NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Innovation is a central component of our civilization, to the extent that some do not hesitate to write that innovation will save the world.  But what is innovation? Technological prowess, and the vertiginous nature of the digital economy too often focus attention on this kind of innovation. But innovation is also economic, ecological, societal and managerial. It is the totality of these innovations that we need to take in account if we want to have a chance to construct a better future for humanity. It is for this reason that the 2017 Zermatt Summit will gather around the theme ‘Humanizing Innovation’ catalysts of solutions who will show us the extraordinary potential for innovation present in fields that often pass unnoticed, from waste recycling to the implementation of procedures where the most advanced technologies meet traditional forms of knowledge.

Concrete examples will be given by people who sometimes have extraordinary life stories which can serve as examples and give hope. Technological and digital innovation will of course not be forgotten. Three broad debates will be organized on the future of the human person, the evolution of work and of private life, and even (or above all) of human rights in this new digital world which is shaping up to be so different from what has gone before. Thus it is that we invite you to the 6th Zermatt Summit for two and a half days of exceptional quality which will, like preceding Summits, take place in the heart of the Swiss mountains.