lessons, workshops that will tell the story of the country starting from areas that have so far been little explored and known, especially by the Italian public.

For a Switzerland of knowledge

It is not immediate to associate Switzerland with the theme of "research and development", but the country invests a lot in it – almost 3.4 percent of its gross domestic product and with notable results: a fundamental asset therefore it is worth talking about, as will be done in many of the meetings in House of Switzerland.Among the aspects to consider is international cooperation precisely in the field of research:Switzerland has a very high degree of internationalization and participates in some of the most important research programs.Which?

CERN in Geneva

For example the Cern, the European Center for Nuclear Research, which is based in Geneva, ensures cooperation between European states in the field of nuclear and particle physics and promotes with its particle accelerator – Large Hadron Collider LHC – cutting-edge research in the field of high-energy physics.We like to remember it precisely in this historical moment because Cern is a UNESCO creature that has been working since 1956 to understand the universe and generates science for peace.It is a model of how states, cultures and scientists from all over the world can collaborate for excellence.Also for this reason, since 8 March 2022 Russia has been excluded from collaborations and projects.

ESA, the European Space Agency

Switzerland also collaborates onHex (European Space Agency), especially in projects dedicated to the prevention of natural and technological disasters andEureka, an initiative through which industries and research institutes in European countries and the European Commission develop and exploit technologies vital for global competitiveness and a better quality of life.

The OECD, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Another Swiss plus?The data OECD, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, speak clearly:Switzerland ranks first in terms of spending on education per student.This economic effort is then transformed into an offer of high quality, especially university and higher quality for those who decide to train in Switzerland and, subsequently, into excellence in both people and projects.It is especially evident if you visit the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology:the'Eth of Zurich and theEpfl of Lausanne.Here students have the opportunity to concretely put into practice the notions they have received, an example?There Student project house of the Eth it is a space built for the thriving creative community within the polytechnic where students gather, experiment, test concepts, enhance group projects and build the ideas of tomorrow, many of which are aimed at sustainability and its applications for the environment.

Through sharing spaces, exchange of ideas, mentor support and funding opportunities, the Sph offers student projects a springboard to make an impact in the real world. Inside a vast laboratory managed by the students, tools and machines are made available for their projects so that they have what they need to create a real prototype.In this way an idea born here is also actually brought to fruition and tested.Many have passed the entire process and have reached commercialization:of the best you can attend presentations at the House of Switzerland in Milan.

House of Switzerland, the events

Almost two months of events from which we have chosen our unmissable ones, inviting you to periodically consult the plan online to stay updated.It starts at House of artists – via Tommaso da Cazzaniga, corner, corso Garibaldi, 89/A – on April 26th, inauguration day, at 6.30pm with Meet the media guru – Swiss edition:born from an already existing format, created by Meet, the first Italian center of digital art and culture, based in Milan, will this time see the protagonist Luca Maria Gambardella – Vice rector for innovation and corporate relations of Usi, University of Italian Switzerland, which takes us on a fascinating journey where science becomes art and helps us reflect on the relationship between humans and machines, inviting us to discover the future evolution of artificial intelligence.To register for the free event, here.

To get into the mood of House of Switzerland it is a good idea to participate on April 27th at 7:00 pm Swiss Innovation Ecosystem meets Mind (to sign up here), a round table that offers the opportunity to listen to authoritative voices on the topics of innovation and sustainability and to learn about Swiss and Italian innovation case studies, exploring possible common future developments.

House of Switzerland will also intersect with an event deeply felt by the Milanese, the Design week which will be held from 6 to 12 June and which will see the Artists' House transformed into the house of Swiss design.In collaboration with Pro Helvetia and various Swiss universities and art academies – theHaute École d’Arts Appliqués, (Head), theLausanne Cantonal Art School (Ecal), the two Federal Polytechnics, the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences (HSLU) – as well as with the Swiss Institute of Milan and various private sector partners, House of Switzerland will host an exhibition on the theme of Living Spaces.On this occasion, a new generation of Swiss designers will present their work, focusing on the effects of social, ecological and technological changes on our living spaces.

The internal “Tasting” bistro will also be unconventional throughout the event:for a different break it will offer gastronomy that is committed and responsible towards the community and the environment.You will find dishes enriched with wild, aromatic and medicinal herbs:for an unforgettable taste experience.

House of Switzerland is shaping up to be one home of Swiss knowledge but above all a hymn and praise to the collaboration with neighboring Italy.All very far from the stereotypes of Italians about the Swiss Confederation which Swiss presence – the reality that promotes the image of the country abroad – wants to fade.So, well done.