Biopôle is delighted to announce that Novartis, one of Switzerland’s largest pharma companies, will be joining its Corporate Partnerships programme. The announcement comes only weeks after the news that Roche and Terumo International Systems would also be joining the programme. With this new agreement, signed at the kick-off meeting on Wednesday 28 June, Novartis will further strengthen its innovative power in Switzerland, specifically in Romandy, while Biopôle cements its position as a centre for collaboration in the life sciences ecosystem.

Novartis consistently ranks among the world’s top companies investing in R&D; it strives for technological leadership and novel access approaches in its quest to find new, high-value medicines. Silvia Schweickart, President Innovative Medicines Switzerland at Novartis Pharma Schweiz, explains how the collaboration with Biopôle will help this mission: ‘For Novartis, Switzerland is a very important R&D hub. To further strengthen our innovation power, we’re proud to partner with Biopôle Lausanne, the leading science campus in western Switzerland. We look forward to connecting with the vibrant life sciences community in the Romandy and to exploring collaboration opportunities further.’

The company already has dedicated teams working in the region. As part of this new agreement, these teams will be able to use the inspiring workspaces on the Biopôle campus. Also, in order to benefit from the exchange with our members and partners, Novartis plans to bring teams from the German-speaking part of Switzerland to our site, as well as global teams from research, development and commercial.

As part of this interchange, Novartis is interested in academic collaborations, but also in partnering with start-ups in the digital space. It looks forward to exciting exchanges with the organisations on campus and to mutually stimulating new and creative approaches in the academic, digital and business space.

Biopôle SA CEO Nasri Nahas reflects on the impact of the agreement on the campus: ‘Western Switzerland is a leading, growing innovation hub for the life sciences, thanks to a strong, diverse ecosystem of companies, support institutions, and research and academic organisations. Today, we are delighted to welcome Novartis on board and to build the bridges they need to connect with our vibrant community.’