According to the Global Innovation Index previously published by the World Intellectual Property Organization, Switzerland has ranked first in the world in innovation for the ninth consecutive year. Switzerland, a country with a total population of only 8.4 million, is actually able to surpass the United States and remain the world's largest innovation power. It is worth mentioning that Switzerland is in a leading position in patent applications, intellectual property income and the production of high-end technology products, and the conversion efficiency of innovation results is extremely high. It is worth mentioning that Switzerland was once the country with the highest salary in the world.
In Switzerland, not only large companies, but also small and medium-sized enterprises have at least one world-leading innovative technology. Taking drone companies as an example, there are currently more than 80 drone-related companies in Switzerland. These small companies have risen rapidly in the past six years and have gathered together to form Switzerland’s “Drone Valley.” These drone companies have shown a trend of segmentation in terms of specialization and commercialization. Each drone company focuses on a specific field, and the drones developed by different companies meet the application needs of different scenarios. ETH Zurich, EPFL and the University of Zurich are at the forefront of research on flying robots and drone automation systems.
Comprehensive universities, represented by ETH Zurich and EPFL, are responsible for In terms of basic scientific research, these two universities have strong scientific research capabilities in electronics, engineering and other fields, making important contributions to improving Switzerland’s innovation capabilities. Many start-ups were born from the cutting-edge research teams of these two universities. Dr. Su Zhenzhong’s start-up Fixposition is committed to providing high-precision navigation solutions for autonomous vehicles. Its core technology, centimeter-level high-precision positioning RTK technology, comes from ETH Zurich. University.
One of the top technologies and fields: Swiss robots
The "painter" robot developed in Switzerland is composed of more than 2,000 parts and can draw with an accuracy of one hundredth of a millimeter. Works such as "Head of Louis XV", "Head of King George III and Queen Charlotte of England" and "Butterfly Controlled by Cupid". The Swiss robot's skillful movements and focused eyes are lifelike, and it can even gently blow away the pencil dust remaining on the paper from time to time.
Switzerland’s “Musician” robot is a girl wearing a rococo dress. It is composed of more than 2,500 parts and can play five pieces of music on an organ with 48 pipes. When her fingers move slowly and slowly on the keyboard, her body will also move gracefully. If you look closely, you can even see her chest breathing up and down together. After playing a song, the robot will also nod to the audience.
Another example is that among the various watches and clocks collected by the Forbidden City, there is a treasure that is said to be Qianlong's favorite, which is a gold-plated copper calligrapher's clock, produced by the famous Swiss Jaquet-Droz workshop.
It is worth mentioning that the robot in Switzerland is a gentleman dressed in European-style clothes, kneeling on one knee with a humble expression, and holding a pen with his right hand hanging from the wrist in a standard posture. After winding the string, he would slowly write the eight Chinese characters "Eight Directions, Nine Earths Come to the King" on the paper in front of him. The Chinese characters are written in the regular script of Zhao Mengfu, which was the favorite of Emperor Qianlong.
It is worth mentioning that for seven consecutive years, Switzerland has been rated as the most innovative country in the world by Cornell University, the World Intellectual Property Organization and INSEAD in Paris*** . A country with a population of just eight million has the highest proportion of peer-reviewed scientific publications in the world. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) and the Ecole Polytechnique in Lausanne (EPEL), which have produced 21 Nobel Prize winners, including Einstein, are among the world's top science and engineering universities and Europe's top. Especially in the field of robotics, they can be said to be world-class. Professors and a large number of high-quality talents are gathered here.
Switzerland's ABB industrial robot giant belongs to one of the four most powerful robot families in the world, and its representative product is YUMI. Another example is the Swiss maxon motor, which was once used as a motor for Mars probes. maxon re40 has become the standard driving motor for exoskeleton robots in the global academic community.
Switzerland's medical rehabilitation robot Hocoma is firmly positioned as the dominant player in the global medical rehabilitation industry. Its classic products include the Lokomat fully automatic machine gait assessment system and the Armeo upper limb rehabilitation robot. For example, Switzerland's quadruped robot ANYmal, which looks like a Boston dog, can be used to assist in search and rescue missions.
The world’s earliest writing robot originated in Switzerland. In the 1870s, the three robot dolls made by Swiss watch master Pierre Jaquet-Droz and his assistants are considered classics of the century, and they are still of a very high level now. Although these robots are more than 240 years old, they have child-like appearance. One can write, one is good at drawing, and another can play the organ.
Switzerland invented indoor inspection drone.
For example, FLYABILITY's indoor inspection drone uses the world's most advanced functions to capture accurate data, replacing humans to quickly and accurately complete inspections in confined spaces. It is widely used in chemical industry, thermal power plants, municipal facilities, fire safety and other fields.
Top technology and field two: Swiss precision machine tools
Swiss machine tools are very good in the world. For a long time, Swiss machine tool exports have ranked among the top five in the world. Per capita foreign exchange earnings from machine tool exports have ranked first in the world for nearly 30 years. More than 150 countries in the world are long-term users of Swiss machine tool products. Especially precision machine tools are more popular among people around the world.
"Swiss Machine Tools" is world-renowned. As one of the German-speaking countries, the Swiss have inherited the rigorous and conscientious "craftsman spirit" of German-speaking countries and are persistent in striving for excellence in craftsmanship. Someone once asked a Swiss boss, "Aren't you afraid that I will take apart your company and your entire company's products for reverse engineering?" He said "try", give it a try. The machines of the Swiss company are all handmade, and no one in the world can imitate them. They contain very critical parts and processes, including some molds and spare parts in key places, all of which are polished bit by bit by the Swiss boss. of. The Swiss machine tool industry is the first echelon in the world and belongs to the top players: Swiss Mikron (watch equipment), Swiss BOME (watch equipment), Swiss Weilimin (watch equipment), Swiss Strager, Swiss Ligit, Swiss machine tools no matter from In terms of appearance and interior, whether it is the design level and innovation, or the processing capabilities and processing precision, it is almost impeccable. Careful workmanship, excellence, machine tool processing accuracy is extremely high, and the output is very low.
The more well-known Swiss machine tool brands are:
Starrag, GF, Willemin-Macodel SA, Mikron Group, Tornos, Fehlmann, Reishauer, BUMOTEC, Liechti, Schaublin Machines SA, Faessler, ERNST-GROB, Lambertvari, Studer, Affolter, Precitrame Machines SA, ESCO, REGO-FIX, etc.
Top technology and field three: electromechanical equipment
Switzerland is still world-renowned in the field of advanced manufacturing. Switzerland's world-renowned industrial giant ABB Group is a manufacturer of power generation equipment, high-voltage transmission equipment, distribution equipment and electric locomotives. It ranks second in the world in market share in this field and ranks first in the motion control market. At the same time, It is also one of the four largest robot manufacturers in the world.
Switzerland's Schindler Group, the world's largest escalator manufacturer and the world's second largest elevator supplier, was also born in Switzerland. It was founded by Robert Schindler in 1874 and has a history of more than 150 years. .The group has more than 90 holding companies in more than 100 countries and regions around the world. According to incomplete statistics, more than 1 billion people take Schindler elevators and escalators around the world every day.
Switzerland also has textile machinery from Saurer Group and Rieter, stamping machine tools from Feintool, EDM machine tools from AgieCharmilles, and food processing machinery from Bühler, etc. It can be said that All are the best products of the same kind in the world.
The Swiss MEM industry (electrical and metal industry) is an important pillar industry in Switzerland. There are approximately 13,000 companies in the MEM industry, 98% of which are small and medium-sized enterprises, with a total employment of 320,000 people, including 20,000 apprentices. It is the industry that provides the most jobs.
Top technology and field No. 4: Precision medical equipment
Switzerland is very famous in the global medical equipment segment. Small Switzerland has about 740 companies around the world, such as the famous Synthes (Xinsi Medical Equipment) and Sonova (Sonova) are world-renowned. They produce many products such as surgical equipment, dentures, heart stents, artificial joints, hearing aids, laboratory instruments, etc., among which Leading the world. For example, Swiss Allen medical absorbable surgical sutures were once the winning product supplier to the World Health Organization.
Top technologies and fields No. 5: Biotechnology
Switzerland is home to the world’s most renowned biotechnology giants: Roche and Novartis. Roche Pharmaceuticals is the largest pharmaceutical company in Switzerland and a global leader in anti-tumor drugs. It competes with the famous American Pfizer, and the two companies have been competing for the throne of the world's largest pharmaceutical company all year round. Switzerland's Novartis is the world's second largest pharmaceutical company, founded in 1996. Through its mergers with Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz, Novartis' history with its predecessor companies stretches back 250 years. Novartis has a diversified business portfolio including innovative drugs, eye care, generic drugs with a wide range of clinical applications, preventive vaccines and diagnostic equipment, over-the-counter drugs and animal health products.
There are many other world-class pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland, such as Serono, which was once known as the world's top three biopharmaceutical companies together with Amgen and Genentech of the United States, small and medium-sized pharmaceutical companies Acteli on, Basel Lia Pharmaceutical, Arpida and Addex companies, etc. It can be seen that Switzerland’s biotechnology level is very high.
It is worth mentioning that Switzerland has the highest concentration of biotechnology companies in the world in proportion to its population. A report titled "Swiss Biotechnology: Action Plan" released by the Swiss federal government this month stated that Swiss biotechnology research levels are higher than the EU average.
Top technologies and fields No. 6: Health Technology
Switzerland is the earliest application of biotechnology anti-aging technology in the world. For example, the familiar Swiss sheep placenta extract is available. It is worth mentioning that Switzerland is also at the world's leading level in technology in medical cosmetology, plastic surgery, minimally invasive surgery, etc. Especially in terms of body detoxification, cell anti-aging, and medical cosmetology, Switzerland has its medical advantages. Switzerland was once one of the most livable countries in the world and one of the countries with the longest average life expectancy in the world. It was once known as the "anti-aging holy land of European royal families". Nine natural environment indicators such as air and water sources ranked first in the world. Swiss medical technology has also always led the world. Switzerland has become one of the most popular health resorts for tourists around the world.
Genolier Swiss Medical Network (GSMN) is the only listed private hospital group in Switzerland. It enjoys the reputation of "the best private medical institution in the world". GSMN Hospital is the first in the world to analyze the "Human Immune System - Cancer Risk" analysis model; GSMN Hospital is currently the only hospital in the world that can use IORT - intraoperative radiotherapy; GSMN Hospital's cancer cure rate is as high as 92%. Once ranked first in the world; in addition to scientific research, PSI also has the only proton therapy center in Switzerland.
Top technologies and fields No. 7: Top research institutions
The Swiss Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) was founded in 1988 and is located in Zurich and Basel in northern Switzerland. Between Aare and the River Aare, is Switzerland's largest national institute, a multidisciplinary research center for science and technology. PSI focuses on material structure, energy and environment, and human health as its main research fields. It has a number of large-scale scientific research equipment, some of which are unique not only in Switzerland, but even in the world.
Top technologies and fields No. 8: Chemical technology
Switzerland’s chemical industry is very developed, and the chemical industry is also an important pillar of Swiss industry. In addition to pharmaceuticals, which account for about 2/5 of the output value of the chemical industry, dyes, pesticides, balsams, and flavors play a very important role in the international market. For example, Ciba Specialty Chemicals, a world-renowned fine chemical manufacturer based in Basel, Switzerland, is a well-known global chemical giant.
Ciba Fine Chemicals was founded in 1997. Its predecessor was the fine chemicals department of Ciba-Geigy. It has 79 branches in 28 countries, employs 19,300 people and has 24 fine chemical-related research centers in 12 countries. According to the "Global Industry Competitiveness Index" report by economic research institute BAK Economics, Switzerland ranked second with 119.5 points, second only to the United States (120.9 points), with a total score of 120.2 points in the pharmaceutical field and 116.3 points in chemistry.
Top technologies and fields No. 9: Clean technology
Switzerland occupies a global leading position in the field of clean technology. Switzerland was the first European country to enact an environmental protection law and has formulated a wide range of environmental protection laws and regulations. Switzerland has many small and medium-sized clean technology companies. Employment in the clean technology industry has increased by 25% in the past five years, accounting for 5.5% of Switzerland's total labor force and almost 5% of Switzerland's GDP. It is worth mentioning that Switzerland ranks first in the world in terms of clean technology patents per capita. For example, in 2020, Swiss engineering group ABB also joined the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance and will work with governments and other alliance members to expand the hydrogen value chain across Europe.
Switzerland's energy and electricity sector relies mainly on hydroelectric power, as the Alps cover nearly two-thirds of the country and provide many large mountain lakes and artificial reservoirs suitable for hydroelectric power generation.
As early as 2019, about 75% of Switzerland’s final electricity consumption was produced by renewable energy (74% in 2018), of which large hydropower accounted for 66%, photovoltaic power generation, wind power generation, small Hydropower station power generation and biomass power generation account for about 8.4%, nuclear power generation accounts for 19%, and waste and fossil energy power generation account for nearly 2%. Especially with the increase in nuclear power generation, Switzerland has turned from a net importer of electricity to a net exporter.
Top 10 technologies and fields: Drone technology
There are many innovations in the Swiss drone ecosystem and in the field of intelligent aircraft. According to various global ranking indexes, Switzerland is one of the most innovative and competitive countries in the world. Switzerland has world-leading drone start-ups and mature companies with world-leading technologies, such as world-leading levels in sensing and analysis, industrial inspection, security and traffic control, high-altitude drones, entertainment and humanitarian relief.
Switzerland is one of the pioneers in drone technology and has positioned itself as a leading center for research and innovation. Over the past six years, Switzerland’s “Drone Valley” has attracted more than 80 start-ups and created more than 2,500 jobs, many of which are founded by top research institutions such as ETH Zurich and EPFL. University (EPFL) and other incubators. Swiss drones are used in many fields, including public security, agriculture and humanitarian aid in crisis areas. Switzerland has also integrated the use and safety of drones into its aviation and data privacy.
Another example is the famous Neuron UAV, a stealth drone jointly developed by Switzerland, led by France, and participated by Sweden, Italy, Spain and Greece. It is a kind of integrated reconnaissance drone. It is a multi-functional unmanned combat platform that integrates surveillance, surveillance and attack. It looks like a B2 ghost bomber, and its neurons on the radar screen are no larger than a sparrow. Neuron drones can fly independently without receiving any instructions and self-correct in complex flight environments.
Top technologies and fields No. 11: Financial industry
Swiss banks, especially private banks, have always been considered the safest banks in the world. With a small land area and a small population, Switzerland is one of the world's leading financial centers whether in terms of asset management or insurance operations or as a raw material trading platform. Switzerland's banking industry, insurance industry, securities market, and gold market are the four pillars of the Swiss financial industry and an important engine of the Swiss economy.
Switzerland’s financial industry has advanced transaction methods. In 1995, the Swiss Stock Exchange was the first in the world to launch an online electronic trading system. At the same time, Switzerland is the world's largest gold refining country, with the world's largest per capita gold reserves. 40% of the world's gold transactions are conducted in Switzerland, and Zurich is the world's second largest gold reserve. trading market.
As a trade center, Switzerland has become one of the most important raw material trading platforms in the world. Some raw material companies are among the largest in Switzerland by sales and hold leading positions worldwide. Raw material trading once accounted for 94% of Switzerland's transit trade. This is equivalent to approximately 3.5% of GDP. The commodities traded include nearly 60% of energy materials, 20% of mineral raw materials and 15% of agricultural and forestry products.
Switzerland has 266 banking institutions. The five most important banks are UBS Group AG, Credit Suisse Group AG, Leif Eisen, Cantonal Bank of Zurich and Postal Finance Bank. Three of them are large banking institutions (UBS Group). Banking Group, Credit Suisse Group AG and Zurich Cantonal Bank)’s assets account for half of all bank balance sheets.
Twelve top technologies and fields: Watch industry
Switzerland is the well-known "Kingdom of Watches". Due to its lack of resources, Switzerland attaches great importance to the production of industrial products that use less materials, are of great value, have high precision, and are easy to export, such as precision machinery and watches. Especially clocks and watches, which use few raw materials but are very expensive, have always been regarded by the Swiss as a way to make money. In Switzerland, watch factories are almost all over the country. The capital Bern and the major cities Zurich, Geneva, and Basel have developed watch industries. Almost every home is related to watches. Most of the world's famous brand watches come from Switzerland, and the country's watch exports have always ranked first in the world.
As early as 1800, the world's total clock production reached 25 million, and Swiss clock production accounted for two-thirds and led the world. In 1978, the Swiss SMH Group produced a watch prototype with a thickness of only 2 mm, which was the thinnest quartz watch in the world at that time. Swatch Group is the world's largest watch group. Swatch has 18 brands, including Breguet, Omega, Tissot, Longines, Radar, Calvin Klein, Certina, Mido, Pierre Balmain ), Blancpain and Swatch.
Top Technologies and Fields No. 13: Driverless Racing Technology
Switzerland’s AMZ Racing has launched a global driverless racing car with super power and acceleration capabilities, and a weight ratio of 0.86 kW/kg, even more than supercars. This product also won the overall championship in the 2018 German and Italian Formula Student car competitions.
Fixposition invented a precise positioning system with high precision, high reliability and multi-scenario adaptability. Accurate real-time dynamic satellite positioning and sharp computer vision technology complement each other to achieve perfect multi-sensor fusion and promote the development of new robot applications and related services. development.
Top Technology and Field No. 14: Swiss Army Knife and Gizmos
The "Swiss Champion" was once considered by the world to be the model with the most functions and the widest range of applications. It is most suitable for field trips, travel adventures, travel vacations, camping and camping, etc. Due to its comprehensive functions and exquisite design, having a knife in your hand makes you feel like you have a real universal tool box, which can be used like magic to combine various applications when needed. It is an ideal equipment. It is also a classic representative of the Swiss Army Knife and is collected by the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Museum of Applied Arts in Munich as "World Design Classics".
Another example is the "Micro-Pro" Huang 11-in-1 lighting tool pliers launched by Swiss Small Technology, which is unique among similar products. The exquisite design combines mini tool pliers with LED white light lighting, effectively utilizing every precision link to solve your daily troubles. Convenience and practicality are its characteristics. As long as it is clipped on the key ring, it can be carried around. Whether it is locking screws or clipping wires and metals, it can be easily solved. The main body of this model is an LED light flashlight, which can provide you with dim light situations. Very helpful.
Top 15 technologies and fields: Swiss education
Switzerland is one of the countries in the world that is most willing to invest in the field of education. Every year, 10% of the Swiss federal budget is invested in education. field. When it comes to Swiss education, we have to mention Swiss high school education. Unlike our current high school education, which is mainly based on theory and examinations, Swiss senior high school education is vocational education. However, almost all students are apprentices or continue to work. Complete this stage of education by staying in school. Apprenticeship-style education in Switzerland consists of on-the-job training in a specific occupation, lasting 3-4 years, with the training time varying in each field. Apprentices work in a company and at the same time study theory at a specialized school in the same field as the company (1 to 2 days per week). This perfect combination of sound theoretical knowledge and direct work experience enables apprentices to find suitable job opportunities after successfully completing their training.
Because of this, Switzerland has developed a "small country, big technology" pattern and has become the world's top technology creation base. Calculated by population, Switzerland ranks first in the world in terms of its per capita Nobel Prize winning rate and per capita patents.
Top technologies and fields No. 14: Tourism
In the latest tourism competitiveness ranking of countries around the world launched by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Switzerland topped the list and was rated The most attractive country in terms of tourism development. Switzerland is a pioneer in tourism development and a famous tourism developed country in the world. After more than two hundred years of development, tourism has become a pillar industry of the Swiss national economy. In recent years, tourism revenue has exceeded 20 billion Swiss francs, exceeding the Swiss watch industry and banking industry. In 2004, total tourism revenue in Switzerland was CHF 24.8 billion, which once accounted for 5.6% of GDP. The development of Switzerland's tourism industry first benefits from its unique tourism resources.
Switzerland is a landlocked country with a small land area, but its unique tourism resources and services have attracted tourists from all over the world. More than 60 million overnight guests travel to Switzerland every year, and it has become an important international tourism destination. tourist destination. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, Switzerland's tourism industry accounts for approximately 6.2% of its gross national product, which is much higher than the proportion of Germany's tourism industry in its gross national product. According to data from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), although Switzerland is small in land area, it is one of the 20 most popular tourist destinations in the world. In a survey by consulting firm Ernst & Young, Switzerland was the most attractive place in Europe for foreign entrepreneurs to do business.
The reason why Switzerland ranks first in the world is inseparable from the high scores in the health category, drinking water sanitation, railway infrastructure and hotel management schools. In addition, Switzerland is also rated as the safest country, and has 6 attractions named World Cultural and Natural Heritage by UNESCO. Switzerland's environmental protection laws are also rated as the most stringent and effective.