Official opening and open day at Campus Biotech
The opening of Campus Biotech was made in the presence, among others, of Dona Bertarelli, Johann Schneider-Ammann and Patrick Aebischer. © Alain Herzog / EPFL 2015
The consortium made up of the University of Geneva (UNIGE), the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), the Bertarelli family and Hansjörg Wyss,open Campus Biotech on May 22nd, in the presence of federal, cantonal and communal authorities and personalities from the scientific, academic and industrial worlds. Tomorrow, Saturday, May 23rd, Campus Biotech will open its doors to the public for one day. Presentations, workshops and conferences will be organised.
Located in the Sécheron area, Campus Biotech places the Lemanic region at the forefront of global research in the area of neurosciences and bioengineering. Extending out over 40,000m2, this unique centre of excellence in Europe welcomes many academic and industrial partners, of which, in particular, teams from UNIGE, EPFL, the University Hospitals of Geneva, the Wyss Centre of bio- and neuroengineering, the Human Brain Project, the Swiss Institute of bioinformatics, and the School of Landscaping, Engineering and Architecture.
This new ecosystem is based on an interdisciplinary scientific approach to stimulate innovation in the area of life sciences. Its main objective is to concentrate on pure science and its transposition into products, which will have a direct impact on society and on the world. Campus Biotech acts as a catalyst of a new surge and new investments in the essential sector of economics and science.
An opening on the borderline between art and science
This afternoon, more than 600 people have been able to meet researchers working on the Campus Biotech site, and to discover their scientific projects. The Federal Counsellor, Johann Schneider-Ammann, the Vice President of the Genevan Council of State, Anne Emery-Torracinta, the President of EPFL, Patrick Aebischer, the Rector of UNIGE, Jean-Dominique Vassalli, Ernesto Bertarelli and Hansjörg Wyss were present to mark the official launch of the project.
As a prelude to the speeches, 125 choristers from the School of Music in Geneva, accompanied by two grand pianos and percussion, have interpreted a piece from the famous cantata, Carmina Burana, echoing the research carried out on the site on emotion and perception. The Flux Laboratory and the Campus Biotech Foundation have shown, for the first time, Traces, a creation blending scientific in-novation and artistic excellence; this is yet another representation of the multidisciplinary character of this research. In this brand new performance, the movements of a ballerina were recorded using sensors positioned on her feet, and transcribed in artistic signals on a screen, using a technique deve-loped by the EPFL start-up, Gait Up.
Campus Biotech reaches out to the city
For one day only, the general public is invited to visit Campus Biotech and to meet the researchers who are working on scientific projects at the cutting edge of global research and technology. This Saturday, May 23rd, from 10:00am to 4:00pm, young and old can dive into the heart of research, by following a theme-based programme. Visitors will discover, in particular, how the brain works, by trying their skills through games and tests. They will also be able to have a glimpse at the latest advances in the area of telemedicine and global health. Moreover, visits will be organised in laboratories and a series of conferences and presentations will be offered all throughout the day, on the great medical challenges to which our society is confronted with today, such as the Ebola epidemic, Alzheimer’s disease or breast cancer.