The “TRUST VALLEY” is an alliance for excellence, supported by multiple public, private and academic actors, launched in October 2020.
Cantons, Confederation, academic institutions and captains of industry, both local and international, work together to co-construct this pool of expertise and encourage the emergence of innovative projects. Cooperation is built around three main areas: the influence of this unique ecosystem, innovation, and the networking of regional players in the field of digital trust and cybersecurity.
On June 19, 2020, the Cantons of Vaud and Geneva announced their commitment to the “TRUST VALLEY” initiative in a historical agreement. This alliance, created in support of the regional economic development, allows the partners to pool their resources in the field of digital trust, to position and give a global resonance to the region of Lake Geneva. Today, manufacturers have followed suit. Since the announcement of launch 3 months ago, the initiative has become a public-private partnership actively supported by captains of industry such as ELCA, GCSP, Kudelski, SGS, SICPA and WISeKey, SMEs, large groups, startups, scale-ups, as well as academic institutions of the region (IHEID, HEIG-VD, HES-SO Geneva, EPFL, UNIGE, UNIL). Other strategic partnerships are currently under discussion.
Strategic alliances for concrete actions
Several alliances have also been established with new partners such as the CyberPeace Institute, PwC Switzerland and WISeKey. But also since June:
• 38 companies and organizations have expressed their interest in joining the “TRUST VALLEY”.
• 14 organizations have been added to the regional mapping in the field of digital trust, which is displayed on the “TRUST VALLEY” website.
• More than 12 projects have been submitted to the initiative.
The ecosystem is also growing thanks to the support and involvement of startups such as Aequivalent, ProtonMail, Yes We Hack; scale-ups such as Sysmosoft; SMEs such as eXpert Solutions, Exoscale, MSF Partners, AdNovum, Netguardians, Uditis; as well as the Transports Lausannois.
In the German-speaking side of Switzerland, the initiative attracts the support of Sygnum Bank. “TRUST VALLEY” contributors are PwC Switzerland, Fortinet and the CyberPeace Institute.
