Nestlé moves into Innovation Square at EPFL

Functional genomics and the associated sciences, which establish links between our gene pool, our eating behaviors and the expression of certain illnesses, are interesting an increasing number of representatives of academia and industry. Nestlé has made a strong statement in terms of this new area of activity by announcing the creation of a new company, Nestlé Health Sciences SA, and a new research institute which will take up one whole building in the innovation area of EPFL. The envisioned research areas will focus on the diets of the future, with the goal of preventing illnesses such as obesity, diabetes and cardio-vascular disease.

The future Nestlé institute will have as its mission to interact with, and to build on, the unique technological platforms – at the interface between biotechnology and medicine – that EPFL has put in place over the last ten years or so. During the press conference, Patrick Aebischer, President of EPFL, emphasized the considerable potential and richness of these new fields of research. They represent a continuation of the research performed by Professor Johan Auwerx, Chair of Nestlé research, whose work focuses mainly on energy metabolism and functional genomics.

The Vevey-based company thus joins, at this interface between university and state-of-the-art research center, the branches of prestigious companies like Logitech, Debiopharm, Cisco, Alcan, Nokia and Crédit Suisse. Around 200 new jobs should eventually be created by the presence of Nestlé at EPFL.