A leading hub of skills and innovation, the HES-SO Valais-Wallis carries out its Applied Research & Development (AR&D) activities at six institutes. The aim of its projects is to use the research findings to constantly update the degree programmes offered, and to promote knowledge transfer and the exchange of expertise. Disciplinary and interdisciplinary projects are carried out in collaboration with partner practitioners in the various fields and with other universities, both Swiss and international.
The Institute of Sustainable Energy consists in a multidisciplinary team covering technical, economic, and social domains in order to address current energetical and environmental issues. Through targeted applied research activities conducted in collaboration with both local and international academical and industrial partners, the Institute aims to position itself as a key stakeholder of the energy transition, proposing innovative solutions to today’s challenges with a strong assessment of their environmental impact.
The Institute of Entrepreneurship & Management (IEM) is recognised for its expertise in the development of innovative management tools. The institute acts as a regional catalyst to reinforce the capacity for innovation, stimulate entrepreneurship and improve the competitiveness of the socio-economic fabric.
The Institute of Information Systems of the HES-SO Valais-Wallis is closely related to the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree courses of the same name and specialises in the development of information systems for companies in any industry. The Institute is active in high value-added areas of the local economy such as eHealth, eServices (digitization of services), eGovernment,eEnergy (energy management) or ERP. The Institute of Information Systems oversees the continuing education programmes in information technology.
Offering a range of continuing education in health and physiotherapy, the Institute of Health has a skilled team who develop research projects in nursing science and nursing care, rehabilitation, the health of the elderly and assistance with health-related decision-making.
One of its strong points is providing health-care professionals with tools and research findings to facilitate their decision-making. Research is also carried out for the development of instruments to be used in prevention and intervention. The Institute of Health is also involved in the interdisciplinary projects of the Health Technology Innovation Center.
Located on a linguistic frontier, the School of Social Work in Sierre views itself as a bridge between the scientific discourses and traditions in the two languages, and its research activities draw on the theoretical and methodological approaches of each.
The aim of the research at the School of Social Work is to support the sector by providing institutions, professionals and politicians with well-founded analyses, evaluations and proposals.
The Institute of Life Technologies is part of the School of Engineering of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland Valais (HES-SO Valais-Wallis). Our activities include applied research and development (aR&D), services and continuing education courses. Our partners are SMEs and multinationals from the pharmaceutical, biotech, diagnostics, food, cosmetic and chemical industry sectors.
Our team of approx. 60 professors, scientific and technical staff members carry out a large number of research projects every year. They provide a wide range of services and consultancy that fulfil the highest quality requirements.
Over recent years, the number of tourists worldwide has continued to increase despite the complexity of the economic situation, especially in Europe. It would seem that the need to travel overcomes all economic difficulties. Travel is increasingly seen as an essential commodity with the growth of the middle classes on a global scale.
Moreover, according to Fourquet (1989), “tourism is a total social phenomenon. It should be perceived as no less than an aspect of society, which it fully reflects.” Its economic, social and geographical significance makes it necessary to draw on several disciplines in order to fully understand it. The work undertaken by the researchers at the Institute of Tourism is aimed at contributing to the understanding, analysis and forecasting of this global phenomenon.
