Switzerland and Basel in particular have a very strong pharmaceutical and biotech industry. Tens of thousands of jobs, a major part of the economy, countless investments as well as R&D activities in both public and private sector are dependent on it.

- What impact will the new world order have on the global pharmaceutical value chain?- What is the best strategy for global pharmaceutical companies in this new world order and what role should governments play?
- What shifts will we be seeing in the global value chain? What scenarios exist?
- What does this mean for the US, EU and Switzerland in particular?
- What is the best strategy for nations like Switzerland in this new world order?
- Switzerland has built up a successful and vibrant start-up ecosystem, particularly in bio-tech, over the last 15 years. What impact will these tectonic shifts have on biotech startups? How should they react? How can governments best support biotechs under these changing framework conditions?

Welcome speech
-   Conradin Cramer, President of the Canton Basel-Stadt

Opening Keynote
-  Helene Budliger Artieda, State Secretary for Economic Affairs

Podium speakers
- Helene Budliger Artieda, State Secretary for Economic Affairs
- Kaspar Sutter, Councillor of the Canton of Basel-Stadt
- Severin Schwan, Chairman Roche
- Prof. Rolf Weder, International Economics, University of Basel 
- Dr. Xiaobin Wu, President & COO BeOne Medicines
- Srishti Gupta, CEO Idorsia

Moderation
- Olivia Kinghorst

Contact for event registration
Martin Stricker, Office of Economy and Labour, Canton of Basel-Stadt, martin.stricker@bs.ch

Contact for communication & media requests
Karin Sartorius, Office of Economy and Labour, Canton of Basel-Stadt, karin.sartorius@bs.ch

The session will look at the present challenges stemming from the current geopolitical tensions, the resulting struggles for technological supremacy and the growing concerns in regard to its effects on digital sovereignty. It will be kicked off by keynotes from senior people from government and industry, followed by a high-level panel, framing the current state. This will lead into three dedicated, interactive discussion rounds, open to the audience, each focusing on one of the following themes:
- geopolitics,
- technological supremacy and
- digital sovereignty

Welcome speech
- Florian Schütz, Director NCSC Switzerland

Moderation
- Thomas Holderegger, President of the National Cybersecurity Committee, digitalswitzerland

Contact for public information & event registration
- Marc Henauer, Senior International and Political Affairs Officer, marc.henauer@ncsc.admin.ch

Contact for communication & media requests:
- David Torcasso, Head of Communications & Marketing digitalswitzerland, david@digitalswitzerland.com
 

Join Jobs for the Future (JFF), the Swiss Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation (SERI), and WEF partners at the House of Switzerland for a high-level briefing on how Switzerland’s talent development system—widely regarded as a global gold standard—has propelled the country’s economic dynamism and prepared its workforce for an AI-driven economy. Discover how Switzerland’s dual education and apprenticeship pathways—built on employer leadership, permeability, and “no dead ends”—deliver exceptional outcomes in equity, mobility, and workforce readiness. This session aligns directly with the WEF Reskilling Revolution and offers actionable insights for U.S. leaders shaping the future of work. 

Welcome Remarks:
- Maria Flynn, CEO, Jobs for the Future

- Overview of Swiss Innovation in Education and Workforce
- Dr. Katie Caves, Director of CEMETS, Chair of Education Systems, ETH, Zurich

Employer Panel
- Moderator: Maria Flynn, President and CEO, JFF
- Panelist: Bridget Gainer, Chief Public Affairs Officer and Executive Lead for the Aon Apprentice Program, Aon
- Panelist: Sarah Steinberg, Head of Global Public Policy Partnerships, LinkedIn

Swiss American Collaboration
- Ambassador Callista Gingrich, U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland
- Dr. Martina Hirayama, State Secretary 
Swiss Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation 

Contact for information, event registration & media requests:
Vinz Koller, Vice-President, Jobs for the Future, vkoller@jff.org, 831-277-4726

Strategic, closed-door discussion on Ukraine’s government-led recovery framework UR³ – Recovery, Reconstruction, Rebuilding. Switzerland holds a unique place in the international recovery discourse on Ukraine. It was in Lugano, during the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC), that the public international dialogue on Ukraine’s recovery was first formally launched, setting out the principles that continue to guide collective efforts. Holding the discussion in Switzerland therefore carries both symbolic and substantive meaning. Switzerland represents neutrality, credibility and institutional continuity, and has already played a foundational role in shaping the global recovery narrative for Ukraine.

Contact for communication & media requests
- Dmytro Sidenko, President of the Ukrainian-Swiss Business Association, sidenko@ukraine-swiss.com

The Global Digital Collaboration is a platform for public-private engagement on technical and policy matters. The newly constituted GDC Council advances dialogue to support trusted and interoperable digital infrastructure—including wallets, credentials, payment systems, and the use of cybersecurity and AI in these contexts—by bringing together UN Member States, companies, Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs), and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).

Welcome remarks
- Chairs of the Global Digital Collaboration Council (Federative Republic of Brazil, World Bank Group, Google, International Air Transport Association)

Moderation
- Daniel Goldscheider, Secretary, GDC

Contact for information, event registration & media requests:
Rolf Rauschenbach, Communication Officer e-ID, rolf.rauschenbach@bj.admin.ch

As multilateralism faces mounting geopolitical tensions, financial pressures and competing narratives, this high-level event will explore how global cooperation can adapt and remain effective. Building on Geneva’s unique ecosystem and the momentum of the UN80 reform, the discussion will assess current risks and opportunities, explore avenues to strengthen institutional agility, and highlight how innovation, new funding models and strategic partnerships can drive greater impact. The event will outline priorities for “Multilateralism 2.0” and concrete pathways for delivering global public goods despite constrained resources.

Welcome speech
- Guy Parmelin, President of the Swiss Confederation in 2026, Head of the Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research 

Podium speakers:
- Ignazio Cassis, Federal Councillor, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA)
- Guilherme De Aguilar Patriota, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the WTO
- Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO
- Rebecca Grynspan, Secretary General of UNCTAD 
- Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary General of ITU
- Nathalie Fontanet, Finance Minister, Canton of Geneva 
- James Manyika, Senior Vice-President, Google 
- Sheba Croker, Managing Director, World Economic Forum 

Moderation
- Dr. Adam Day, Head of UN University Office in Geneva

Contact for information & media requests:
- Ballenegger Frédéric, Communication Specialist, frederic.ballenegger@eda.admin.ch

The world is on the edge of an industrial revolution. In the future, companies will not only conduct research in space but also manufacture products there. Space research brings together fields such as Earth science, materials science, biology, medicine and physics. Its innovative potential is significant, leading to new industrial and commercial applications with enormous economic prospects.
The SJCC presents the New Space Economy in the context of Swiss and international research and cooperation, with a focus on collaboration with Japan and other countries. The event features prominent speakers from Switzerland, Japan and USA.

Welcome speech
- Martin Herb, President SJCC
- Carmen Walker Späh, Government Councillor Canton of Zurich, Vice-President and Head of the Department for Economic Affairs
- Takehiro Okubo, Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister, Embassy of Japan to Switzerland and Liechtenstein
 
Podium speakers
- Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Stark, Vice President Research UZH 
- Prof. Dr. Dr. Oliver Ullrich, Chairman Director Center for Space and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein (CSA) 
- Prof. Matthew J. Kuta, President and Co-Founder Voyager Technologies  
- Kohei Okamura. Director of Business Development, Starlab Space LLC (secondee from Mitsubishi Corporation)
- Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, Astronaut and Engineer, European Space Agency ESA 

Moderation
- Martin Herb, President SJCC

Contact for public information, event registration & media requests
- Dr. Arisa Takata Herb, Director SJCC, info@sjcc.ch 

As global electricity demand is projected to increase considerably, vulnerabilities in supply chains are becoming a major risk – particularly for renewable energy generation, critical grid equipment and storage solutions. Dependence on specific suppliers, combined with the scarcity of certain materials and human capital, is generating supply chain bottlenecks. This situation is further exacerbated by the current uncertain geopolitical landscape and state budgetary constraints.

This discussion will explore how governments, industries, research institutions and investors can collaborate to secure and diversify supply chains, foster resilient technology ecosystems in the energy sector and jointly identify the right policy and investment instruments. By presenting concrete examples of pioneering actors from Switzerland and abroad, the discussion will examine the role of trade, industrial strategy, public-private partnerships, and innovation cooperation in shaping a secure energy future.

Welcome Impulse
- Benoît Revaz, Director, Swiss Federal Office of Energy

Opening Impulse
- Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency IEA

Podium speakers
- Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, President ETH Lausanne
- Gina Domanig, CEO Managing Partner at Emerald Technology Ventures
- Daniel Jaeggi, President and Co-Founder Mercuria
- Morten Wierod, CEO ABB 

Closing Remarks
- Benoît Revaz, Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy

Moderation
- Chris Luebkeman, Dr., Leader of the Strategic Foresight Hub, Office of the President, ETH Zurich

Contact for information & media requests
- Dylan Jaton, Federal Council and Parliamentary Affairs Specialist, dylan.jaton@bfe.admin.ch

The demand for humanitarian assistance is at an all-time high. How can new approaches and financing models foster resilience and ensure quicker and longer-lasting responses to humanitarian crises?
Resources are shrinking just as needs and suffering surge. The exclusive reliance on grants and donations to respond to humanitarian needs is no longer sufficient to foster long term resilience of affected populations. An approach that harnesses and incorporates the strengths of all actors, including the private sector, is needed. 
Businesses and other private sector actors can contribute not only funding but also expertise, technology and essential goods and services – delivering humanitarian support that is faster, more effective and longer-term. Such an approach encourages cross-sector partnerships between the public and private sector.
This session explores concrete approaches through which the private sector can support solutions. Join us!

Keynote
- Alexandre Fasel, State Secretary of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Podium speakers
- Sheba Crocker, Managing Director, WEF  
- Karen Hitschke, CEO, Building Bridges Foundation
- Isaac Kwaku Fokuo, Founder & Curator, Amahoro Coalition
- Josie Lianna Kaye, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Trust Works 
- Tim Radjy, CEO & Founder, AlphaMundi 
- Camila Colmenares Perez, Co-Founder of Cressência and WEF Global Shaper

Moderation
- Christian Frutiger, Ambassador, Vice Director General SDC

Contact for public information & event registration:
Graf Susanna, Senior project management Communication Management SDC, susanna.graf@eda.admin.ch, +41 79 203 74 30