STUDENT - INDUSTRY SYNERGY: ETH ZURICH'S FAST-TRACK TO INNOVATION

ETH Zurich students team up with industry engineers to turn bold ideas into prototypes - faster than ever. This innovative approach to teaching and learning has been hailed by both parties as a great success.

“But all the effort paid off: we’ve already implemented some of their ideas in our production processes, and there’s one particular product innovation that has the potential to be a game changer.”

Thomas Christen

Head of Corporate R&D at VAT

Enabled by ETH Zurich’s Feasibility Lab, students collaborate with engineers from leading companies, applying their skills in real-world contexts to turn ideas into working prototypes in record time. Founded by Professor Mirko Meboldt of Product Development and Engineering Design, the lab offers companies a low-risk platform to test early-stage concepts while giving students invaluable real-world design and development experience.

The initiative, now branded as the Exploration Program (EXL) at the ETH Feasibility Lab, and located at the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich within the ETH Hangar, has evolved into a flagship partnership between academia and industry. Its first partnership, with the Bühler Group, saw students tackle complex challenges across 24 business units. In just six months, they launched 60 projects - including a functional oat dehulling device that might otherwise have taken years and millions to develop.

Encouraged by this success, EXL expanded to include new partners: V-ZUG, Bossard, and the VAT Group. In a single semester, 14 students worked alongside 200 corporate employees to evaluate 178 innovative ideas and develop 87 prototypes, some of which are now being implemented in live production settings.

For students like Alina Arranhado, the experience was transformative. Her low-cost light sensor solution for inventory management proved ten times cheaper than the existing method. “Some weeks we faced a new challenge every day,” she recalls. “EXL gave me variety, responsibility, and true collaboration, not just with students, but with real industry professionals.”

With new partners such as Givaudan, Siemens, and Sauber joining upcoming cohorts, EXL is proving how education, research, and industry can move faster - together.

Key facts

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    months
    Typical project duration

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    projects
    Prototypes developed in one semester

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    ideas
    Submitted by company stakeholders

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    companies
    Involved in the latest EXL round: Bühler, VAT, Bossard, V-ZUG

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