"I see the city as an innovation system"

What should Winterthur look like in 30 years' time? Bettina Furrer, Head of Urban Development Winterthur, is concerned with questions such as these. In this interview, she explains why KTT, i.e. the transfer of knowledge and technology to society, is essential for her work and shows what good KTT looks like for her.

Ms. Furrer, you are the Head of Urban Development Winterthur. What excites you about your job?
Bettina Furrer: Winterthur is an incredibly diverse, green and lively city with a high quality of life. It is a city of technology, education and culture. This diversity appeals to me as an urban developer. I see the city as a kaleidoscope: depending on how you look at it, you see different facets and colors.

According to Bettina Furrer, Winterthur offers a wide range of WTT. Photo: Piotr Metelski

What does this mean for your work?
Urban development includes all development processes that are not considered individually, but in their interplay. We attach particular importance to the resilience of the city: Winterthur should be designed in such a way that it can adapt well and quickly to changes - such as demographics or climate change. This applies not only to the "hardware" such as infrastructure, buildings and open spaces, which should be flexible and reusable. In particular, it also concerns the "software", i.e. social and economic structures.

What does a typical working day look like for you?
The nice thing about my work is that there is no "typical day". I spend most of my time communicating with internal and external partners. In the morning, for example, I might be briefed by an investor on a current site development project and work out possible usage scenarios with them. At lunchtime, I work with a sponsor to further develop the operating model for a leisure facility, in the afternoon I work on the topic of digitalization in a working group and in the evening I take part in a networking event for local SMEs.

In your vision for urban development, you mention the "smart city", what does a smart Winterthur look like?
Smart Winterthur uses technology in a targeted way to further develop itself. This initially involves the customer-oriented digitalization of administrative processes. In our view, however, a smart city involves much more. We therefore support a wide range of projects such as the use of artificial intelligence for traffic counting, digital art education and the development of smart collection vehicles.

What role does sustainability play in this?
Winterthur City Council committed to sustainable urban development at an early stage. Winterthur's high quality of life and attractiveness as a location should be ensured and expanded in an efficient, resource-conserving and socially responsible manner.

Based on the vision of Winterthur's urban development: does KTT, i.e. the transfer of knowledge and technology, play a role in urban development?
KTT plays an important role in urban development - as in any interface activity. In the classic understanding, it is about the rapid and smooth transfer of knowledge and technologies from universities to the economy and society. I personally have a broader understanding of KTT. I see the city as an innovation system in which various stakeholders share the vision of a sustainable city and work together to implement it. In such a process, the exchange of knowledge and cooperation is of course crucial.

What does that mean in concrete terms?
For example, we are working on a digital "co-creation platform". Interested stakeholders can contribute their ideas for the further development of Winterthur there. The platform enables stakeholders with different areas of expertise to come together. For example, residents with innovative ideas, responsible administrative bodies, interested researchers, implementation-oriented start-ups and financially strong investors. The platform therefore also addresses those stakeholders who tend to play a subordinate role in "traditional" research and development. For me, this is what makes good KTT, from which all stakeholders benefit.

You also worked in the start-up environment for a long time. What role does WTT play there?
As for all companies, knowledge and technology transfer is also key for start-ups. This initially involves patents and their commercial use. They are often the basis for financing the growth phase. Start-ups receive good support in such matters, e.g. from technology transfer offices located at universities. However, there are also other important approaches that promote KTT, such as project-oriented cooperation between companies and the university or the targeted maintenance of networks.

Like most colleges and universities, the ZHAW School of Engineering also has a staff unit for technology transfer. © ZHAW