The first Swiss centre of excellence for information and communication sciences (ICT) was created there 25 years, in Valais.

As a result, the region now enjoys an international reputation which, of course, it intends to maintain.

The Ark Foundation is creating a network of academic and industrial expertise in order to consolidate and develop ICT within the local economy. It is doing this via two complementary technology sites: TechnoArk and IdeArk.

At Sierre, TechnoArk works mainly on:

• information technology
• the Internet of things and RFID

At Martigny, IdeArk focuses on:

• management of multimedia information
• the man-machine interface