On 4 and 5 May 2026, Basel once again became a meeting point for the international biotech community during Swiss Biotech Day.
This year’s edition gathered more than 3,500 participants, over 130 exhibitors and 25 international delegations. Valais was represented by Economic Promotion Valais, BioArk and HES-SO Valais/Wallis.
For the Valais delegation, the objective was clear: continue positioning the canton within the Swiss and international life sciences landscape, particularly in bioproduction, pharmaceutical development, applied research and industrial transfer.
Walloon delegation meets Valais stakeholders
Following Swiss Biotech Day, around twenty representatives from Wallonia (Belgium) travelled to Valais on 5 and 6 May to continue the discussions on site.
The delegation brought together companies, research centres, universities, technology transfer structures and public actors active in innovation and internationalisation.
For Valais, the visit was an opportunity to present the ecosystem in a concrete way, strengthen existing relationships and create additional opportunities for collaboration, innovation and business development between actors from both regions.
Energypolis Campus at the centre of the programme
Hosted on the Energypolis Campus in Sion, the programme highlighted the diversity of actors active on the site, including Fondation the Ark, HES-SO Valais/Wallis and Idiap.
The visit opened with an evening reception and discussions involving representatives from Economic Promotion Valais, Fondation the Ark, SMART Confluence (health and sport innovation ecosystem in Valais), BioArk, HES-SO Valais/Wallis (Institut of Life Sciences) and Idiap.
The following day combined pitch sessions between Walloon and Valais actors, a networking lunch around a traditional Valais raclette.
In the afternoon two thematic discussions focused on life sciences, digitalisation and artificial intelligence, and on European sovereignty in bioproduction in the face of international competition. The format was especially appreciated for the quality of the exchanges it made possible.
They have highlighted the importance of stronger links between research, innovation and industry, and the role regional ecosystems can play in turning scientific expertise into industrial applications and high-value solutions.
Showing the Valais ecosystem in practice
Beyond presentations, the visit gave participants a concrete view of how the Valais ecosystem operates.
Throughout the programme, participants could see how industrial activity, applied research, innovation support and training capacities interact within a relatively compact regional environment.
The discussions also confirmed that Valais and Wallonia share several common challenges, particularly around industrialisation, talent, applied research and production capacities in life sciences.
These exchanges helped strengthen existing ties while opening additional perspectives for complementarity and cooperation between actors from both regions.
The programme was co-organised, on the Walloon side, by Barbara Brooijmans together with Wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AWEX) and Wallonie-Bruxelles International – Research and Innovation, and, on the Valais side, by Economic Promotion Valais and BioArk. We would like to thank you as well as all the partners and participants who took part in this mission.
➡️Photos from the two days are available here
