01 Chapter

Hi Tatiana & Roman,

What we're presenting

Swissnex Connect.
An initial framework.

A lightweight ecosystem layer to better connect and activate the relationships, knowledge and infrastructure already present across the network. An initial exploration, intended to be refined together with HQ and local teams.

It lives at studio-8.dev/atelier/swissnex, shared only with the people you choose to forward it to.

What follows is intended as a starting point for discussion, rather than a fixed solution. We would expect every section to evolve collaboratively.

Index · 7 chapters
02 Chapter

What we have gathered so far.

Notes from our conversations to date. These are observations rather than conclusions, and we welcome corrections on anything we may have misread.

What Swissnex is

A highly connected global network.

Across international locations, Swissnex teams facilitate collaborations between Switzerland and leading ecosystems worldwide: academia, startups, corporates, government, science, technology, and the creative industries. The work is fundamentally relationship-driven.

Where the opportunity sits

Connecting what is already in place.

The opportunity, as we see it, is not to create new infrastructure. It is to better link and activate the systems, relationships and knowledge already present across the network, in ways that are useful both for local teams and for the network as a whole.

The friction today

Fragmentation across systems and locations.

The challenge is not a lack of activity, relationships or ecosystem data. It is how fragmented these layers can remain across systems, locations and workflows. CRM, events, websites, newsletters, research.swiss, NexTrends, Science-Switzerland: all valuable, all separate. Continuity often depends on who is asked.

A first phase

A lightweight initial phase.

Not a transformation programme, and not a platform replacement. A focused first phase to validate practical usefulness with HQ and local teams, before expanding based on real-world usage.

03 Chapter

Tech-enabled, human-led.

Technology should strengthen the network, not replace the human relationships that make it valuable in the first place. In the case of Swissnex, we see digital systems primarily serving four functions.

Function 01

Reduce friction.

Easier access to information, relationships and institutional knowledge, for HQ, local teams and external stakeholders.

Function 02

Increase visibility.

Help HQ and local teams better see the impact and richness of ecosystem interactions already taking place.

Function 03

Strengthen connectivity.

Create more opportunities for meaningful interactions between stakeholders, locations and initiatives across the network.

Function 04

Support human relationships.

Ecosystem building, trust and long-term collaboration remain with the people who do the work. Systems support rather than replace.

In practice, this means interoperability with existing Swissnex systems, lightweight workflows, gradual adoption, modular architecture, and iterative deployment based on real-world usage. The objective is not to introduce additional operational complexity, but to progressively create more value from the infrastructure, relationships and ecosystem knowledge already in place.

04 Chapter

Five exploratory directions.

The directions below are intentionally exploratory, and are meant to serve as starting points for discussion rather than a fixed solution. We would expect them to evolve and recalibrate collaboratively, based on feedback and a deeper scoping phase with HQ and local teams.

Direction A

Ecosystem Discovery & Navigation

Conversational discovery of expertise, initiatives and ecosystem actors.

  • A searchable interface helping stakeholders discover relevant Swissnex expertise and initiatives.
  • Navigation of programmes, strategic topics and ecosystem actors.
  • Identification of relevant contacts and collaboration opportunities.
  • Could connect with CRM, events, publications, research.swiss, NexTrends, and Science-Switzerland.
Direction B

Stakeholder & Relationship Layer

A connected layer of stakeholder relationships and engagement history.

  • Stakeholder connections and institutional relationships, surfaced where useful.
  • Strategic topic clusters across the network.
  • Cross-location collaboration opportunities.
  • Strengthens continuity and discoverability, without centralising ownership of relationships.
Direction C

Event & Interaction Infrastructure

Networking and engagement continuity around events and delegations.

  • Participant discovery and structured matchmaking.
  • Pre- and post-event engagement continuity.
  • Builds on existing initiatives such as Hermes.
  • Interaction tracking across initiatives and locations.
Direction D

Institutional Knowledge & Ecosystem Memory

A searchable layer of institutional knowledge across the network.

  • Historical collaboration context, accessible to anyone joining the network.
  • Strategic topic evolution traced across years.
  • Previous stakeholder interactions surfaced where useful.
  • Reduces dependency on fragmented or temporary institutional memory.
Direction E

Visibility & Strategic Insights

Network-wide understanding of strategic topics, trends and patterns.

  • Strategic topics and areas of activity, visible at network level.
  • Stakeholder engagement trends and collaboration patterns.
  • Ecosystem growth and geographic reach.
  • Improves visibility, coordination and strategic understanding, without adding reporting burden.

A note on these directions. They are not a menu from which to select today. They are starting points, framed broadly so that the discovery phase can help identify which would deliver the most operational value for HQ and local teams. The shape, sequencing and emphasis would be defined collaboratively, alongside the people actually using these systems day to day.

05 Illustrative

A working sketch.

A concept sketch of a conversational interface to the Swissnex ecosystem.

It would take questions in natural language and progressively surface relevant funding paths, contacts and next actions, drawn from the systems already in place.

This is a concept sketch. Final scope, design and behaviour would emerge from the discovery phase and any pilot that follows.

06 Chapter

A phased and collaborative approach.

Rather than a fixed software project from the outset, this would be approached as a discovery phase, a focused pilot, and progressive expansion. Each phase proceeds based on what the previous one has demonstrated.

Phase 01

Discovery and strategic mapping.

Understanding the network before proposing anything.

  • Interviews with HQ and a small number of locations.
  • Mapping of existing systems, workflows and constraints.
  • Identification of highest-value and lowest-friction starting points.
  • Governance, adoption and interoperability considerations.

Output. A prioritised opportunity map, initial UX concepts, and a pilot recommendation.

Phase 02

Lightweight pilot.

Validating practical usefulness with HQ and locations.

  • One of the directions above, chosen jointly during discovery.
  • Real adoption with HQ and a small set of locations.
  • Documented, onboarded, iterated based on feedback.
  • Designed for low operational overhead and high interoperability.

Output. A working tool deployed within the network, measurable evidence of usefulness, and a clearer sense of next steps.

Phase 03

Progressive expansion.

Expanding based on demonstrated value.

  • Deeper integrations where the pilot proved valuable.
  • Adjacent directions added based on adoption and feedback.
  • Broader rollout across more locations.
  • Stronger analytics and visibility layers, if useful.

Output. A connective infrastructure that grew progressively, based on adoption and operational value.

Throughout the process, we would recommend maintaining close collaboration with local teams, iterative and lightweight deployment, strong interoperability with existing systems, and continuous alignment between operational usefulness and strategic objectives.

07 Chapter

The systems already in place.

Nothing new to procure. The starting principle is interoperability: anything added would interlink with the systems and workflows already in use across the network.

CRM Hermes research.swiss NexTrends Science-Switzerland Swissnex websites Newsletter platform Microsoft 365 / Teams Local event platforms Shared drives

Specific systems, their owners and the integration approach would be mapped together during the discovery phase, rather than assumed in advance.

08 Closing · Continuing the conversation

Continuing the conversation.

This document is an initial exploration rather than a fixed solution. We would welcome the opportunity to refine and recalibrate the direction collaboratively, based on Swissnex priorities, operational realities, and feedback from HQ and local teams.

Step 01

Comments and reactions.

Use the comment function throughout this document, or reply directly. We particularly welcome corrections on anything we may have misread, and reactions on which directions appear most relevant.

Step 02

A working conversation.

A follow-up discussion to align on priorities, operational realities, and what a discovery phase could usefully focus on.

Step 03

Discovery, if aligned.

A short discovery phase with HQ and a small number of locations. Scope, timing and investment would be defined together, based on the priorities that emerge.

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