The big lecture hall was completely full during Pascal MarmierÕs (CEO of swissnex China) presentation on the Innovation Landscape of Switzerland at the Jiao Tong University on Thursday, 9 October. The audience, a group of “special” students, who are considered to become the future Innovators from China – they are the students of all three years from the SJTU-ParisTech Elite Institute of Technology (SPEIT), which is established under the cooperation of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Paris Tech. Their demanding curriculum at the Institute starts with 6 months of intensive language classes before the rest of the classes continue to be held in French or English. The studies at SPEIT also include a compulsory stay in France, which should be at least three months.