Swiss applied sciences university strong in smart energy systems, AI for medical imaging, and IoT-driven building technologies across 43 H2020 projects.
HES-SO is Switzerland's largest university of applied sciences, headquartered in western Switzerland. They bridge academic research and practical applications across energy systems, digital health, AI for medical imaging, and smart building technologies. Their strength lies in applied R&D — turning research concepts into working prototypes and pilot deployments, particularly in energy flexibility, IoT-enabled smart grids, and AI-driven image analysis. They bring strong interdisciplinary capacity, combining engineering, IT, and health sciences within a single institution.
Extensive portfolio including Sim4Blocks, GOFLEX, FLEXIGRID, XFLEX HYDRO, domOS, and HotMaps — spanning demand response, smart grids, IoT-based energy management, and hydropower flexibility.
Coordinated EXA MODE on extreme-scale multimodal analytics for digital pathology; contributed to AI4Media, PERSIST, and CINECA on health data, federated learning, and AI for media.
Coordinated domOS (operating system for smart building services); participated in FLEXIGRID and ENTROPY on IoT-enabled energy systems and living labs.
Coordinated CAP-SAliPharm on cold atmospheric plasma sterilization of powders; contributed to MarketPlace on materials modelling including powder technology.
Recent keyword focus on microplastics and freshwater ecosystems indicates growing activity in environmental contaminant research.
Participated in AVENUE on autonomous vehicles for urban mobility services, indicating applied transport systems capability.
In the early H2020 period (2014–2018), HES-SO focused on foundational infrastructure work: nanosafety regulation, SME coaching networks, open-source energy tools, and nanomaterials — with recurring keywords around powders, monitoring, and business innovation support. From 2019 onward, their portfolio shifted decisively toward digital intelligence: AI-driven medical image analysis (EXA MODE), IoT and digitalisation for smart energy systems (domOS, FLEXIGRID), knowledge graphs, and open innovation living labs. The transition reflects a broader institutional move from hardware-oriented applied research toward data-driven, AI-powered solutions applied to energy and health domains.
HES-SO is converging on the intersection of AI, IoT, and domain applications (energy, health), making them a strong partner for projects that need applied digital transformation expertise.
HES-SO primarily operates as an active partner (36 of 43 projects), joining large European consortia rather than leading them. With 655 unique partners across 42 countries, they maintain a remarkably broad and diverse network rather than clustering around repeat collaborators. Their 6 coordinator roles tend to be in focused, applied projects (CAP-SAliPharm, domOS, EXA MODE), suggesting they lead when they have deep domain ownership and join as technical contributors in larger initiatives.
With 655 unique consortium partners across 42 countries, HES-SO has one of the broadest collaboration networks among Swiss applied universities. Their reach spans nearly all EU member states and associated countries, with no narrow geographic bias.
As Switzerland's largest applied sciences university, HES-SO occupies a distinctive position: they combine the research depth of a university with the implementation focus of an engineering firm. Their multidisciplinary structure means a single partner can contribute AI expertise, energy engineering, health informatics, and materials science to the same consortium. For non-Swiss partners, they also offer a reliable Swiss Associated Country entry point with proven experience navigating H2020 participation rules.
