Biotechnology

Inleiding

Biotechnology is the science of using living organisms to enhance medicines, crops, fuels and other products. This active, fast-growing industry relies on a strong network of related companies and institutions, and accounts for more than 700 suppliers and manufacturers.

Switzerland owes much of its success to its focus on education, research and innovation. The universities and institutes of technology work at the highest level with the international research community. No other country invests so much per capita in pure research and new technology; no other country has produced more Nobel prize-winners, relative to population.

The rapid transfer of such know-how into business products is one of the reasons behind the success of Switzerland’s biotechnology industry. Today, Switzerland boasts the greatest density of biotech companies in the world. Most of the firms are clustered around the Basel and Zürich regions, but there are also significant groups of companies in the cantons of Geneva and Ticino.

Since the early 21st century, western Switzerland has witnessed a convergence of biotech and medical technology companies to form a so-called Health Valley, extending from Valais through Vaud to Geneva, and as far north as Neuchâtel and Bern, involving some 20 research institutions and universities and employing 25,000 people. The cluster ranks among the top three European centres for biotech and medtech research alongside Cambridge and Oxford.

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Lausanne: research institution EPFL

One of the leading research institutions in the field is EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) in Lausanne. The university is coordinating the international Human Brain Project as well as pioneering a wide variety of other biotech research.
EPFL has an emphasis on fostering ties between entrepreneurs and students, academics and scientists. More than 25,000 people of more than 125 nationalities work or study on the beautiful campus overlooking Lake Geneva.
The new SwissTech Convention Center on the EPFL site is ultra-modern, highly flexible and fully integrated into the campus. Cutting-edge conference technology allows participants to interact directly with researchers throughout the site.
Many of the world’s leading experts in the field are available to give presentations and share findings from new research.