Explore entrepreneurship, experience university campus life and challenge yourself in Switzerland’s outdoors. Talk to our team about joining the SILC Lugano Summer Academy.
SILC Lugano Summer Academy
Discover SILC’s Lugano Summer Academy on the campus of Franklin University Switzerland. Business, entrepreneurship, hands-on projects and Swiss adventure.
Business summer school in Lugano
SILC Lugano Summer Academy – Business & Entrepreneurship
Turn your curiosity about business into ideas you can develop, test and present. For students aged 15–18, SILC’s two-week summer school in Lugano brings together practical business and entrepreneurship learning, professional encounters and outdoor adventure in southern Switzerland.
Experience university campus life, discover new interests and build the confidence to take your next step.
Lugano Summer School: Key Information
- Group size: Maximum 25 students per academy
- Location: Campus of Franklin University Switzerland, Lugano
- Ages: 15–18 | Duration: Two weeks | Dates: 18 – 31 July 2027
- Fee: CHF 7700| Teaching language: English
- Academic programme: 10 morning academic masterclasses
- Accommodation: Double rooms with private ensuite bathrooms
- Programme and student care: SILC Academy
Connect with the Business World
Step inside companies and learn from professional conversations. Explore how people turn ideas into action, make financial decisions and respond to change, bringing fresh perspectives to your project and future study interests.
Grow Through Swiss Adventure
Take on lake and mountain adventures that build confidence, teamwork and leadership. SILC trainers support you throughout, with qualified instructors leading specialist activities. Guided reflection helps you carry what you learn into university and everyday life.
Explore Entrepreneurship, Finance and Innovation
Discover how ideas become businesses through interactive morning masterclasses. Tackle practical challenges, test your thinking and develop your personal project, with contributions from Franklin University Switzerland educators.
TALK TO OUR EXPERTS
Schedule a free call anytime convenient for you. Allow our experts and your personal concierge to assist you in your journey to an amazing summer.
Book a consultationEntrepreneurship, finance and innovation in Lugano
Think creatively. Discover your strengths. Shape your future.
Discover how ideas become ventures through nine interactive masterclasses exploring entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, alongside public speaking, negotiation and personal development. Visits to businesses in and around Lugano connect your learning with real-world experiences. SILC’s leadership curriculum continues outdoors through activities such as paddleboarding on Lake Lugano, exploring mountain trails and tackling team navigation challenges, encouraging you to take initiative, adapt and work together.
You do not need to have ambitions to start a business to benefit. Presenting your ideas, managing pressure, finding creative solutions and understanding your strengths are valuable at school, in friendships and throughout your future. Whatever path you choose, these experiences help you approach it with greater confidence and direction.
1. Entrepreneurial thinking
Spot opportunities, question assumptions and turn everyday problems into ideas for a new venture.
4. Public speaking & pitching
Build confidence in presenting your ideas and turn your business proposal into a clear, compelling pitch.
7. Leadership & teamwork
Learn to take initiative, share responsibility and bring a team together to turn an idea into action.
2. Creativity & design thinking
Explore a challenge from the user’s perspective and use creative techniques to develop and refine possible solutions.
5. Negotiation
Practise asking the right questions, making trade-offs and reaching agreements through realistic business scenarios.
8. Stress management & resilience
Develop practical ways to handle pressure, respond to setbacks and stay focused when plans change.
3. Personal strengths & career opportunities
Discover your strengths and interests and explore how these connect with future study, career and entrepreneurial opportunities.
6. Marketing & branding
Define your audience, develop your brand and explore how to attract your first customers.
9. From idea to business
Discover what makes an idea viable, who it serves and how it could generate income.
Meet your academic educators
University expertise connected with practical learning
Educators from Franklin University Switzerland contribute university expertise and professional perspectives to the SILC Lugano Summer Academy.
Their sessions help students explore business ideas, connect concepts with practical decisions and consider future study interests. Meet the educators contributing to the programme and discover the subjects and experience they bring.
Your learning outcomes and achievements
Take home recognition of your achievements, a personal project to build on, and individual feedback to guide your development. A personalised recommendation letter, practical action plan and follow-up session help you turn your academy experience into clear next steps for your future.
Certificate of achievement
A certificate celebrating your learning at the SILC Geneva Summer Academy, co-branded with Webster University Geneva.
Personal action plan
A personal action plan with practical goals to help you keep moving forward.
Personal recommendation letter
An individual letter recognising the strengths you demonstrated and the contribution you made.
Individual feedback
Insights into your learning and leadership, recognising your strengths and opportunities to improve.
Personal project and presentation
A business proposal and presentation you can continue developing after the academy.
Follow-up session
A follow-up session two months after the academy to reflect on your progress and plan what comes next.
Your Lugano summer campus at Franklin University
Our Lugano summer academy takes place on the campus of Franklin University Switzerland in Sorengo, in the hills above Lugano.
Surrounded by greenery and close to the lakes and mountains of southern Switzerland, the campus offers a university setting for learning and residential life.
Students stay in double rooms with private ensuite bathrooms, with SILC managing their care, hospitality and full summer experience.
Explore the Lugano Campus
An international community
Learn and live together in southern Switzerland
Share your summer with students from different countries and backgrounds. Working, exploring and living together brings new perspectives into your learning and creates friendships beyond the classroom. Evening activities and time to relax balance the programme’s academic and outdoor challenges.
Adventure meets leadership
During outdoor activities, you apply the leadership skills you have explored through SILC’s curriculum. Our trainers guide you as you make decisions, communicate with your team and respond to changing situations, helping you recognise your strengths and develop your approach.
Reflection links these experiences to the qualities needed in a project, classroom or future workplace: clear communication, resilience and consideration for others.
A day at the Lugano academy
Start your day with breakfast and a lively morning assembly, introducing the leadership focus for the day. Inspiring university masterclasses bring business, entrepreneurship, finance and innovation to life through real-world cases, interactive simulations and practical exercises. Share your ideas, challenge your thinking and work alongside students from around the world.
After lunch, put your learning into action through professional visits, collaborative challenges and project work, or head out for an unforgettable outdoor adventure. Lake Lugano and the surrounding mountains offer a spectacular setting to explore, try something new and build confidence beyond the classroom.
Evenings bring everyone together over dinner, followed by social events, team activities and time to discover Lugano’s relaxed summer atmosphere. Unwind, share stories from the day and build friendships that continue long after the academy.
Explore the sample programmeYour SILC team in Lugano
Learning guidance and personal care from morning to night
Our SILC trainers teach the leadership curriculum, guide personal projects and coach students as they put their skills into practice on visits and adventures. They also look after daily campus life, hospitality, social activities and student wellbeing, with SILC night watch providing overnight supervision.
Qualified instructors lead specialist activities such as rock climbing and water-based adventures, with SILC trainers alongside them to support students and guide their leadership learning.
Meet the Lugano Team
Lugano summer school questions
SILC Academy runs the programme and student experience on the campus of Franklin University Switzerland. The programme includes contributions from Franklin educators, while SILC manages student care, hospitality, leadership and activities.
On Webster University Geneva’s campus in Bellevue, in single rooms with private ensuite bathrooms.
Practical cases, simulations and a personal business or entrepreneurship project, alongside leadership challenges and professional encounters.
Contact SILC to discuss suitability, availability and the application process here.
