The Marly Innovation Center reaches 200 companies and 1,000 jobs in 2026

The Marly Innovation Center (MIC), located in the canton of Fribourg, has reached several major milestones in 2026, twelve years after its founding. The site has welcomed its 200th tenant company, crossed the threshold of 1,000 jobs, and now counts more than 1,500 residents in its Ancienne Papeterie eco-district. The year also marks a renewal of the center’s management team and visual identity.

Founded in January 2014 on the former Ilford industrial site, the MIC has grown into an ecosystem of more than 370,000 square meters combining a technology park with an eco-district, services and sustainable mobility. Its development has been steady, from the completion of five modular halls in 2018 and the launch of the Ancienne Papeterie eco-district to the opening of the four-star Hôtel des Innovations with 167 rooms in October 2025 and the Swiss Competence Center for the Execution of Penal Sanctions in January 2026.

The center’s growth reflects its appeal to companies across a wide range of fields. At its core sits iPrint, one of the world’s leading institutes for inkjet-based production technologies and part of the School of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg (HEIA-FR) within HES-SO, which has drawn global players such as Epson and Markem-Imaje to establish branches at the MIC.

The site has also attracted international companies launching their Swiss operations, including French robotics firm Meanwhile, which established its first international subsidiary at the MIC to bring its collaborative mobile robots closer to Western Switzerland’s watchmaking, pharmaceutical and semiconductor industries, and FACTORYYY, a Strasbourg-based specialist in the refabrication of obsolete spare parts for the energy, rail and industrial sectors.

The year 2026 also brings a leadership transition. Following the retirement of Jean Marc Métrailler, active since the site’s creation, Thomas Osinga takes over as operational director, while Mathieu Piller continues as development director, under the presidency of Damien Piller. To mark the new phase, the center has adopted “MIC” as its brand, with a new logo and the launch of its website, mic.eco.

Looking ahead, several projects are under study to meet growing demand, including new laboratory spaces in addition to the existing 7,000 square meters, ready-to-use FlexOffice areas, a new building at the site entrance, and a possible clinic or health center. The Ancienne Papeterie eco-district is entering its final construction phase, with completion expected by the end of 2028, when the neighborhood will be able to accommodate more than 2,500 residents.