November 26, 2026
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Open-i 2026 is Switzerland's flagship innovation conference, held on 26 November 2026 at the Kongresshaus Zürich in Switzerland. Organised by NZZ Connect, the event serves as Switzerland's central innovation facilitation platform, bringing together the country's most innovative thinkers, doers, and decision-makers for a concentrated day of inspiration, knowledge exchange, and high-value networking. The 2026 edition brings together speakers from ETH Zurich, leading Swiss and international companies, start-ups, investors, government, and academia across four thematic focus areas: AI and Robotics, Defence and Space, Energy and Fusion, and Health and Lifestyle. Open-i is also the launch platform for the Swiss Technology Award Night, hosting the 37th presentation of Switzerland's most prestigious technology award. The ETH Zurich at Open-i programme provides a dedicated stage for university research, spin-offs, and technology transfer, acting as the exclusive meeting point between ETH research and industry. The Investor Lounge, Investor Lunch, and exclusive Meet the Speaker sessions are available to Investor ticket holders, alongside access to the Swiss Technology Award Night.
Open-i draws around 1,000 participants spanning entrepreneurs, founders, investors, corporate executives, researchers, students, and next-generation talent from across Switzerland and internationally. Confirmed speakers for 2026 include Ditaji Kambundji, Swiss elite athlete; Daniel Neuenschwander, Director of Human and Robotic Exploration at the European Space Agency ESA; Menna El-Assady, Assistant Professor and Human-AI Expert at ETH Zurich; Philipp Furler, Co-CEO of Synhelion AG; and Serge Bavaud, Director of the Federal Intelligence Service. Past editions have featured Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, Google Fellow Urs Hölzle, Urs Hölzle, Verena Pausder, Chairwoman of the Startup Association Germany, and senior figures from ETH Zurich, Swiss industry, and international technology organisations. The attendee community spans Swiss SMEs, scale-ups, multinationals, university spin-offs, deep tech founders, venture capital and private equity investors, and public sector innovation leaders.
The single-day conference programme runs across two main stages at the Kongresshaus Zürich, structured around the four thematic focus areas of AI and Robotics, Defence and Space, Energy and Fusion, and Health and Lifestyle. The ETH Zurich at Open-i programme occupies a dedicated stage, with ETH professors, researchers, and spin-off founders presenting the latest research findings, most promising technologies, and practical industry applications, concluding with the Spark Award recognising outstanding ETH innovation. Keynote presentations and panel discussions by international speakers run across the main stages throughout the day. Interactive experience zones allow attendees to discover groundbreaking projects and meet their creators directly on the show floor. The Swiss Technology Award Night, an exclusive evening event, presents the 37th edition of Switzerland's most prestigious technology award. Dedicated networking formats including the Investor Lounge, Investor Lunch, and Meet the Speaker sessions provide structured access for investor ticket holders to connect with speakers and fellow decision-makers.
The 2026 programme addresses the full frontier of Swiss and global innovation across four deep-dive themes. AI and Robotics covers the latest advances in machine learning, agentic AI, human-AI collaboration, autonomous systems, and the implications of frontier AI for productivity, industry, and society. Defence and Space explores Europe's strategic autonomy in the new space economy, satellite technology, launch capability, dual-use innovations, and the convergence of defence technology with commercial deep tech. Energy and Fusion addresses Switzerland's and Europe's energy transition, solar fuels, fusion energy as a long-term clean energy source, grid infrastructure, and the role of industrial innovation in decarbonisation. Health and Lifestyle examines biotech and medtech advances, AI-driven diagnostics, longevity science, health data sovereignty, and the integration of life sciences research into scalable commercial applications. Cross-cutting themes include Switzerland's competitive positioning as a global innovation hub, the role of university-industry collaboration in technology transfer, the start-up and scale-up ecosystem in the Swiss and broader European context, and cross-border innovation partnerships across the Upper Rhine region and beyond.
Open-i 2026 concludes on the evening of 26 November at the Kongresshaus Zürich with the Swiss Technology Award Night, the exclusive launch event for the 37th presentation of Switzerland's most prestigious technology award, bringing the day's content programme to a celebratory close for the Swiss innovation community.
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