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Innovation Enablers

The aggressive innovation agenda of the BioAlps community fosters the creation of many new startups every year, and the ease of access to finance, legal counsel and R&D expertise are benefits that many companies use.

Innovation Networks and Support Institutions

In western Switzerland, your projects find the support that will transform your idea into an enterprise through cantonal or federal institutions and industrial and academic networks.

Technology Transfer Organizations

Technology transfer structures in western Switzerland bridge the gap between academia and business. Many successful startups in the BioAlps cluster have resulted from tech transfer deals. The following institutions have technology transfer offices:

  • Alliance focuses on: micro- and nanotechnologies; information and communication technologies; biomedical technologies and life sciences; technologies and materials science.
  • PACTT enables local scientific talent to reach the market with the support of the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the University Hospitals of Lausanne (CHUV).
  • Geneva University (UNIGE) and the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) work together to support innovation through the tech transfer office Unitec.
  • Technology Transfer Office (TTO) of the University of Neuchâtel.
  • FRI-UP linked to the University of Fribourg.

Incubators and Technoparks

Few regions in the world have as many high-quality technological parks and incubators in such a condensed territory as western Switzerland.

Coaching

Individuals and companies can benefit from entrepreneurship coaching programmes in western Switzerland at each stage of the company creation process.

Company foundation

VentureLab is a programme of the Swiss Innovation Agency (Innosuisse), which organises training modules based on practical examples to encourage the creation of high tech and biotech startups. Both Innosuisse and VentureLab have experienced coaches, entrepreneurs and experts in their own fields, all of whom are at the disposal of the BioAlps community. Fongit and the Eclosion Foundation in Geneva are both incubators that can assist in the set-up of companies and further coaching. In Lausanne, the EPFL SIP West hosts a number of different entities that coach entrepreneurs to create companies. MassChallenge Switzerland supports new venture creation through an elaborate first-class coaching programme and enables participants to gain access to a highly relevant innovation network.

Company growth

Initiatives such as the Fondation d'Aide aux Entreprises (FAE) and the FONDETEC, both based in Geneva, assist locally-based companies both financially and in coaching services to create, restructure and reorient activities. In the Valais, CimArk assists startups, while in Bern be-advanced fosters growth of startups. Financed by both state and private money, GENILEM has a network that assists companies to grow from project to profit. Platinn coaches companies in optimisation and innovation.

Financing

As Switzerland is one of the world’s key financial centres, there are numerous opportunities to obtain financing. More than CHF 500’000’000 venture capital funds is invested in Life Sciences in Switzerland every year.

Seed Funds

Venture Funds

Other Funds

You will find hereafter other venture funds, including family offices which have a successful exit track record in Life Sciences in Switzerland.

Startups and success stories

Coming soon...