Signals, in order.

On 18 September 2026 the Federal Council approved the 2026 Security Policy Strategy, which sets out 10 objectives and 46 measures to strengthen resilience, improve resistance and protection, and enhance defence capabilities. The strategy addresses hybrid threats, cyberattacks, influence activities, and the vulnerability of critical infrastructure, and it requires cooperation between federal authorities, cantons, communes, business, academia, and civil society. Implementation is coordinated by the State Secretariat for Security Policy (SEPOS) with a steering committee, and progress will be rep…

Source: Swiss Federal Government

On 18 September 2026, the Swiss Federal Council imposed additional sanctions on Belarus, aligning with EU measures adopted on 23 April. The new measures extend export and transit bans on goods that could enhance Belarus’s military and technological capabilities, impose restrictions on the import of economically significant goods, and ban transactions involving certain cryptocurrencies and cryptoasset service providers. The sanctions also prohibit the provision of managed security services and tourism-related services to Belarus.

Source: Swiss Federal Government

Researchers from EPFL, ETH Zurich, and CSCS have partnered with Swiss company Proton to integrate the open‑source language model Apertus 1.5 into Proton’s AI assistant Lumo. The collaboration allows Apertus developers to receive voluntary, anonymised user feedback from millions of Lumo users, a first for an open model. The partnership also supports Switzerland’s goal of AI sovereignty by providing a competitive, privacy‑focused alternative to foreign chatbots.

Source: EPFL News

Researchers from EPFL, ETH Zurich, and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre have partnered with Proton to make Apertus 1.5 available in Proton’s Lumo AI assistant. This integration allows Lumo users to choose Apertus as their language model and voluntarily share anonymised feedback, giving the Apertus team real‑world usage data for the first time. The partnership supports the development of open, sovereign AI in Switzerland and Europe.

Source: ETH Zurich News

Following a beta with around 50 businesses, Swiss fintech Helvo is now available to SMEs across Switzerland. Built on a Swiss business account with CHF and EUR IBANs, Helvo brings accounts, payments, invoicing, accounting, payroll and financial insight into one system, with accounts opening in 48–72 hours and the first month free for new customers. Helvo aims to reach 500 Swiss businesses by the end of 2026 as it scales across the SME market.

Source: Startupticker

Giotto.ai, a Swiss AI company specializing in advanced reasoning systems, has entered a collaboration with Groupe Mutuel, Switzerland’s only global insurer, to deploy its Giotto model across selected use cases. The deployment will run on Groupe Mutuel’s on‑premises infrastructure, ensuring data sovereignty and full control over sensitive data. The partnership positions Giotto as an enterprise intelligence model rather than a simple chatbot, aiming to enhance efficiency and versatility for the insurer.

Source: Startupticker

Sechs Startups haben sich für das Finale des zünder Accelerator-Programms am 25. September 2026 im Verkehrshaus in Luzern qualifiziert. Sie präsentieren ihre Geschäftsideen live vor einer sechsköpfigen Jury und einem Publikum, wobei insgesamt 25 000 CHF Hauptpreise und ein 5 000 CHF Publikumspreis vergeben werden.

Source: Startupticker

Researchers from Empa and the University Children’s Hospital Zurich have launched a four‑year joint project to develop a non‑invasive diagnostic protocol for asthma in children as young as two years old. The protocol combines buccal DNA swabs with breath analysis via high‑resolution mass spectrometry, and employs machine‑learning models to identify asthma‑specific molecules and genetic variants. Successful completion could enable earlier treatment, reduce hospital admissions, and prevent unnecessary medication in non‑asthmatic children.

Source: Swiss Federal Government

Researchers at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich have created a magnetically controllable, flexible fetoscope that can bend up to 173 degrees and provide a panoramic view for navigating blood vessels in twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). The system, which uses external electromagnets and a PlayStation controller for manual override, achieved a precision of 140 µm in experiments and successfully performed the key steps of a TTTS procedure in a pregnant ewe. The platform aims to make the complex laser surgery for TTTS safer, more precise, and more accessible to specialists.

Source: ETH Zurich News

The Center for Research on Learning, Understanding and Education (CLUE) was founded by ETH and EPFL to strengthen cooperation between research, schools and education authorities. It will connect existing learning sciences groups, facilitate collaborative projects, and involve teachers through a sabbatical program to ensure research questions are relevant to everyday school life. The center will also seek third‑party funding and host events where researchers and teachers can meet.

Source: ETH Zurich News