Life Sciences CC Association founded in Ticino

Switzerland Innovation Park Ticino has taken a major step forward in its development with the founding of the Life Sciences CC Association in Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino. As part of the future Switzerland Innovation Park Ticino, it will head up the third competence center for life sciences research. According to a press release, it will pursue “a wide range of goals”, including the promotion of innovation and research in the field of life sciences, the development of sustainable solutions and the creation of a cooperative network between academic and industrial partners.

Giorgio Calderari has been elected as the first president of the association. In addition to the existing Swiss Drone Base Camp in Londrino and the Lifestyle Tech CC in Lugano, both of which are also located in the canton of Ticino, the Life Sciences CC represents the third pillar of the new innovation park.

The new association is financed by both public and private funds and supported by leading research partners in the field of life sciences, some of whom are also among the founders. These include: the EOC (Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale) network, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI: University of Italian Switzerland), the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), the biomedical research center of Italian Switzerland (Bios+), the associations Swiss Biotech, Farma Industria Ticino (FIT), Swiss Medtech andIndustrie Ticinesi (AITI), as well as the City of Bellinzona itself, in addition to various companies including Humabs BioMed, Helsinn Healthcare, HAS Healthcare Advanced Synthesis, Rivopharm, Sintetica and FEMTOPrint.

As the press release explains further, the establishment of this competence center demonstrates the canton’s commitment to the life sciences sector. Moreover, it is an endorsement of the city of Bellinzona as the life sciences hub for the canton of Ticino. It also represents an important development opportunity for local and international companies active in this field, offering them access to the latest skills, technologies and infrastructure in the process. mm