Zurich Airport can be reached from Ticino as well as the other regions in the Greater Zurich Area in less than two hours and is with direct flights to 146 destinations one of the most important airports in Europe. The location is not only ideal in terms of mobility, but it also guarantees access to more than 500 million consumers in Europe, including free trade agreements with 40 partners outside the EU. 

Switzerland is the world's No.1 location for attracting, retaining and developing talent. This is thanks to key factors like the excellent Swiss education system, world-class universities, the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons with the EU, the country’s cosmopolitan attitude, attractive conditions for employees and employers, social mobility and the high quality of life. 

Greater Zurich is home to renowned universities, such as the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) and the University of Zurich, as well as a variety of universities of applied sciences. Ticino also has its own high-quality universities, the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and La Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (SUPSI) as well as two exceptional research institutes: The Swiss National Supercomputing Center and the Swiss Artificial Intelligence Lab IDSIA.

All educational institutions are highly interested in research projects with startups and companies and offer numerous programs to promote collaboration between academia and business. 

Ticino and Greater Zurich in general offer a dynamic ecosystem where tech companies, innovators, universities and brands work together on research and innovation projects. Startups are often involved through tailored open innovation projects or can contact the association directly to learn how they can get involved.

One such example is the LifestyleTech Competence Center, driving innovation and fostering technology in industries ranging from fashion, food, travel, design to lifestyle. Another one is the coworking space and innovation hub Dagora that organizes a variety of events promote cooperation and knowledge sharing

The Greater Zurich Area offers breathtaking nature. The scenery ranges from spectacular mountains to gentle hills of Central Swiss and the Mediterranean Ticino. This is combined with a wide range of leisure activities, qualified education and training opportunities, the best medical care complementing expansion and career opportunities - all in the safest and most stable environment in Europe.