One year to go: the start of Switzerland at Expo 2020 Dubai

On Oct 5, 2020

Switzerland reaffirmed its contribution to the success of the Dubai Expo 2020, which runs from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, which completes a one-year span leading up to the next World Expo. On this occasion, the Swiss Pavilion will take part in the first Pre-Expo event devoted to space on 5-6 October 2020.

Switzerland in Expo 2020

The Expo gives the Swiss Pavilion an essential platform to highlight the technical expertise of Switzerland and to foster Switzerland as a fertile ground for scientific study and innovation. In this respect, the Swiss Pavilion will participate in Pre-Expo Space Week, the first online event of the program sequence, ahead of next year’s Expo.

“Switzerland is not just a country of science, but also a country of space! The Pre-Expo Space Week is an excellent opportunity to showcase the power of Switzerland in space creativity, science and education,” said Manuel Salchli, Swiss Pavilion Commissioner General and Member of the Steering Committee of Expo 2020.

In collaboration with the EPFL Space Centre at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, EPFL, the Swiss Pavilion has put forward leading Swiss space ventures such as the Swiss start-up ClearSpace. This EPFL spin-off has only started with the creation of the first satellite capable of collecting and deorbiting space debris. ClearSpace has been entrusted by the European Space Agency to lead a European consortium that will develop technologies for more sustainable space activities.

The Expo is also an important economic platform: the Swiss Pavilion will concentrate on the development of the economic potential and attraction of Swiss companies and the tourism industry in the UAE, which is Switzerland ‘s foremost trading partner in the Middle East.

The Swiss Pavilion, including partners: Schindler, Rolex SA, Switzerland Tourism, Clariant, Novartis, Nestlé Middle East and North Africa and KGS Diamond Group Ltd- and suppliers, relies on a public-private partnership model.

The ‘Reflection’ chosen concept was planned and developed by ExpoMobilia by the Swiss project team OOS AG (architecture, general planning), Bellprat Partner AG (scenography) and Lorenz Eugster Landscaping GmbH (landscape architecture).