BioArk and Promotion économique Valais had the honour of welcoming two major international delegations who came to discover the richness and dynamism of the life sciences in the Valais. Around fifty participants from all over the world came to Valais following the Swiss Biotech Day conference and as part of the Global Village programme. 

These two days demonstrated the ability of the Valais to attract international attention thanks to a structured, innovative and collaborative ecosystem.

Discussions between delegations and local stakeholders helped to strengthen ties, open up new partnership opportunities and position the Valais as a prime location for developing life sciences projects and attracting innovative companies.

➡️ Discover the two days visits here in pictures

BioArk Visp: the Global Village delegation strengthens its ties with the Valais

On Wednesday 7 May, around fifteen international representatives were welcomed at the technological site of BioArk in Visp, on the Lonza site, part of MINTworld Visp. After a welcome by BioArk and the Canton of Valais, the visitors attended a presentation by key players in the Valais ecosystem, including :

• Michael Schweizer from Lugaia, a recognised expert in single-use containment solutions for powder handling
• André Collioud from Vaxcyte, a company specialising in the development of next-generation vaccines
• Roman Ortega Bianchi from the Argentinian start-up Stämm Biotech, based at the BioArk technology park in Monthey, is revolutionising bioproduction with a continuous bioreactor using microfluidics and 3D printing, making the production of cell therapies more accessible and efficient.

Training, a strategic asset for the canton, was highlighted thanks to a presentation by Michael Mödler from the Lonza Training Center, a key programme for the development of life sciences skills in the canton, with modern facilities dedicated to practical and technical training. Participants then enjoyed a guided tour of the training facilities.
Discussions continued over a networking aperitif, which encouraged discussion and exchange of experiences between participants and local stakeholders.

BioArk Monthey: an Life Sciences innovation showcase in the Valais for China, Japan and India

The following day, Thursday 8 May, the technological site of BioArk Monthey, on the chemical site of Monthey, opened its doors to around 40 participants from China, Japan and India.

After welcoming speeches by BioArk and the Canton of Valais, visitors were able to discover the diversity and complementarity of companies and institutes in the Valais through two parallel tours.
The first tour highlighted innovations in biotools, services and production, with presentations by:

• REM Analytics – Paulo Refinetti  & Yoni Solutions –Virginia Franco: REM Analytics is specialised in advanced analytical solutions, offering innovative tools for biotech research and production & Yoni Solutions offers a personalised platform for analysing and rebalancing the vaginal microbiome, combining accurate diagnosis and targeted probiotics to optimise women’s intimate health.
• CEIDOS – Sébastien Walpen: The start-up developing the C-Netics, an innovative device for automated cell culture monitoring.
• Stämm Biotech – Roman Ortega Bianchi: The start-up is revolutionising bioproduction with a continuous bioreactor using microfluidics and 3D printing, making the production of cell therapies more accessible and efficient.
• ExcellGene – Barbara Giorgio: Bioproduction company is recognised for its skills in cell culture and the production of recombinant proteins for the pharmaceutical industry.
• Idiap Research Institut – André Freitas: This applied research institute in artificial intelligence and biomedicine is a key player in technology transfer in the Valais and is recognised worldwide.
• Lunar – André Freitas: Spin-off from Idiap, supported by the ark Foundation developping a simple platform that enables non-IT teams to use artificial intelligence to automate and simplify data analysis and decision-making.
• HES-SO Valais-Wallis – Origene Nyanguile : The Institut of Life Sciences at HES-SO Valais-Wallis is an applied research and service centre specialising in biotechnology, biological analysis and process development for the life sciences.

The second enabled the discovery of companies active in the field of therapeutics, such as

• BioXpress Therapeutics – Gerrit Hagens: A biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies with a strong focus on translational research.
• IBEX Therapeutics – Pierre Morgon: The  start-up company specialising in the development of natural therapies based on extracts from plants grown in Valais, aimed at reducing the oral side effects of cancer treatments, particularly mucositis and infections.
• Novochizol – Beto Mestriner : The start-up is developing chitosan nanosphere technology that enables the targeted and prolonged delivery of active ingredients for therapeutic, diagnostic and biomedical applications.
• Orio Therapeutics – Ziad Julier: The start-up focused on the development of innovative therapeutic proteins with a localised delivery system to optimise the effectiveness of treatments in regenerative medicine, particularly after myocardial infarction.
• Precise Health – Baptiste Bourgine: The start-up develops precision treatments for bacterial infections, combining bacteriophage technology, data science and artificial intelligence to combat antimicrobial resistance.
• Wama Diagnostics – Beto Mestriner: The start-up is develops innovative in vitro diagnostic solutions, such as multiplex immunoassays, enabling rapid, accurate and simultaneous detection of multiple infectious agents to optimise laboratory diagnosis.

Once again, BioArk and Promotion économique Valais would like to thank all the speakers, partners and participants for their commitment and enthusiasm, which contributes every day to promoting Valais innovation beyond our borders.

Let’s innovate, collaborate and succeed together !