A "HSG ETH Student Project House" is being established in St.Gallen

ETH Zurich, START Foundation and the University of St.Gallen (HSG) are entering into a multi-year partnership. Together, and with the support of the Canton of St.Gallen, the HSG ETH Student Project House (HSG ETH SPH) will be established and run as a pilot project on the START Campus. It is set to open its doors to HSG and ETH students as early as the second quarter of 2026. Activities will focus on talent development, innovation, raising awareness of sustainability, and building students’ iterative skills through practical projects. By the end of 2026, 50 multidisciplinary projects are expected to have been launched at the HSG ETH SPH. 

“The HSG ETH Student Project House fits perfectly with the strategy we are pursuing at the University of St.Gallen,” says Prof. Dietmar Grichnik, vice-president of Innovation and Quality, who is responsible for the project on behalf of HSG. “It specifically strengthens talent development and the pursuit of excellence in education. At the same time, it is an important step towards further developing St.Gallen as a start-up hub and anchoring HSG even more firmly in the innovation ecosystem through collaboration with technical universities.” Dr Judith Zimmermann, head of the Department of Teaching and Learning at ETH Zurich, says of the joint project: “The Student Project House thrives on students taking responsibility and being able to experiment in teams on problems they have chosen themselves. The broader the range of skills within these teams, the greater the learning effect. The partnership with HSG is very valuable in this respect.” 

Funding and infrastructure secured

To enable the project to take off, the Canton of St.Gallen is providing initial funding of 1.2 million Swiss francs for the first three years, supplemented by funds from the federal government’s New Regional Policy. This forms part of the government’s initiative to enhance the canton’s appeal as a business location and its innovative strength. “With this investment, we are specifically promoting bottom-up student initiative,” says Beat Tinner, president councillor and head of the Department of Economic Affairs, Canton of St.Gallen. “This is an important addition to the strategy for promoting start-ups. St.Gallen is set to become the first choice for founders. For this to succeed, we must offer an attractive package at every stage – from the initial idea through to scaling up.” 

START Foundation provides a fully functional and appropriate infrastructure on the START Campus at Unterstrasse 6, just a few minutes walk from St.Gallen railway station. “Artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming our economy and society. With the HSG ETH Student Project House, we are creating a place where students can work iteratively across disciplines on practical challenges, learn from one another and develop the skills needed for this new reality,” says Sebastian Novotny, managing director of the START Foundation. Long-term funding is to be secured through foundations, public institutions and private donations, and is the responsibility of START Foundation. The Hilti Foundation has already pledged significant funding for the first three years because it sees great potential in the project’s interdisciplinary approach. 

Foto: Vitra AG