Swisscom launches Digital Lab at the EPFL Campus

The open innovation platform focuses on the latest digitisation trends and its initial activities will be geared towards large corporations. The Digital Lab, based exclusively in one location in French-speaking Switzerland, brings together all the components and expertise necessary to succeed in the digital age. Start-ups with special know-how will be invited to participate in particular workshops focusing on specific themes and topics. Here, EPFL spin-offs will offer an attractive pool of companies with different skills.

Digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and cloud computing offer new ways of sharing information, collaborating and working, as well as new forms of entertainment. The economic environment is undergoing a fundamental shift, while at the same time competition is evolving at a lightning pace. The aim of the Digital Lab is to actively help companies embrace the digital transformation and to provide expertise. Swisscom and EPFL will offer up-to-date knowledge from industry and research, while students will in return gain an insight into the needs of business and the areas where this knowledge can be applied in practice.

The path to the digital future is paved with innovation
The Swisscom Digital Lab brings together all the components and expertise necessary to succeed in the digital age. The competence centre for digitisation measures over 400 square metres, is situated at the heart of the EPFL campus in Ecublens and aims to help companies speed up the implementation of their digitisation strategies. Specifically, customers of Swisscom Enterprise Customers can book a time slot in the Digital Lab to develop a prototype. During the project realisation phase, these companies share their expertise and collaboration with the lab’s interdisciplinary teams, who in turn offer support – including software, coaching and technology – for the development of an initial project solution. In this phase, customers also have the opportunity to try out new agile working methods and rapid-prototyping techniques, which are essential for successfully launching innovation projects.

A three-pillar partnership
In addition to the Digital Lab, the partnership between Swisscom and EPFL is also aimed at proactively developing a digital innovation ecosystem through financially supporting applied research projects focusing on Swisscom’s customer needs. Finally, Swisscom will organise events related to the challenges of digitalisation, supporting the ecosystem of start-ups and, particularly, by stimulating exchanges between the operator’s staff, students and researchers. The areas of focus range from artificial intelligence, robotics and the Internet of Things to big data and data storage systems.

(ES / RAN)