Western Switzerland's Digital Ecosystem: A Focus on the Canton of Neuchâtel
In an industry where hype often outshines actual change, Hervé Sanglard brings a perspective shaped by more than twenty years of experience working directly with businesses, digital infrastructure, and user practices. A pioneering digital entrepreneur in French-speaking Switzerland and CEO of UDITIS (Sequotech Group), he has witnessed the evolution of technologies from their early stages of widespread adoption to today’s challenges related to artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, among other areas. This experience informs the deliberations of the Alp ICT Expert Committee by maintaining a constant link between technological innovation and real-world realities.
With a deep understanding of the technical, economic, and organizational challenges associated with digital transformation, Hervé advocates for a resolutely user-centric approach. It is in this capacity that he serves as a lecturer in Advanced Security for the Swiss Joint Master of Science in Computer Science, a program established jointly by the Universities of Neuchâtel, Bern, and Fribourg. Through this academic commitment, he makes a tangible contribution to aligning the demands of the professional world with educational programs, recognizing that the rapid pace of technological change requires continuous updating of skills.
Her career path has allowed her to observe not only the opportunities offered by new technologies, but also the challenges they pose in terms of governance, trust, adoption, and control over digital infrastructure. This approach fits naturally within the Alp ICT Expert Committee, where it helps bridge the gap between technological advancements and the practical realities faced by SMEs in French-speaking Switzerland.
“The challenge is not merely to adopt the most advanced technologies, but to develop applications that can create value, maintain trust, and ensure that humans remain in control of the systems they develop. And although digitalization is accelerating, we must also ask ethical questions about the opportunities and limitations involved in preserving humanity and safeguarding the planet.”
Hervé Sanglard’s vision directly reflects the identity of the Canton of Neuchâtel. Building on a long tradition of industrial innovation and precision, the region has gradually developed an approach to digital technology based on experimentation, technological expertise, and the creation of tangible value. This philosophy is evident today in its interest in blockchain technologies, decentralized infrastructures, and open source. Beyond the technologies themselves, the canton is interested in the questions they raise regarding digital identity, technological sovereignty, data governance, and the role of humans in an increasingly connected environment. This line of thinking also finds natural extensions in fields such as digital health, where the region’s long-standing expertise in microtechnology, electronics, and engineering is opening up new possibilities.
Innovation in the Service of the Real Economy
This ambition is underpinned by a particularly cohesive ecosystem in which research, innovation, and industry advance in tandem. In particular, the CSEM is one of the cornerstones of the cantonal initiative, with its work in the fields of microtechnologies, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, edge computing, and Industry 4.0. This momentum is part of a historical continuity linking the canton’s watchmaking heritage to contemporary challenges in semiconductors and other fields, as illustrated in particular by Neuchâtel’s strategy surrounding the Chip Act.
Built on this technological foundation, this momentum is further driven by platforms such as Micronarc, which brings together companies, research institutes, and institutional stakeholders in Western Switzerland to accelerate knowledge transfer, foster collaboration, and strengthen the international reach of the precision technologies developed in the region. At the same time, the Microcity innovation hub facilitates companies’ access to a network of partners and expertise in high-potential sectors such as HealthTech, MedTech, new forms of mobility, and space technologies. Recent initiatives such as Human Lean Diagnostics (HLD) and Les Métiers du Temps – Time Arts (MTTA) illustrate this commitment to fostering projects at the intersection of the canton’s long-standing industrial expertise and the new opportunities offered by digital transformation.
The Canton also supports the development of a structured blockchain ecosystem through spaces such as the Coworking Blockchain Neuchâtel (CBN), whose goal is to make these technologies more accessible to businesses and to foster the emergence of concrete use cases. Beyond the financial applications often associated with the sector, this initiative helps explore new models related to traceability, certification, digital identity, and decentralized services, as mentioned earlier.
As Matthieu Aubert, head of the Economic Affairs Department of the Canton of Neuchâtel, points out:
"Innovation is part of the canton's DNA. The expertise developed in watchmaking, microtechnology, and precision systems now provides a solid foundation for tackling the challenges associated with semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and the digital technologies of the future."
Matthieu Aubert
Head of the Economic Affairs Department of the Canton of Neuchâtel
At a time when artificial intelligence is gradually transforming software, infrastructure, and everyday objects, Neuchâtel stands out for its ability to bring together digital and industrial innovation. From semiconductors to connected devices, from microtechnology to smart medical devices, the region demonstrates that digital transformation is not limited to simply adding a software layer to existing applications. It is also embodied in the products, components, and infrastructure that will shape the technologies of tomorrow.
