News

The UBS Culture Foundation has awarded physicist Sebastian Gliga from the Paul Scherrer Institute a grant to digitize an irrecoverable, historical recording of B.B. King from his 1980 concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival. 

An important milestone has been reached: yesterday, Thursday 25 April 2024, Switzerland Innovation Park Innovaare was officially opened in the presence of Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin and numerous guests from industry, science and politics. In just four years, Switzerland Innovation Park Innovaare in Villigen next to the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) has become a state-of-the-art, research-orientated innovation park with 23,000 m2 of clean rooms, laboratories, precision workshops, offices and meeting rooms. The main tenant and strategic partner is PSI. To date, around 80% of the total space has been let. 

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The Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and the Finnish company PiBond are collaborating to commercially leverage advanced semiconductor products manufactured using EUV lithography.

InterAx Biotech AG, a spin-off company of the Paul Scherrer Institute and ETH, is setting new standards in drug development with its advanced AI platform. By uncovering novel cellular signalling pathways, the company is paving the way for innovative therapies in the fields of diabetes, obesity and immuno-oncology. 

This year's KMU Swiss Symposium will take place in Baden, Kt. Aargau, on 21 March - we are pleased to be there again this year!

Networking and exchange, inspiration and new ways of thinking can make an important contribution to innovation. That’s why we as PSI support the this year’s edition of the Swiss Innovation Forum (SIF) 2023 in Basel as a partner.

On 30 November, motivated start-ups, committed investors and courageous idea generators meet at the Congress Centre Basel. In a cross-sector exchange, they develop new ideas to drive the Swiss innovation landscape forward.

Highlights of the programme:

💡 Keynotes by Catrin Hinkel (CEO, Microsoft Schweiz), Jürgen Geuter (Tech De-Evangelist & Co-Founder, Otherwise Network), Prof. Dr. Gregor Hasler (Professor, Chefarzt, Universität Freiburg und Freiburger Netzwerk für Psychische Gesundheit (Schweiz)) and many more.

💡 Presentation of the Swiss Technology Award 2023, the most important technology prize in Switzerland.

💡 Experience Zone with exciting cases from Switzerland as a country of innovation.

PSI will be there: Together with ETH Zurich, we will be presenting the exciting topic of "Quantum Computing" at our stand at FutureExpo this year! Looking forward to meeting you there!

Detailed information and registration for the conference at www.swiss-innovation.com/en/

Our next Technology Briefing on Energy Storage Technologies will be held at CSEM in Neuchatel on 16 November 2023.

The technology transfer centre ANAXAM offers industry access to analytical methods with neutron and synchrotron radiation and supports its industrial customers in being able to offer innovative and high-quality products. SMEs in particular benefit from ANAXAM and can thereby strengthen their competitiveness.

ANAXAM has already helped numerous customers to improve their production processes and products.

The seminar "Introduction to Neutron and Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction for Industrial Applications" aims to introduce the basic principles of Diffraction and how Diffraction analytics using Neutrons and Synchrotron X-rays facilitate investigating industrial materials.

Benefit from ANAXAM's know-how and competences and learn how to take your company a step forward with ANAXAM.

WHEN: 22 November 2023; 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

The seminar takes place online and is free of charge.

More information and link to register:

https://www.anaxam.ch/de/events/introduction-neutron-and-synchrotron-x-ray-diffraction-industrial-applications 

The language of the seminar is English.

Araris Biotech AG is a spin-off company from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and ETH Zurich focusing on the commercialization of a novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)-linker technology.

At the this year’s edition of the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award, where Switzerland’s best startups with the greatest potential are celebrated, Araris ranks TOP14!

It is now the fifth year in a row, starting 2019, that Araris is selected by a Jury of investors and startup experts.

What a great success for Araris, after positions 19 in 2022 and 11 in 2021. 

We congratulate Philipp Spycher (CEO) and his team for this great achievement!

The Technology Transfer Centre ANAXAM offers industry access to analytical methods with neutron and synchrotron radiation and supports its industrial customers in being able to offer innovative and high-quality products.

The seminar "Introduction to Neutron and Synchrotron Imaging for Industrial Applications" aims to introduce the basic principles of imaging and to show how imaging analytics with neutron and synchrotron radiation facilitates the investigation of industrial materials.

Benefit from ANAXAM's know-how and competences and learn how to take your company a step forward with ANAXAM!

WHEN: 15 November 2023; 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

The seminar takes place online and is free of charge.

More information and link to register:

https://www.anaxam.ch/de/events/introduction-neutron-and-synchrotron-x-...

The language of the seminar is English.

Promising method for diagnosing breast cancer: a research team from PSI, ETH Zurich, the Cantonal Hospital Baden and the University Hospital Zurich has further developed and improved the method for the early detection of breast cancer and promises hope for diagnostics.

Breast cancer is still the most common type of cancer in women today. In the course of her life, one in nine women is affected. In Switzerland alone, about 6000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. This means that this type of cancer accounts for about one third of all cancer diagnoses in women.

The mammography used up to now only provides two-dimensional images, which often leads to unclear or incorrect diagnoses. The improved procedure based on X-ray phase contrast should not only provide considerably more reliable results, but will also be less painful for patients. Tumours should now be detected earlier than before due to the three-dimensional representation of the images, which in turn means that appropriate therapy can be started earlier and valuable time can be gained.

The research team plans to start clinical trials by the end of 2024, as soon as the prototype of the necessary device is ready for use. A project duration of one to two years is planned for the test series that will then follow, until the development of a commercial device could begin.

More information can be found here:

PSI and ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE (ITM), a leading radiopharmaceutical biotech company, have entered into a collaboration for the joint development of the production of a novel therapeutic radionuclide, terbium-161. In this collaboration, PSI and ITM will combine their respective technologies and expertise in the production of terbium-161, including clinical and commercial use in targeted radionuclide therapy for the treatment of cancer. The goal is to be able to offer cancer patients new and better treatment options.

Terbium-161 has been identified as a very promising therapeutic isotope for targeted radionuclide therapy in cancer due to its excellent physicochemical properties: The convincing therapeutic capabilities of terbium-161 have been demonstrated in various preclinical studies at PSI. The collaboration with ITM - a pioneer and major player in the field of radiopharmaceutical applications - aims to combine PSI's long-standing research with ITM's extensive knowledge to drive further innovation in radionuclide therapy.

With this collaboration, ITM expands its research and production portfolio alongside Lutetium-177 and Actinium-225, which are currently the most widely used medical radioisotopes for targeted radionuclide therapy and which ITM supplies to hospitals and pharmaceutical partners worldwide.

ANAXAM, cross-ING and inspire AG cordially invite interested industry representatives to their information event on 29 June 2023 on the topic of "AM in the field of tension - what can added value cost?”

Successful AM solutions are characterized by the fact that they are understood and supported by the entire company. The additional benefits made possible by additive manufacturing - the "added value" - must be transported and communicated from the development department through marketing and sales to the customer.

From 15 to 16 June 2023, the Swiss NanoConvention will take place in Neuchâtel. The platform offers the opportunity to exchange, discuss and network with key players from science and industry.

PSI will be there - visit us at our joint stand with Park Innovaare, the innovation park next to PSI, and find out more about how we can support industry and SMEs with their technical challenges and innovation processes. In combination with the possibilities of state-of-the-art material analytics, we can help you to improve both your products and your manufacturing processes.

XRnanotech, one of our spin-off companies, will also be present at our booth.

The main topics of the conference include Nano for Medtec, Life Sciences, Optics, Quantum Computing and Imaging. The two-day programme will feature plenary lectures, thematic sessions, discussion platforms and ample opportunity for in-depth and informal networking. A poster session and an exhibition are also planned.

We are looking forward to meeting you at booth no 26 soon!

Detailed information on the event can be found at:

https://swissnanoconvention.ch/2023/

Change at the top of innovAARE AG, the operating company of Park Innovaare in Villigen: The Board of Directors has elected Mr. Robert Rudolph as the new CEO, who will take office at the beginning of April 2023. The retiring CEO Dr. Benno Rechsteiner is leaving Park Innovaare at his own request to take on a new challenge. Dr. Rechsteiner has been employed at innovAARE AG since June 2018 and has contributed significantly to important milestones for innovAARE AG: In summer 2019, an investor for the new construction of Park Innovaare was found in the form of CPV/CAP Pensionskasse Coop. In autumn of the same year, the groundbreaking ceremony for the building complex was celebrated. Under Dr. Rechsteiner's leadership, the development and expansion of the innovation campus followed, where numerous promising companies have already settled.

With Robert Rudolph, the management of the Innovaare park is getting a new and well-known face. Mr. Rudolph was previously employed as head of technology transfer at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and as a member of the executive board of the Swissmem industry association he was most recently responsible for the topics of digitalisation, innovation, research and start-ups. In this role, he became a expert on the Swiss innovation landscape and the needs of industry with regard to research and development.

Chairman of the Board of Directors Dr Christian Brönnimann expressed his thanks to Dr. Rechsteiner for his successful work in setting up the Park Innovaare generation project: "Thanks to Benno Rechsteiner's commitment in finding investors, the groundbreaking ceremony for the park was held and the first buildings were erected on a total area of 38,000 square metres. With Robert Rudolph at the helm, we now have a CEO with far reaching industrial contacts. We are convinced that Mr. Rudolph, with his background and network, brings the best prerequisites to lead the Park Innovaare into a successful future!"

The Dutch high-tech company VDL Enabling Technologies Group (VDL ETG) and its subsidiaries such as VDL ETG Switzerland AG are banking on closer cooperation with research institutions. On 9 February 2023 VDL signed a rental agreement with Park Innovaare, a business innovation hub next to the PSI campus in Villigen Switzerland. VDL ETG has already been working with PSI for many years, and this step now makes it an official member of Park Innovaare’s innovation ecosystem.

The technology transfer centre Swiss PIC was founded at the beginning of January 2023. Swiss PIC will be located in the Park Innovaare, in the immediate vicinity of PSI, one of its founding partners alongside other industry and research stakeholders. The new centre aims to facilitate innovation in packaging and integration of optical systems and to make these accessible to industry.

This year's KMU Swiss Symposium will take place in Baden, Kt. Aargau, on 23 March - we are pleased to be physically present again this year!

The KMU Swiss Symposium offers a platform for exchange and inspiration - this is made possible by exciting presentations, various booths with innovative projects and networking.

Listen to exciting presentations on the topic of "The power of trust - manipulation versus trust" by, among others, Swiss Army Chief Thomas Süssli; or Ivano Somaini, Security Analyst at Compass Security Schweiz AG.

PSI will be there - visit us at our joint booth with the Hightech Zentrum Aargau and find out more about how we can support industry and SMEs with their technical challenges and innovation processes.

In a joint collaboration, the technology transfer centre ANAXAM, PSI and Audi Sport successfully demonstrated the potential for optimising car brakes. Neutrons from the spallation neutron source SINQ at PSI were used for this purpose. Using a jointly developed measurement method, it was now possible for the first time to look live into the brake caliper and thus sound out optimisation possibilities. For the industrial partner Audi Sport, this collaboration yields promising results.

This project is a great example of successful technology transfer and shows how PSI's large-scale research facilities and ANAXAM's expertise can optimise a well-known product and contribute to new ideas. 

Applied materials analysis with neutron and synchrotron radiation: For over 2.5 years, the technology transfer centre ANAXAM has been operating on behalf of industry, and it has completed more than 70 successful customer projects with international industry and research partners to date – time for a look back.

A fruitful collaboration between our spin-off Excelsus Structural Solutions, Novartis Pharma Basel, the Institute of Crystallography of the CNR (Centro Nazionale Ricerche) in Bari, Italy and the University La Sapienza in Rome brought to the development of a simple theoretical model that describes the structure and functionality of a VitE-TPGS drug delivery system (DDS) of micelles with dimensions in the nanoscale.

This can play an important role in the efficient distribution of a drug in the body and opens the gate to new opportunities for the pharmaceutical industry.

A Technology Briefing on photovoltaics will be held at Empa in Dübendorf on 1 December.

When: 01.12.2022; 14:00 - 18:00

Where: Empa Academy, Dübendorf

The event, jointly organized by the research institutes CSEM, Empa and PSI, will highlight the potential of photovoltaics, present next-generation PV technologies and address questions about how the technical system integration of the plants can succeed and what impact greater dependence on PV will have on our CO2 emissions, material consumption and the economy.

The event is aimed at experts and interested parties from industry and research. Learn more about how solar energy can help us to meet our growing energy needs while contributing to our climate goals.

We look forward to your participation!