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FROM FACTORY TO FUTURE
What Swiss Business Can Learn from ASEAN's Value Chains and Build with Them
exploreASEAN 2026/27
Building bridges for young talents — that’s what exploreASEAN stands for.
Since 2015, exploreASEAN has connected Swiss business education with Southeast Asia. Every year, a new group of final-year FHNW students sets out to explore the region’s most dynamic economies, meeting companies and institutions on the ground, gaining firsthand insights, and bringing home perspectives that go far beyond the classroom.
Now in its 12th edition, exploreASEAN is dedicated to one big transition: how ASEAN economies move from production-based growth toward innovative, resilient and internationally connected business models. Under the motto "From Factory to Future: Resilient Value Chains in ASEAN", the delegation will visit three countries in the ASEAN Region. Each destination represents a distinct stage and style of this transformation.
Three Economies, Three Pathways, One Journey:
Vietnam – Industrial Upgrading
Vietnam's transformation is one of the most remarkable in Southeast Asia. What was once primarily a low-cost assembly base has evolved into a dynamic manufacturing economy, driven by industrial parks, deepening supplier ecosystems, growing automation and an ambitious push toward semiconductor skills and eco-industrial infrastructure. The country is moving up the value chain fast, and the world is taking notice. | 
The Philippines – Service-Led Resilience
The Philippines is climbing the value chain through a fundamentally different route. IT-BPM, digital government platforms, healthcare innovation and a young, highly educated, English-speaking workforce are driving a service-led transformation that is increasingly attracting international attention and redefining what economic upgrading can look like.
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Singapore – The Orchestration Hub
Singapore ties it all together. As the region's central hub for finance, trade, logistics and knowledge-intensive services, it connects Southeast Asia's production and service corridors to the world, setting the benchmark for governance, efficiency and international business in the region.
Together, the three destinations create a comparative lens that no single-country trip can offer: Vietnam as the classroom for physical production and supplier development, the Philippines for digital operations and resilience planning, and Singapore for understanding how the region is coordinated, financed and connected globally.
The Questions That Drive Us:
The 12th edition is structured around three interconnected themes and the real-world questions that sit behind each of them:
 | Smart Innovation – Doing More with Less: How do companies in Southeast Asia develop practical, affordable and scalable solutions with limited resources and what can Swiss firms learn from this pragmatism? | |
Resilient Supply Chains – Adapting to a Changing World: How do companies and economies respond to climate risks, infrastructure gaps and supply chain shocks and which strategies contribute to long-term resilience? |  | |
 | Cross-Cultural Business - Navigating Global Collaboration: How do communication styles, decision-making processes and business relationships differ between Switzerland and ASEAN and what does it take to collaborate effectively across these boundaries? | |
Answering these three questions offers a lens for understanding not only ASEAN’s trajectory, but also the insights Switzerland can draw from it.
The student experience that sets you apart.
Joining the exploreASEAN 2026/27 delegation means stepping into a learning environment that no university course can replicate. Over the course of the project year, delegates engage with companies, embassies, universities and institutions across Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines, gaining first-hand exposure to business models, industries and cultures that are shaping the future of the global economy.
For students who want to understand how Southeast Asia is reshaping global business, exploreASEAN offers something rare: the chance to turn academic knowledge into a real-world, enriching journey across three of the region's most dynamic economies.
Why It Matters for Swiss Companies
ASEAN is the world's fifth-largest economy, home to 684 million people and growing at roughly 4.8% per year. Two-way trade between Switzerland and ASEAN reached USD 38.32 billion in 2025. And yet the region remains largely untapped by Swiss companies, particularly in the emerging corridors that exploreASEAN is focused on. Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines together represent three distinct entry points into the region: manufacturing capability, hub services and digital operations.
For partners and sponsors, the project offers meaningful access to motivated FHNW students across Business, Engineering, IT, Life Sciences and more; a stand at our career fair in February; visibility on our channels throughout the year; and the opportunity to engage directly with our delegation — in Switzerland or on the ground in Southeast Asia. Most importantly, partnering with exploreASEAN means investing in the next generation. All while getting a front-row seat to value-chain upgrading, resilience and pragmatic, real-world innovation.
Whether you are a student looking for the experience that sets you apart, or a company looking to connect with the next generation of internationally minded talents, exploreASEAN 2026/27 has something for you.
What are you waiting for? Go visit:
Your exploreASEAN Team of 2026/27
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