The Novartis Campus in Basel has been home to a Switzerland Innovation Basel Area site for years. Due to the high demand from start-ups in the fields of digital health and healthtech, the area was expanded by over 700 m2 this summer. The expansion also documents Novartis' interest in healthtech in general and healthech start-ups in particular.
Digitalisation is one of the megatrends in the healthcare sector. It not only promises greater efficiency, but also new possibilities in diagnostics and therapeutics. As this field requires expertise that traditional healthcare companies often do not possess, it offers great opportunities for start-ups, many of which have emerged in recent years.
However, if innovative digital products and services are to find their way into practice, collaboration across company and disciplinary boundaries is essential. In this respect, the location of the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area at the Novartis Campus offers excellent conditions. The Campus is Novartis' global headquarters, with around 7,000 employees on site. It is also home to companies such as Pharmaplan, CSL Behring, SOTIO Biotech and Ultragenyx. Last but not least, research institutions like Friedrich Miescher Institute (FMI), the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB) are in close proximity.
It is hardly surprising that the trend towards digitalisation and the good conditions at the site have led to high demand for the available space. Therefore the site was extended by an entire floor of over 700 m2 in summer. The expansion also documents Novartis' interest in healthtech in general and healthech start-ups in particular. The Group responded favourably to the request of the park for a site extension. Incidentally, this Novartis’ interest also manifests itself in the successful Open Mic in Healthcare series, which Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area initiated together with DayOne and Novartis. The next event on the topic of GenAI in the pharmaceutical industry will take place on 30 September.
The new location on the Novartis Campus is on the 15th floor of the building and was added to the existing presence on 11th, 12th, and 14th floor in the same building. Currently there are 40 residents focussed on digital health and health tech. These include well-known start-ups such as Bottneuro, Nutrix, Scailyte and Zoundream. It is also home to the DayOne Accelerator verticals ‘Digital Health Nation’ and ‘Health 4.0’, whose latest cohort was only recently announced.
With the expansion, there is now room for more healthtech start-ups. The complete package for start-ups is described on the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area website.
(Press release / SK)
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The new Swiss Venture Capital Report was published on 26 January. It analyses 304 financing rounds closed in 2020 and includes further article such as an interview with Michael Hengartner, President of the ETH Board, and a list of Swiss "soonicorns". 
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