Swiss Stories

© ECAL / Jean-Vincent Simonet

Swiss photography: its museums and institutions

Society
The ‘Rencontres d’Arles’, the world’s foremost photographic festival, attract many major artists of this field, in particular within the walls of ‘Nonante-neuf’, a 100% Swiss venue successfully launched at the 2015 event. Before opening the doors of the former SNCF workshops where it is housed, first a few words about this Swiss ecosystem, an exceptional fabric of museums, institutions and top schools.
Julien Gremaud

by Julien Gremaud

Project Discovery

MMOS: A Swiss start-up that combines video games and science

Economics
MMOS, a Swiss start-up founded in 2014, develops a platform that connects research data and video games, offering video gamers the opportunity to contribute to proteomics or exoplanet research while being fully immersed in their favourite video game.
Schweizer Mythen und Legenden

Swiss myths and legends

History
The legend of William Tell – the man who skilfully splits an apple on his son's head with his crossbow rather than bowing down to a local dignitary's hat – has come to represent the Swiss people's spirit of independence. It is a story that is known and loved well beyond the Swiss border. But this folk hero from the canton of Uri is only one of the many characters in Swiss legends: alongside William Tell, there is a panoply of fairies, mountain trolls and dwarves, not to mention giant fish and angry witches 'beating' the streams. There is no shortage of Swiss myths and legends – and a new generation of books is generating fresh interest in their revamped stories.
Iris Bohnet

Iris Bohnet, the Swiss woman who conquered Harvard

Science & Education
Iris Bohnet, a 52-year-old native of Lucerne, is the first Swiss woman to teach at Harvard University and at the same time a world-renowned economist specialised in the issue of gender. Portrait of a woman fighting for equality.

by Lea Huszno

SESAME, the CERN of the Middle East

SESAME, CERN of Middle East

Science & Education
In One Thousand and One Nights, ‘open sesame’ are the magic words that allow Ali Baba to access a hidden treasure of untold riches. In the 1990s this classic tale inspired physicists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva to ask whether the CERN model of science and peace could be replicated in the Middle East. It took years of hard work and complex negotiations to bring the dream to life. The new centre is called SESAME.

by Niccolò Iorno

Alver: Protein Soup

Algae to feed the planet

Science & Education
Mine Uran stepped down as Head of Protein R&D at Nestlé to set up a start-up. Her vision is to produce food for the future by growing micro-algae in the dark.
© Wildbiene

7 Unexpected Swiss Start-ups

Economics
Switzerland is home to a high-quality start-up environment. In line with the country’s long-standing and traditional strengths in engineering, biotechnology, medical technology and financial services, many Swiss start-ups within those sectors seek to develop creative solutions in the technology sector.