EPFL Research Day in Sion

10 September 2019
Future ALPOLE building
Route des Ronquos 86, 1950 Sion

The EPFL Research Day in Sion took place on 10 September 2019, marking EPFL’s 50th anniversary and EPFL Valais Wallis’ 5th anniversary.

The event was held in two parts:

EPFL Research Day
09:30-12:30

This event was dedicated to scientific research, with a particular focus on the work carried out at the EPFL Valais Wallis in the fields of energy, clean chemistry, environment and health.

EPFL Valais Wallis 5th anniversary
12:30- 14:00

We celebrated the 5th anniversary of the EPFL Valais Wallis with a festive raclette. This was the chance to celebrate together with all those who have made possible, in one way or another, the success of the last five years.

09:30-10:00 – Arrival and registration

Event Moderator: Andreas Mortensen, Vice-President for Research

10:00-10:15 – Welcome

Martin Vetterli, President of EPFL
Roberto Schmidt, President of the Government, Canton of Valais

10:15-10:30 The Valais ecosystem and EPFL

Christophe Darbellay, Vice-President of the Council of State and Chairman of the Government Delegation at the Energypolis Campus, Canton of Valais

Philippe Varone, President of Sion

“Innovation at the heart of Sion territorial development”

10:30-10:45 – Overview: 7 years of innovation since the signing of the Convention

Marc-André Berclaz, Operations Director, EPFL Valais Wallis

10:45-11:15 – The Valais ecosystem and EPFL

François Seppey, General Manager, HES-SO Valais Wallis

Hervé Bourlard, Director of the Idiap Research Institute, Martigny

Daniel Borel, President of the Defitech Foundation

“Small is beautiful”

11:15-11:55 – Research and innovation at EPFL Valais Wallis: Science and chemical engineering

Introduction and moderation by Lyndon Emsley, Professor, Director of the Magnetic Resonance Laboratory (MRL) and Director of the Institute of Chemical Engineering and Science (ISIC)

ISIC researchers :

  • Raffaella Buonsanti, Professor and Head of the Nanochemistry Laboratory for Energy (LNCE)

  • Kumar Agrawal, Professor and Head of the Gaznat Chair in Advanced Separation Processes (LAS), “Atom-thick filters for separating molecules”

  • Wendy Queen, Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Materials (LFIM)

11:55-12:05 – Research and innovation at EPFL Valais Wallis: Health

Gilles Rivier, Medical Director, Clinique Romande de Réadaptation

Friedhelm Hummel, Professor and Head of the Defitech Chair in Clinical Neuroengineering (UPHUMMEL)

12:05-12:15 – Technology transfer in Sion

André Borschberg, Executive Chairman, H55
H 55, pioneer of electric aviation on the Energypolis campus

“Flying into the future”

12:15-12:25 – The future on the move

Presentation of the future ALPOLE research centre and its work on climate change by Tom Ian Battin, Professor and Head of the Research Laboratory for Biofilms and River Ecosystems (SBER)

12:25-12:30 – Conclusion

Andreas Mortensen, Vice-President for Research