The 2025 edition of the MSE Asia Module welcomed 35 MSE students from SUPSI and the Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften (ZHAW), along with 6 students from the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST).
The program included numerous visits to leading global companies, giving participants the opportunity to compare cutting-edge production approaches adopted in Swiss and Asian facilities. Among the most significant examples were Acer (EMEA headquarters in Bioggio and global headquarters in New Taipei), Tornos (Moutier and Taichung), and Eugster-Frismag (Amriswil and Shenzhen).
In addition to these, students also explored other major industrial players that broadened their perspective across different sectors: United Machining, Mikron Machining, and Strausak in high-precision machining; Planzer and Kuehne+Nagel in logistics; and Stadler Rail, which presented its railway projects developed in China and Taiwan. Particularly impressive were the visits to the striking Huawei campus in Dongguan, designed as a replica of European cities, and to the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA).
The Summer School also featured seminars and thematic workshops led by industry experts and international lecturers, aimed at combining theory with direct exchange and hands-on experience. Participants delved deeply into crucial topics such as the innovation trajectory of semiconductors, examining not only the technological dimension but also the socio-cultural and political dynamics that enabled their development.
The program was further enriched by meetings with key institutions promoting industrial cooperation between Switzerland and Asia. Highlights included the traditional public event hosted by the City of Lugano to inaugurate the module, a visit to the Embassy of China in Bern, and a special reception offered by the new Consul General of Switzerland in Guangzhou, who warmly welcomed the group into his private residence.
Far beyond an academic initiative, the Asia Module affirmed itself as a distinguished educational journey—an opportunity for participants to immerse themselves in cultural and social contexts profoundly different from those of Switzerland, broaden their outlook, and strengthen the competencies required to thrive in today’s interconnected global environment.