Campus Biotech: Already 400 People on the Site

Over 400 people are now located on site. By the end of this year, Campus is set to reach half capacity with 600 residents, thanks to the imminent arrival of further teams from the University of Geneva, the Human Brain Project, and the Centre for Neuroprosthetics from the EPFL as well as the newly founded Wyss Centre.

Campus Biotech was founded by the University of Geneva, the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), and the Bertarelli Family and the Hans-Joerg Wyss Foundation. In November 2013, teams from the Interfaculty Centre for Affective Sciences (CISA) at the University of Geneva were the first to settle in Campus Biotech. They have since been joined by four groups from the Department of Basic Neurosciences and a group from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Geneva.

Advanced research
A total of 26,000m2 will be dedicated to research groups from the University of Geneva and EPFL and 8000m2 will be dedicated to Wyss Centre for Bio and Neuro-engineering, which will act as an interface between research and industry to facilitate technology transfer.

The University of Geneva neuroscience teams are exploring brain cognition, perception, emotions and consciousness to understand normal cognitive processes. Emphasis is also placed on neuropsychological disorders that occur in patients who have suffered brain damage.

Campus Biotech will also allow scientists to develop large projects focused on digital and personalised health. Teams from the departments of radiology and computing at the University of Geneva, as well as its Global Health Institute, work in various fields relating to Big Data. The Big Data laboratory, created in collaboration with EPFL, will also address multidisciplinary research combining medicine, sociology, ethics and technology.

The brain centre of attention
From December 2014, Campus Biotech will also host the operations centre and research teams from the Human Brain Project, one of the flagship research projects supported by the European Union to the amount of EUR 1 billion over 10 years. Its objectives include modelling the entire human brain, made possible by the parallel development of new IT skills, notably the ability to imitate the operation of neural networks.

The Geneva-site will also host EPFL’s Neuroprosthetics Center. It focuses its research activities on the themes of rehabilitation, human-machine interfaces and the development of new prostheses, through a combination of expertise from the fields of neuroscience, engineering and medicine.

The strength of the network on a single site
The site includes academic, clinical, industrial and entrepreneurial stakeholders with complementary skills, who work collaboratively to stimulate innovation in the field of life sciences.

“Campus Biotech offers tremendous opportunities for both scientists and entrepreneurs, providing a unique environment that aims to translate innovative ideas into products that will impact society and the world," enthuses Benoit Dubuis, director of the Campus Biotech Foundation Geneva, created by the University of Geneva, EPFL and the Canton of Geneva to manage the Campus Biotech site.

Further information about Campus Biotech can be found in a presentation by Benoit Dubuis. It can be downloaded from the website of Campus Biotech.