30.12.2025 Representatives from European partner universities discovered BFH as a place of learning, teaching, research, and innovation. They visited BFH campuses, laboratories, and research infrastructures in the Canton of Bern.

With UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 – sustainable, inclusive, safe, and resilient cities and communities – as its focus, the PIONEER Alliance concentrates on local innovation ecosystems and their connection with higher education institutions.

During BFH International Staff Week 2025, Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH presented itself as an active partner of the Alliance and offered a programme showcasing applied research and innovation projects to European alliance partners. The resulting exchange significantly contributed to strengthening BFH’s European network.

Real-world Laboratories and Innovation at the Core

The keynote by Prof. Dr. Christian Pohl (ETH Zurich) highlighted a thematic focus of the week. He demonstrated how real-world laboratories serve as learning spaces where students define problems themselves, collaborate with local communities, and jointly test solutions. This practice-oriented collaboration between science and society was at the heart of the Staff Week.

Workshops and presentations featured key BFH initiatives such as the Stadtlabor Biel/Bienne and the Urban Future Lab of BFH-HAFL. Technological and infrastructural innovation projects were also in focus: AgroFoodPark, as part of Bern’s innovation ecosystem, presented its support for start-ups and SMEs in food development, while the BFH project CircuBAT showcased pioneering solutions for circular battery life cycles.

Entrepreneurship, Urban Futures, and Regional Anchoring

Several workshops emphasized the importance of entrepreneurship and regional innovation ecosystems. Discussions covered various forms of collaboration between higher education institutions, industry, and start-ups, as well as the contribution of higher education institutions to Smart Cities and value-oriented urban development. Practical insights into regional integration were provided through excursions: one to Bern West, where BFH supports participatory neighbourhood development, and another to the historic Bernese Minster, which is being studied as part of a research project on climate-related heritage protection.

In a related context, visits were made to important external partners of BFH.Losinger Marazzi SA demonstrated how existing buildings can be transformed to meet future needs. Sitem-insel AG and the Sitem StartUp Club offered insights into the dynamic health innovation ecosystem of the Canton of Bern, while TecLab illustrated how young talents are inspired and supported in STEM professions.

Canton Bern Benefits from Partnerships

The wide-ranging programme was beneficialboth for the representatives of partner universities and for representatives of Bernese companies and innovation actors: “The BFH International Staff Week focusing on the PIONEER Alliance impressively demonstrated how cooperation, trust, and strong relationships are crucial for fostering innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Roger Neuenschwander, CEO of be-advanced AG, the innovation agency of the Canton of Bern. “It is precisely through trust-based collaboration that spaces are created, in which new ideas can not only be conceived but also advanced together.”