At the crossroads of important communication roads linking the Mediterranean Sea to the North of Europe, Geneva is a town of exchanges, ideas and trade.

In 1387, the Bishop of Geneva Adhémar Fabri granted his fellow-citizens some liberty within the commune. He gave them the right to govern their city and encouraged the trading business by authorizing the pratice of obtaining a loan, payable with an interest, which at the time was severely condemned by the Church.

In the 16th century, came the Reformation: Jean Calvin was called to Geneva. He had the genius of elevating Geneva to the rank of a «Protestant Rome ».

Rousseau and Voltaire, two of the most important philosophers of the « Siècle des Lumières » (18th century) were living in Geneva. The writings of the first, « Citizen of Geneva », inspired the French Revolution.

The international vocation of Geneva prospered again to excel during the 18th century due to important Protestant bankers. The 18th century also witnessed the expansion of the watchmaking and gold industry. Today, Geneva is considered as one of the most important trading places in the world.

From the science point of view, Geneva has two Universities: University of Geneva and University of Applied Sciences. Geneva hosts the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) , where the Web was born. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) are also headquartered in Geneva.

In 2007, the RST Conference (Ada-Europe) will be organized by the University of Applied Sciences (Ecole d'Ingénieurs de Genève : EIG).