Cleantech is an increasingly important industry. Cleantech identifies technologies and services which contribute to the protection and conservation of natural resources. On behalf of the Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology OPET (known today as the: Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI) and in collaboration with Ernst Basler + Partner, we carried out a study on the situation of Cleantech companies in Switzerland. The study was based upon literature and internet searches, qualitative telephone interviews with entrepreneurs, researchers and experts, as well as on a quantitative telephone survey of 200 Cleantech companies. The following plans resulted from the study: The Swiss Cleantech Action Plan for Global Markets (2009) and the Cleantech Master Plan Switzerland (2010), among others.
