The [seal] Program was born in 2023 out of the shared ambition of three universities - the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), the University of Applied Sciences in Business and Engineering of the Canton of Vaud (HEIG-VD) and the University of Lausanne (UNIL) - to pool their skills to address the major challenges of digital trust and cybersecurity.

The Government of the Canton of Vaud has decided to support this strategic area as part of its public policy.

The program's activities include funding collaborative innovation projects, setting up continuing education programs, and organizing joint events.

Powerfully led by
a strategic alliance of universities

epfl logo
logo heig-vd
unil logo

Generously funded by
the Innovation Support Fund of the Canton of Vaud

Deeply invested
in our mission

We bring together the brilliant scientific minds from the universities in the canton of Vaud to collaborate on solving the digital trust and cybersecurity challenges facing industry and society.

We foster applied research and encourage the transfer of technology and knowledge to business and society.

Highly motivated
by our vision

Our goal is to create a multidisciplinary, proactive and synergistic inter-university ecosystem dedicated to digital trust and cybersecurity, working closely with industry and society stakeholders to promote cyber resilience and economic growth in the canton of Vaud.

Fiercely committed to defending our values

We believe in the power of collaboration between universities and cooperation with local businesses, fostering the sharing of knowledge and resources to solve complex cybersecurity and digital trust issues.

We foster applied and pragmatic innovation, investing in the development of new and creative solutions to address real-world digital threats.

We are publicly committed to raising awareness of cybersecurity issues in the canton of Vaud and to contributing to the creation of a safer digital world.

We focus on our customers and partners. Our proactivity and agility are key to our success, enabling us to keep pace with an ever-changing environment.

We handle our customers' and partners' sensitive information with respect and are committed to maintaining confidentiality at all times. Discretion is at the forefront of all our interactions.

We are driven by integrity and ethics in everything we do.

We encourage curiosity and open-mindedness in our quest for innovative solutions and collaboration.

We are committed to equity as we ensure that everyone has access to skills and resources.

Steering Committee

Laurent Balmelli

Laurent Balmelli

Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
strong.network SA

Raphaël Conz

Raphaël Conz

General Manager
Office for Economy & Innovation Promotion of the State of Vaud (SPEI)

Christophe Nicolas

Christophe Nicolas

Chief Information Officer (CIO)
Kudelski Group

Marc Barbezat

Marc Barbezat

Director of Digital Security
Directorate of Digital and Information Systems of the State of Vaud
(DGNSI)

Olivier Crochat

Olivier Crochat

Executive Director of the Center for Digital Trust (C4DT) - Swiss Federal Institute for Technology in Lausanne (EPFL)

Sylvain Pasini

Sylvain Pasini

Professor & Head of Y-Security Cluster
University of Applied Sciences in Business and Engineering of the Canton of Vaud (HEIG-VD)

Christophe Champod

Christophe Champod

Professor & Director of the School of Criminal Sciences (ESC)
University of Lausanne (UNIL)

Raffael Maio

Raffael Maio

Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)
NetGuardians SA

Sandrine Verest-Junod

Sandrine Verest-Junod

Director of Federal & University Affairs
General Directorate of Higher Education of the State of Vaud (DGES)

Program Manager

Sandy Wetzel

Sandy Wetzel

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2024 - [seal]
All rights reserved