SYLVAC in Yverdon will open it’s doors for our networking event with the participation of P&TS, FISBA and Ctrl-alt-del.
The CoBooster: four years of impact, a fresh new momentum, and the future of collaborative innovation still to build, together.
Join us for an afternoon at SYLVAC in Yverdon, where we’ll unpack the best practices gleaned from four years of collaborative projects, dive into concrete success stories, and preview the next wave of tools and initiatives. Network with our new committee and partners P&TS, FISBA, and Ctrl-alt-del, connect ideas, share insights, and shape what’s coming next.
Program
13h00 Welcome coffee
13h30 Opening by Eric Schnyder, CEO of Sylvac and President of the CoBooster and Joëlle Tosetti, Managing Director of the CoBooster with the presentation : “CoBooster unveiled: meet the platform’s next chapter”
13h45 Presentation from Christophe Saam, CEO of P&TS and committee member of the CoBooster: “Intellectual Property in collaborative innovation: strategy, protection, and licensing”
The presentation will explore best practices for managing intellectual property (IP) in collaborative innovation projects. Through real-world examples, Christophe Saam will highlight how to anticipate and navigate IP challenges from the outset of a partnership, ensuring both innovation and fair value sharing. The session will also introduce the new “Patents” feature on the CoBooster platform—designed to facilitate the visibility, licensing, and potential commercialization of patents within a collaborative ecosystem.
14h05 Presentation from Fabian Käser, Coach, Mentor, Facilitator Ctrl-alt-del and vice-president of the CoBooster: “Collaboration and R&D are of great importance for SMEs and Start-ups – some thoughts on the Swiss way”.
In his talk, Fabian Käser will share key insights on how external facilitation and a clear “outside-in” perspective can accelerate alignment and success in collaborative innovation projects. In the second part of the session, Fabian will provide a concise overview of available public funding instruments that can help SMEs drive and de-risk their R&D efforts in Switzerland.
14h25 Presentation from Martin Forrer, CTO of FISBA “Why co-innovation must continue: lessons from our Innosuisse Expert and FISBA’s journey”
FISBA is a leading player in high-precision photonic systems, with deep expertise in optical miniaturization, smart sensors, and signal processing. Drawing on both his role as CTO of FISBA and his four-year experience as an Innosuisse Expert for the Microtech Booster, Martin Forrer will share concrete insights into what makes collaborative innovation work—and why it must continue. This presentation will offer a unique perspective on the evolution of the Booster model, highlighting the tangible benefits of co-innovation for industry. It will explore how companies can leverage these collaborative dynamics not only to drive internal transformation, but also to strengthen the innovation capacity of entire ecosystems.
14h45 Coffee break
15h10 Presentation from Eric Schnyder, CEO of Sylvac and President of the CoBooster: “Beyond the comfort zone: Sylvac’s collaborative formula for precision and continuous innovation”
Eric Schnyder will showcase how Sylvac, leading manufacturer of high-precision measurement instruments, sustains continuous innovation in a demanding industrial sector. By sharing concrete insights, it will demonstrate how fostering a collaborative culture, engaging with external partners, and embracing discomfort as a catalyst for change can drive meaningful transformation. The session will also provide a glimpse into Sylvac’s core activities and how collaborative projects have become an integral part of its day-to-day innovation strategy.
15h30 Presentation from Eric Schnyder, co-CEO of SMACA : “From workshop to workstation: How SMACA supports digital upskilling on the factory floor”
15h50 Presentation from Sarah Rochat, Professor at the BFH and active contributor on the CoBooster platform: “SkillCraft@Work: digital upskilling at the workplace”
16h10 Roundtable discussion with all participants: “Collaborating to Innovate and Upskill: Barriers, Enablers, and Concrete Visions”
16h30 Visit of Sylvac/Smaca
17h15 Conclusion and apero
Presentation of the speakers
Eric Schnyder is …
Christophe Saam is an electrical engineer from EPFL and holds a diploma in European Patent Litigation from the University of Strasbourg. He is a Qualified Patent Information Professional and serves as a Technical Judge at the Swiss Federal Patent Court. Christophe began his career at the European Patent Office in Berlin, where he examined patents in digital signal processing and display controller technologies.
Upon returning to Switzerland, he qualified as a European and Swiss Patent Attorney and went on to found P&TS in 1998, an intellectual property law firm with offices in Neuchâtel and Zurich, which he continues to lead. P&TS quickly became a recognized leader in Switzerland’s patent landscape.
The firm currently supports more than 700 startups, along with technology-driven SMEs and numerous multinationals across all sectors. Its services include international patent prosecution (in over 65 countries), IP litigation, and strategic advice on trademarks, designs, software, and AI-related legal matters. Christophe brings particular expertise in information technologies and microtechnology, fields in which he has worked extensively throughout his career. He also serves as an IP expert for the Innosuisse startup program.
Christophe combines deep intellectual property expertise with a strong grasp of commercial strategy, helping companies and research institutions unlock the value of their innovations. He is frequently invited to lecture on IP and innovation law, and is featured in Who’s Who Legal, which describes him as “a key player in the Swiss market, boasting a wealth of expertise on a wide range of matters relating to technology patents.”
Driven by a passion for technology transfer and collaborative innovation, Christophe actively contributes to Cobooster, supporting engineers, researchers, CTOs, and CEOs in navigating the path from idea to impact.
Martin Forrer is currently CTO at FISBA, a global leader in high-precision photonic systems. Prior to resuming this role, he served as Senior Vice President of Business Development at FISBA from 2019, where he led international market expansion and strategic partnerships, with a strong focus on innovative and scalable photonic technologies. Since 2018, Martin has also been active as a part-time Expert for Innosuisse, the Swiss Innovation Agency. In this role, he evaluates and advises on collaborative R&D funding applications, particularly at the intersection of industry and academia, across key sectors such as Life Sciences, Photonics, and Engineering. He was the Innosuisse expert of the Microtech Booster for the past four years. With a solid track record in both technology leadership and innovation strategy, Martin brings a valuable dual perspective—scientific and business-oriented—on the development of collaborative innovation models.
Fabian Käser is a seasoned strategist, mentor, and networker with over 25 years of experience in entrepreneurship, technology management, and leadership across the precision industry and innovation ecosystem.
Graduated from HSG St. Gallen, he brings a unique blend of analytical thinking, operational expertise, and human-centric leadership. His career spans a wide range of roles focused on stakeholder engagement, strategic development, and cross-disciplinary collaboration — always guided by a deep belief in trust, mutual benefit, and innovation as drivers of value creation.
Since 2012, Fabian has worked as a consultant and sparring partner for numerous Swiss SMEs, supporting them in areas such as corporate culture, strategic diversification, and the formation of strategic alliances. Clients appreciate his pragmatic, results-oriented approach rooted in hands-on experience.
He also possesses in-depth knowledge of analytical instruments and the precision industry, from IP and R&D to B2B sales of complex, investment-intensive technologies.
Fabian Käser was also the President of the Innosuisse Microtech Booster from 2020 to 2024, and he has an expert-level understanding of the full range of innovation funding tools and collaborative models available to Swiss companies.
Logistical informations
Date
Thursday
11th September 2025
13h00
Location
Parking
Some parkplaces are available on site.
In case the parking is full, the big parking Le Forum is available, 5min walk
Conditions of entry
This event is limited to 40 people. Registrations will be processed in the order in which they are received and is possible until 08.09.2025.
The event will be in English (depending on who is attending), with visits in English and French.
Registration
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