Two Sides of the Same Coin
With a GDP of over CHF 150 billion, the Canton of Zurich contributes more than 20% to Switzerland’s overall economic performance. It is home to over 116,000 companies – from global tech leaders to highly specialized SMEs – and is considered one of the country’s most important innovation hubs.
What do many of these companies have in common? They rely on a strong research landscape and a supportive ecosystem to turn knowledge into innovation. According to Dr. Markus Müller, public policy plays a key role in this process:
“Good ideas need space, resources, and resonance. That’s exactly where the public sector comes in.”
As Co-Head Division of Business and Economic Development of the Canton of Zurich, Müller works at the intersection of politics, research, and business. But he doesn’t view economic development in a narrow sense. For him, it’s an investment in education, science, and technology: “Zurich is a world-class university location. That’s a key pillar of our region’s innovative strength.”
Indeed, the Canton is home to two globally renowned universities – ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich – as well as several universities of applied sciences, teacher training colleges, and private institutions. This density of academic excellence contributes to the region’s international appeal for talent, research, and venture creation. Müller perceives his job as follows: “Our job is to create an ecosystem where research, business, and public institutions reinforce each other.”
Higher Education as a Location Advantage
Müller knows the academic world first-hand. He earned his PhD and currently teaches innovation and technology management at OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences. His dual role gives him a unique perspective, one that bridges public policy and academic life: “I see what matters to students and how much they benefit when research is tangible and practice-oriented.” That’s why Müller sees universities not just as educational spaces, but as key drivers of innovation, entrepreneurship, and public dialogue.
In his own teaching, Müller brings real-life examples from his public sector work directly into the classroom. He discusses current challenges in innovation policy with students and in return, insights from academia often shape his work in government. The exchange flows both ways.
Building Bridges: The Role of Public Institutions
So, what can public authorities do to strengthen the link between research and real-world impact? “It’s about more than just funding. It’s about networks, framework conditions, and a culture of collaboration.”
Müller outlines several areas where government can act as a connector:
- Startup support: University spin-offs need guidance, financing, and visibility. Zurich supports this through initiatives like the Zurich Innovation Park and programs for early-stage companies (ahead-zh.ch).
- Creating platforms: Networking formats such as Innovation Zurich, matchmaking events, and innovation forums bring researchers, businesses, and public administration into dialogue – turning isolated projects into systemic impulses.
- Enabling real-world relevance: Public institutions can inject practical challenges into the research agenda (from digitalization and mobility to sustainability and health) and thus open new thematic fields for academia.
“The greatest innovative potential emerges where different worlds speak to each other and learn from one another.”
At the same time, Müller emphasizes that universities must not be overloaded: “Collaboration requires capacity. If we want more partnerships, we have to enable them.”
Outlook: Location and education are closely intertwined
Looking ahead, Müller advocates for even stronger integration between science, business, and government. His central message: Let’s invest together in solution-oriented research and include students from the start.
“The innovation questions of tomorrow concern us all. When we work on them together, we don’t just build knowledge. We build trust.”
One concrete example: use theses, research projects, and teaching formats as systematic bridge-builders between science and practice and design them with public support in mind. As the Zurich Innovation Park enters a critical development phase, Müller suggests commissioning a comparative study of international innovation parks. The goal? Understand their impact on local ecosystems and identify key success factors that could inform Zurich’s own approach.