Microcity Day 2026
Microcity Day will take place in Neuchâtel on March 25, 2026, at the heart of the Microcity innovation ecosystem. It will bring together industry leaders, researchers, technology experts, and companies to discuss a strategic theme for Swiss industry and SMEs: “Cybersecurity & Digital Sovereignty: What Challenges for Industry and Innovation?” This event aims to explore the impacts of digital transformation on industrial systems and provide insights into the rapidly evolving landscape of risks and technologies.
Cybersecurity, AI, and Industry: Anticipating Risks in a Hyperconnected World
As industrial environments become increasingly connected and data-dependent, the issue of cybersecurity and technological sovereignty has emerged as a critical concern. Microcity Day 2026 offers a strategic and operational approach, combining feedback, expert analysis, and interactive workshops on the challenges related to AI, hyperconnectivity, and the governance of digital systems.
Highlights of the morning's program include:
- The Digital Blind Spots the Industry Underestimates: When Production Environments Become Hyperconnected, with Lionel Riem (CTO, VNV)
- The Use of AI in Business: What Should We Watch Out For? With Samah Posse (UniNE / UniDistance Switzerland)
In addition to the lectures, several thematic workshops will provide an opportunity to explore specific issues in greater depth:
- Is the connected factory ready for AI? Cybersecurity as a prerequisite, with Prof. Nabil Ouerhani (Arc University of Applied Sciences)
- When Your Own AI Tools Become the Risk, with Charles-Edouard Bardyn (AI Swiss)
- Cyber Risks and AI in the Context of Machine Safety with José Lamas-Valverde (GestRisk Sàrl, FSRM)
These sessions will highlight the new risks associated with integrating AI into industrial processes, including shadow AI, automated decisions that are difficult to control, and vulnerabilities in connected systems. You can also explore these topics in greater depth in our recent #TechTalk episodes, featuring guests such as Christopher Bouzas, CEO of Digiinov; Patrick Blanc, CISO at Nexthink; Maria Sokhn, HES professor of management information systems and dean of the Institute for the Digitalization of Organizations at HE-Arc Gestion (HEG Arc); Yves Robert-Tissot, Founder of Inoshift, or through the trio who came to present the Data & AI Observatory of French-speaking Switzerland.
