Where Swiss Post and science meet
New digital trends in sectors such as security, machine learning, networked objects and robotics are modifying Swiss Post’s core business. For several years, Swiss Post has been working with numerous universities, institutes and universities of applied sciences. This research enables Swiss Post to test and develop new technology, which it aims to deploy in order to be better equipped for the future. Swiss Post is building on its expertise and core business − the transportation of goods, information and people − to supplement its business areas with new digital solutions.
Research enables us to test and deploy new technologies. This means that Swiss Post can harness new scientific discoveries to develop new products and services. It is undeniable that the company’s core business is increasingly oriented towards the digital world: some examples of this include e-voting and SwissID in the E-Government sector; electronic patient records in the E-Health sector; electronic payment and invoicing solutions, IncaMail and E-Post Office in the secure communication sector; and even the use of drones for transporting special deliveries in various sectors, such as healthcare.
Why is Swiss Post interested in collaborating with researchers?
Claudia Pletscher, Head of Development & Innovation at Swiss Post, summarizes the situation as follows: “By working with universities and universities of applied sciences, we hope to learn much more about technology, which we can then use to enrich our core business.”
This collaboration is also beneficial for scientific researchers, as it gives them access to practical situations, innovative joint projects and Swiss Post’s infrastructure and professional competencies.
Two examples of successful joint projects
Collaboration in the data protection and data security sectors
Data protection and the security and reliability of IT systems are fundamental topics for the economy and society, but also for Swiss Post. To this end, Swiss Post entered into a long-term research partnership with the Zurich Information Security and Privacy Center (ZISC) at the ETH Zurich in late 2016. Several joint initiatives are now already under way, notably in the IT security, blockchain and cryptography sectors.
Collaboration in the mobility and network industry sectors
Swiss Post has a long-standing partnership with the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). Their joint projects include founding the Mobility Lab in Sion with the Canton of Valais, the city of Sion and the University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland (HES-SO) in 2014. The aim of this lab is to develop innovative mobility solutions. The researchers at the Mobility Lab oversaw tests for autonomous PostBus vehicles (SmartShuttles) in Sion.
Swiss Post: founding member of the Center for Digital Trust (C4DT)
Swiss Post is founding member of the Center for Digital Trust (C4DT). The founding General Assembly of the Center for Digital Trust took place on 2nd November 2018 in Lausanne. The C4DT, which was unveiled by EPFL in December 2017, is a partnership between research institutions, industry, the public sector and civil society. It seeks to develop digital systems based on data-protection, encryption, machine learning and blockchain technologies in order to facilitate interactions with policymakers and social institutions and offer digital protection and security in fields ranging from finance and health to democracy and humanitarian assistance.
Find out more: https://c4dt.org/
Claudia Pletscher during the founding General Assembly of the Center for Digital Trust on 2nd November 2018
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