EPFL

EPFL, the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, is one of Switzerland's two federal institutes of technology, alongside ETH Zurich. It traces its history to 1853, when the École Spéciale de Lausanne was founded, and became a federal institute in 1969.

Its six schools cover architecture, civil and environmental engineering, basic sciences, engineering, computer and communication sciences, life sciences and the management of technology. Besides the main campus in Lausanne, EPFL has sites in Fribourg, Geneva, Neuchâtel and Valais. In 2025 it had 14,072 students.

The EPFL Startup Launchpad supports founders from the university, among other things with Innogrants. Between 2005 and 2025 EPFL awarded 212 of them, and in 2025 alone 39 new startups emerged. Its Vice Presidency for Innovation and Impact organises the EPFL Investor Day together with UBS.