Dalle Molle Foundation for Quality of Life

The Dalle Molle Foundation for Quality of Life paid a warm tribute to Hervé Bourlard during a ceremony held on 17 July 2026 at Idiap. This significant event brought together members of the Foundation’s Board, the institute’s staff, and scientific and institutional partners.
During his speech, President Jean Pierre Rausis reflected on the unusual circumstances surrounding Hervé Bourlard’s appointment as director of Idiap in 1996. At that time, the institute was going through a difficult period: the departure of its first director, unsuccessful searches for a successor, interim leadership, and complex negotiations to establish its own legal status.
“The foundation’s expectations of a new director were immense and indeed decisive for the Institute’s future. ”
Hervé Bourlard rose to this challenge with remarkable success. Under his leadership, Idiap grew from a small team of around ten researchers into a centre of excellence of international standing, now recognised for its major contributions to artificial intelligence, computer vision and speech processing.

In addition to his 30 years as director, Hervé Bourlard has also made a decisive contribution to the Dalle Molle Foundation’s Board: serving on selection panels, overhauling the website, establishing the alumni network, and, above all, launching the strategic project for the Certified AI Applications scheme, designed to strengthen cooperation between the institutes established by the Foundation (Idiap, IDSIA, ISSCO) and to enhance their scientific visibility.
“Hervé Bourlard’s exceptional commitment has had a profound impact on the scientific, technological and economic development of the canton.”
To mark this occasion, the Foundation presented Hervé Bourlard with a sculpture symbolising its recognition of his work and his visionary commitment.
The Dalle Molle Foundation expresses its deep gratitude to Hervé Bourlard and to Nadine for their vital contribution to a human and scientific endeavour that has left a lasting mark on the landscape of research in Switzerland.

Thanks to a contribution of ten thousand Swiss francs from the Dalle Molle Foundation for the ‘Angelo Dalle Molle for Quality of Life’ project, the Venice Library Network was able to organise a four-part retrospective dedicated to the entrepreneur born in Mestre.

This series of events took place at the VEZ Civic Library and explored numerous aspects of his cultural, scientific and entrepreneurial legacy.

The series concluded on 15 April, on the occasion of National Made in Italy Day, with the event “Technological Humanism: a Made in Italy vision”. Economist Piero Formica and Jean Pierre Rausis discussed Dalle Molle’s cultural legacy, highlighting the importance of a development model based on a balance between innovation, sustainability and equity.

This event provided a significant opportunity for in-depth study and dissemination, highlighting the complexity and relevance of Angelo Dalle Molle’s work. It was made possible thanks to the support of the Della Barbariga Study Centre (CSDB) in Padua and the Swiss Dalle Molle Foundation for Quality of Life, and was attended by 240 people.

On 21 May 2026, the SATW (Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences) held its Annual General Meeting in Lugano at the University Campus East. On this occasion, the Dalle Molle Foundation for Quality of Life was admitted as a member organisation. The President gave a brief presentation of the Foundation to the members of the SATW. He warmly thanked them for taking this important decision for the Foundation, which looks forward to contributing to the development of technical sciences through the institutes it has established.

During the lunch break, members were welcomed by the IDSIA, which gave them an insight into some aspects of its ongoing research work.

We would like to extend our warmest thanks to the President of SATW, Mr Benoît Dubuis, and all its members for the warm welcome extended to the Foundation, and we hope that this initial contact will be the prelude to fruitful collaborations.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)