Deep Tech is becoming one of Switzerland’s greatest economic opportunities. At the Bernpreneurs event following Swiss startup days 2026, Jens Krauss from CSEM explained why commercializing research matters more than ever.
Artificial intelligence may dominate today’s conversations, but Deep Tech goes much further. It encompasses technologies rooted in scientific research and engineering that solve complex problems and often take years to reach the market. According to Krauss, this is precisely where Switzerland holds a unique advantage. With institutions such as ETH Zurich, EPFL, the University of Bern and CSEM, the country combines world-class research with industrial expertise, creating the foundations for innovation that competitors struggle to replicate.
“Deep Tech is everything based on scientific and technological innovation that is transferred into a product for the first time.”
Unlike many digital business models, Deep Tech companies require patience. Developing medical devices, precision sensors or space technologies often takes a decade before commercialization becomes possible. Yet this long journey also creates significant barriers to entry and technologies with lasting value. For Krauss, success depends on building bridges between research institutions and industry so that scientific discoveries do not remain in laboratories but become products that improve people’s lives.
“Space Tech and Deep Tech are not just hype. They create real opportunities for SMEs and established companies.”
The examples presented during the keynote demonstrated how this process works in practice. Optical sensor technologies developed at CSEM laid the groundwork for wrist-based heart-rate monitoring, which has since become standard in consumer wearables. Another spin-off developed a device capable of continuously measuring blood pressure without the traditional inflatable cuff. In space, CSEM technologies have contributed to European missions such as Rosetta, ExoMars and Meteosat, while the underlying innovations are now finding applications in healthcare, industrial automation and manufacturing.
For SMEs, these examples illustrate that Deep Tech is far from an academic exercise. Technologies originally developed for satellites, precision timing or medical diagnostics increasingly become the building blocks for new products, services and business models. Companies that engage with research partners early gain access to innovations long before they become mainstream. Despite these strengths, Krauss also highlighted a structural weakness. Switzerland excels at generating ideas, but too many promising companies leave the country when larger financing rounds become necessary. The scientific talent exists. The entrepreneurial ambition exists. What is often missing is sufficient growth capital to scale companies domestically.
“The big problem is that there is too little financing available, especially here in Switzerland.”
For Krauss, the conclusion is clear. Deep Tech is not a future trend waiting to happen. It is already transforming industries from healthcare to manufacturing and from quantum technologies to space. The opportunity for Switzerland now lies in ensuring that more of these innovations become successful businesses – and remain part of the country’s economy.
What is Deep Tech?
Deep Tech describes innovations based on substantial scientific or engineering breakthroughs rather than purely digital business models. Typical fields include MedTech, robotics, photonics, advanced materials, quantum technologies and space technologies. While development cycles are often longer, Deep Tech companies build strong intellectual property and create technologies that are difficult to replicate.
CSEM (Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology) is a Swiss innovation center dedicated to applied research and technology transfer. Founded as a public-private partnership, the organization works with more than 250 industrial partners each year to transform scientific discoveries into market-ready solutions. Its activities span MedTech, precision manufacturing, microelectronics, digital technologies and space technologies, strengthening Switzerland’s innovation ecosystem through collaboration between academia and industry.
