Generating impact in the region and beyond
In 2023, we attracted 34 companies to the Basel Area. The majority of the new settlements are active in the life sciences industry.
34
Settlements
of these
26
in the life sciences sector
Global reach: Origin of companies
699
Planned jobs over the next 3 to 5 years
1475
Consultations for company founders
86
Company founders supported
52
Events
7403
Event participants
Companies putting down roots in the region
”I'd strongly advise any new company to leverage the extensive opportunities available to healthtech companies here. There are a lot of great opportunities (for free!) that companies can use. Additionally, build and use the network! In our company, we received so much support and value during the foundation of our startup. It really feels like being part of a great family where everybody is willing to support when needed.
Roberto IannoneCEO Zoundream
”We’ve had a lot of local help from a whole series of different folks in the area. This was a major differentiator for us and it was a major reason why we decided to locate here. It was such a welcoming community. Everyone who was aware of our desire to locate here has lent a hand to say: “How can we help you?”.
Greg VerdineCEO LifeMine Therapeutics
”Arriving in the Basel Area, one of the most dynamic life sciences clusters in the world, means that we are close to our customers in continental Europe. We gain access to the local talent pool and become part of the life sciences community here. With a location in the heart of European pharma, we can easily collaborate on novel solutions for healthcare.
Johana Kuncova-KallioDirector of UPM Biomedicals
A highly interconnected ecosystem makes Basel Area a driver of innovation
Clusters grow where companies and institutions from related business sectors establish a presence. The Basel Area traditionally has strong clusters in life sciences, production, precision engineering, logistics, and transport.
The region has built on these clusters: well-known global corporations such as Roche and Endress + Hauser, as well as international and highly specialized companies in the cantons of Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt and Jura have done a lot to make the Basel Area an attractive destination for companies and startups.
Sharing ideas makes us more innovative
But only when businesses, industries and universities get together do individual clusters become a closely interconnected ecosystem that develops innovative solutions and acquires an aura that extends beyond borders. Since founding Basel Area Business & Innovation, therefore, we have focused on fostering collaboration. We stimulate dialogue between sectors such as the life sciences, medtech, micromechanics and quantum technology, and between production companies, universities and research institutions.
Faster networking
These networking efforts are bearing fruit: The Basel Area is attractive to investors, innovators, startups, and established companies. They all find what they are looking for here – industry expertise, financial resources, highly qualified personnel, office and laboratory space and, above all, partners.
Whether startups or existing firms are establishing their business here, we acquaint them with potential partners, bring founders together with investors, offer know-how and put firms in touch with the right people to discuss questions about establishing a business and founding a startup here.
This model is working: In the past years, numerous entrepreneurs have used our incubator and accelerator programs, brought their innovations to market and found investors for further growth. SMEs have accelerated their digital transformation with us, startups have advanced their ideas in our free coaching sessions, and participants at our events have discussed the latest trends in their industry. In short, we make sure that every company quickly becomes an active part of the ecosystem.
With our support, founding a company in the Basel Area, expanding and equipping it for the future is like leaping into the Rhine on a hot summer’s day: refreshing, highly recommended – and ideally done in good company.
Christof Klöpper
CEO Basel Area Business & Innovation
Domenico Scala
President Basel Area Business & Innovation
The board of Basel Area Business & Innovation reflects the expertise of the Basel Area.
Our industry experts in quantum technology, artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals, clinical research and business development are proud to establish the Basel Area as a top location for business and innovation.
Thomas Kübler, Martin Dätwyler, Marie Leblanc, Beat Lüthi, Alexandra Beckstein, Ahmet Muderris, Domenico Scala, Pierre-Alain Berret, Ursula J. Bausch, Lukas Schüpbach, Claude-Henri Schaller, Samuel Hess (from left to right)
Milestones for the Basel Area
Our aim is to make the Basel Area both nationally and internationally known as a unique location for forward-looking industries. In 2023, as an agency for promoting inward investment and innovation, we reached a number of milestones that bring us a major step closer to achieving this goal.
Alentis Therapeutics raises 105 million dollars in a series C funding round. The biotechnology company develops potentially pioneering therapies for organ fibrosis and CLDN1-positive tumors.
There’s a skills shortage in life sciences. How does a life sciences hub like the Basel Area approach the competition for talent? Find out in our report that we conducted together with the recruitment professionals from Hays.
The sites of the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area are developing as hoped. The space in Jura is being filled by more and more companies and the Novartis Campus site has already been extended with an additional floor. The biggest growth to date has been at the Allschwil site, where the main campus will more than double in size by 2028, which will make it Switzerland’s biggest life sciences hub.
Is the Basel Area the Silicon Valley of biotechnology? The magazine Bioscience Today took a close look at the region’s well-networked biotech scene.
The companies we help to settle here tell us that they find top talents and an exceptionally supportive network in the Basel Area. Many even serve as ambassadors for the Basel Area, for which we are extremely grateful.
Quantum Basel makes quantum computing accessible for everyone and takes a big leap towards shaping the region as a hub for quantum computing.
The i4Challenge winners of 2023 are driving the industrial transformation with their innovative solutions. Among other things, the winners have developed underwater drones, electrical wiring robots and a process to transform recycled plastic into urban paving.
In Switzerland, startups reached a new record last year. This is also making itself felt in our organization – in the autumn our coaching sessions for founders were already fully booked for the rest of the year.
The biotech company CSL is expanding its research and development network: The Australian company headquartered in Melbourne has opened another Swiss site in the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area on the Novartis Campus.
International media see our region as an innovative business hub, as evidenced by the constant growth in media reports on companies based here.
Basel Area Business & Innovation welcomes exceptional people to our board. They support the development of the Basel Area as a hub for business and innovation.
Seven years ago, T3 Pharma was part of the biotech incubator BaseLaunch. In 2023, Boehringer Ingelheim acquired the company, which specializes in bacterial cancer therapy, for up to 450 million Swiss francs.
Manufacturers in the Jura region are applying their deep knowledge in engineering and microfabrication to the medtech industry. They get support from the DayOne Tech accelerator, which promotes new medtech ventures.
Of more than 100 applications from 35 countries, five reach the in final phase of the DayOne Health 4.0 Accelerator. The startups are focused on artificial intelligence, data and clinical development.
The Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk supports BaseLaunch. They join other world-class pharma and biotech companies such as Roche, Johnson & Johnson, CSL Behring, Pureos Bioventures, CMS, Roivant Sciences and Bridge Biotherapeutics.
A region with innovative strength
”With its innovative spirit, humanistic tradition and ambitious sustainability goals, the Basel Area provides an ideal environment for regenerative business models.
Rahel GerberManaging Partner Impact Hub Basel
”The canton of Jura is strategically located near major pharmaceutical and medical technology companies. This proximity allows for easier collaboration and partnerships. The region is known for its supportive business environment, with access to funding, talent and a network of suppliers and service providers specializing in medtech.
Sezai TaskinCEO Moonlight AI
”The business-friendly qualities found in the canton of Jura and the know-how of its people have provided fertile soil for Rami Swiss to become a leading employer in only a couple of years.
Rob PayneCEO Rami Swiss
We sincerely thank all our partners for their invaluable collaboration and support.
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