The Silicon Valley Association (SVA) was established in Geneva in 1991 as a nonprofit organization with a mission to promote academic and technical exchanges in the information technology field through study tours. SVA has since organized more than 16 scientific and technical study tours to Silicon Valley and other regions with the collaboration of the University of Lausanne, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, Webster University in Geneva and Stanford University. These study tours have attracted more than 200 participants from major Swiss universities as well as from the business and international communities.
Our first Silicon Valley Tour was in May 1992. To mark our 15 years, we are organizing a very special tour from 29 April through 7 May, reserved for those who have participated in one of the previous tours to Silicon Valley. The theme is "Still Crazy After All These Years? There are signs that after several bleak years, the technology boom is back. Just watch the performance of Google, Yahoo, Ebay and Apple.
During this tour we will revisit many of the familiar places and companies, -if they still exist- and visit the new ones. We will also team up with many of the people we have met over the years, and learn about the new directions of technology. Our anniversary celebration on May 4 will be a jazz party in Palo Alto organized jointly with the Palo Alto Jazz Association (PAJA) with musicians from Silicon Valley and Geneva!.