SIAPS: Swiss Innovation for Astrophysics and Planetary Science

20 Jan 2026, 09:20 → 22 Jan 2026, 17:28 Europe/Zurich

Universal Postal Union, Bern

Elena Benedetto (NCCR PlanetS / UniGE)

Swiss Innovation for Astrophysics and Planetary Science

January 20-22, 2026, Bern

Drawing on Switzerland’s excellence in astrophysics and in engineering, the conference bridges science needs and technology solutions to shape the future of astronomical instrumentation.

The purpose of this conference is to: 

• Align the Swiss technical expertise with the scientific needs of upcoming national and international programs:
  • for ground and space telescopes and instrumentation
  • for in-situ experiments and instrumentation

• Bring together the Swiss engineering partners – including from Universities, Universities of Applied Science, national Research Centers, and Industry (large enterprises and SMEs) - engaged or interested to support technology development for Big Science. 

• Establish a national coordination platform to promote long-term planning and collaboration for the next-generation of instruments for ground and space missions.

This first event is promoted by the Technology and Innovation Platform of the NCCR PlanetS, as it marks a pivotal year for the Swiss exo-planetary science community: the conclusion of 12 years of outstanding activities of the NCCR and the creation of the Swiss Institute for Planetary Science.

While the starting point are the needs of exo-planetary research, the ambition is to broaden the scope and engage the entire astrophysics community and the engineering partners. This national event will strengthen the synergies between research and industry and advance the Swiss technical capabilities in ground and space telescope and instrumentation.

Program

The program is structured to match the "needs" of the research, i.e. challenges, future missions, with the “solutions”  that industry and engineering research groups can bring – and have successfully provided  in the past – in the development of scientific instrumentation or in providing cutting-edge technology for scientific applications.

Within the three days of the program, we will address (tentative topic distribution - adjustments can be made):

• Day1 : Big data handling & automation, Embedded software, High Performance Computing
• Day2 : Opto-mechanical systems, Vacuum / Cryogenics, Electronics, Robotics and automation
• Day3 : Photonics and Lasers, Sensing and Detectors

 

 

Scientific Organizing Committee

E. Benedetto, UniGE / NCCR PlanetS	M. Hubner, SwissILO
F. Pepe, UniGE	F. Kehl, UZH/ETHZ
N. Thomas, UniBE	J-P. Kneib, EPFL
J. Bonnaud, Space eXchange	C. Lovis, UniGE
E. Bozzo, UniGE	R. Keller, Swissmem
E. Breschi, HES-SO	M. Rubin, UniBE
N. Buchschacher, UniGE	A. Pommerol, UniBE
A. Fortier, UniBE	V. Tamburello, UZH
A. Glauser, ETHZ	F. Wildi, UniGE

 

Tuesday 20 January

09:20 → 09:50 Registration & Coffee

09:50 → 10:00 Welcome address

10:00 → 12:05 Big-data handling, embedded software: Project/mission "needs"

10:00 tbd Euclid, Integral, big data projects

10:25 SKA-CH data challenges

Speaker: André Csillaghy (FHNW)

10:50 tbc LISA Big data challenges

11:15 ET telescope data challenges

Speaker: Paul Laycock (University of Geneva)

11:40 ESO "complex" data handling

Speaker: Michael Sterzick (ESO)

12:05 → 13:25 Lunch

13:30 → 15:00 Big-data handling, embedded software: "solutions"

13:30 AI & HPC in Astronomy: Software For Ground, Space, and Beyond

Speaker: Laszlo Etesi (Ateleris)

13:42 CHEOPS Ground Segment

Speaker: Adrien Deline (University of Geneva)

13:54 Scalable Data Management for Planetary Science

Speaker: Daniel Ribeiro (GeoDataSolution)

14:06 DACE web platform for the NCCR PlanetS data sharing and analysis

Speaker: Nicolas Buchschacher (University of Geneva)

14:18 Optimising observational campaigns through AI

Speaker: Sara Marques (University of Bern)

14:30 Generative AI for radioastronomy

Speaker: Elena Gavagnin (ZHAW)

14:42 AI on modern HPC platforms

Speaker: Tomasz Kacprzak (FHNW)

15:00 → 15:30 coffee + posters

15:30 → 16:57 Big-data handling, embedded software: "solutions"

15:30 Moonshot - How to deliver high-quality flight software on time

Speaker: Jakob Wanner (Source Engineers GmbH)

15:42 SW Framework for highly efficient on-board data and AI processing

Speaker: Klaus Buchheim (Klepsydra)

15:54 EULER observation software

Speaker: Nico Buchschacher (University of Geneva)

16:21 Spacetek’s Modular Instrument-Controller System for Space Exploration

Speaker: Juerg Jost (Spacetek)

16:33 Multi-band radio-astronomy receiver: Optical high speed data acquisition

Speaker: Alberto Dassatti (REDS - HES-SO)

16:45 Optical downlink for data could change the way of architecting science missions

Speaker: Elisabetta Rugi Grond (Thales Alenia Space -CH)

18:00 → 20:30 Welcome Apero

Wednesday 21 January

09:00 → 10:30 Opto-mechanics, precision mechanisms, vacuum & cryo: Project/mission "needs" - Ground

09:00 ESO Instrumentation: technology challenges and opportunities for industry

Speaker: Michele Cirasuolo (ESO)

09:20 ANDES, Ristretto and the road to the PCS

Speaker: Christophe Lovis

09:35 MOSAIC, BlueMUSE

Speaker: Jean-Paul Kneib (EPFL)

09:50 The European Solar Telescope

Speaker: Svetlana Berdyugina

10:05 Panel Discussion

Speaker: all

10:30 → 10:55 coffee + posters

11:00 → 12:40 Opto-mechanics, precision mechanisms, vacuum & cryo: Project/mission "needs" - Space

11:00 ESA, how to get involved

Speaker: tbc

11:15 Planetary missions

Speaker: Nicolas Thomas (University of Bern)

11:30 Space Missions

Speaker: Enrico Bozzo

11:45 tbc ARRAKIHS

Speaker: tbc

12:00 L4 mission call

Speaker: Swen Wittig (ESA)

12:15 Panel Discussion

Speaker: all

12:40 → 14:00 lunch

14:00 → 15:36 Opto-mechanics, precision mechanisms, vacuum & cryo: "solutions"

14:00 Technology developments for RISTRETTO/VLT as a demonstrator for PCS/ELT

Speaker: Nicolas Blind (University of Geneva)

14:12 Extreme Adaptive Optics for Exoplanetary Science: First Light of an Unmodulated Three-Sided Pyramid Wavefront Sensor

Speaker: Muskan Shinde (University of Geneva)

14:24 The Programmable Liquid-crystal Active Coronagraphic Imager for the 4-m DAG telescope (PLACID) instrument: A joint UBE and HEIG-VD success story

Speaker: Jonas Kuhn (University of Bern)

14:36 DD4AO: On-Sky Performance of a Novel Data-Driven AO Control Strategy

Speaker: Isaac Dinis (University of Geneva)

14:48 A robotic mirrors positioner for the MOSAIC instrument

Speaker: Maxime Rombach (EPFL)

15:00 Configurable Slit Unit for the MIRMOS (Multi-Object Spectrometer for Infra-Red Exploration) instrument

Speaker: Peter Spanoudakis (CSEM SA)

15:12 High-precision manufacturing for ground and space applications

Speaker: Thomas Liebrich (RhySearch)

15:24 Robotic optical fiber positioner modules

Speakers: Malak Galal (EPFL), Maxime Rombach (EPFL)

15:36 → 16:06 coffee + posters

16:06 → 17:42 Opto-mechanics, precision mechanisms, vacuum & cryo: "solutions"

16:06 An overview of the Nulling Interferometer Cryogenic Experiment (NICE)

Speaker: Jonah Hansen (ETHZ)

16:18 3D-printed Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) for space applications

Speaker: Gabriele Paciotti (HES-SO)

16:30 Space Rotating Mechanism for the CXBe Mission

Speaker: Hancheng Li (University of Geneva)

16:42 Motorized Mounts for the Folding Mirrors of the VLT's BlueMUSE Instrument

Speaker: Gloria Bai He Mellinand (EPFL Astrobots)

16:54 Opto-mechanical solutions for telescope and optical benches

Speaker: TAS (Thales Alenia Space -CH)

17:06 Detector unit for astronomical applications at UNIGE

Speaker: Ludovic Genolet (University of Geneva)

17:18 METIS Cryostat for ELT

Speaker: Emilie Bouzerand (ETHZ)

17:30 Vibration-free gas bearing turbo compressors and expanders for cryogenic applications

Speaker: Martin Bartholet (Celeroton AG)

Thursday 22 January

09:00 → 10:15 Sensing and detectors, Photonics: Project/mission "needs"

09:00 ESO detector technologies

Speaker: Naidu Bezawada (ESO)

09:25 ESA detectors, clocks and optical communications

Speaker: tbc

09:50 ESA photonics developments

Speaker: tbc

10:15 → 10:45 coffee + posters

10:45 → 12:00 Sensing and detectors, Photonics: Project/mission "needs"

10:45 LISA sensing and detectors

Speaker: Domenico Giardini

11:10 LIFE technology needs and how to get there

Speaker: Adrian Glauseer

11:35 Possible remote sensing instruments for the next decades

Speaker: Nicolas Thomas

12:00 → 13:30 Lunch

13:30 → 15:06 Sensing and detectors, Photonics: "solutions"

13:30 THz Time Domain Spectroscopy for In-Situ Space Exploration

Speaker: Linus Stöckli (University of Bern)

13:42 Spacetek’s Detector High Speed Digitizer System for Space Exploration

Speaker: Juerg Jost (Spacetek)

13:54 Advancements in Optical Readout Technologies: Test Mass Sensing and Laser-Frequency Stabilization Techniques for Optical Compact Interferometry

Speaker: Victor Huarcaya (University of Bern)

14:06 laser controller electronics, optical amplifiers, optical fibers solutions for data / signal transmissions

Speaker: Elisabetta Rugi Grond (Thales Alenia Space -CH)

14:18 Industrial Optical Atomic Clock for Science

Speaker: Fabien Droz (Rolex Quantum SA)

14:30 High repetition rate laser frequency combs for calibration of VIS and NIR spectrographs.

Speaker: Ewelina Obrzud (CSEM SA)

15:06 → 15:36 coffee + posters

15:36 → 16:55 Sensing and detectors, Photonics: "solutions"

15:36 Superconducting nanowire detector development towards astronomy applications

Speaker: Boris Korzh (University of Geneva)

15:48 Nano to pico degree resolution optical astronomy: in quantum physics we trust !

Speaker: Roland Walter (University of Geneva)

16:00 CrSBr, a new photonic material: doping and magnetic control

Speaker: Bastien Smette (ETHZ)

16:12 Glass micro-components for photonic and opto-mechanical systems

Speaker: Rolando Ferrini (FEMTOprint SA)

16:24 Integrated InGaAs/InP Waveguides for Low-Loss Astrophotonics between 4-18 μm

Speaker: David Eglin (ETHZ)

16:36 Quantum Mini-Magnetometer qmM

Speaker: Joseph Moerschell (HES-SO Valais-Wallis)