Switzerland repeatedly ranks among the world's top five most innovative countries. This is why the Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) dedicated an entire week of its Schweiz Aktuell broadcast to the topic of innovation. They visited several locations that represent innovation in Switzerland, including the ETH Student Project House (SPH).

For us and our students, it was a fascinating experience to host a six-person TV production team at SPH for an entire day and gain an insight into what it takes to produce a nationwide live television broadcast - it takes a lot 🙂. We first walked through the entire house to identify the best filming locations and sequence. Afterwards, our students introduced moderator Cathrine Thommen to their prototypes and demonstrated how she can experience them herself. The producer and camera crew then ensured that the microphones, cameras, and other filming equipment were working as expected. Finally, we held a full rehearsal to run through the entire 20-minute live show and interviews.

The projects featured in the broadcast were Airscale, GirlsCodeToo, BuildMeUp, and the Boardgame called Startup. Andreas and Sohail from Airscale introduced their hospital mattress, which monitors and weighs bedridden patients. They spoke about their startup, the challenges of certifying a medical device, and even weighed the moderator live during the show. During the visit, GirlsCodeToo was running a three-day workshop at SPH for girls aged 12–14. In these workshops, the participants learn the basics of coding and soldering while seeing their female coaches work with technology, helping them realise that they too can pursue a career in tech.

Pascal used and 3D printed an open-source robotic arm to bring it to high schools for inspiration and to spark the students’ enthusiasm for robotics, just as he himself is passionate about the field. Wiona presented her startup board game and explained how she applied mathematical models from her studies to simulate startup success.

SPH was interviewed about what students learn by pursuing their own projects, whether this is truly a role universities should play, and why fewer female innovators choose to pursue their ideas. This is a topic particularly close to SPH’s mission and one of the key challenges we are actively working to address.