Life science industry in Geneva on a roll By Roohi Mariam Peter Add Labiotech as your Google Preferred Source 9 minutesmins August 19, 2026 9 minutesmins Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email Photo credits: visualsoflukas (Unsplash) Add Labiotech as your Google Preferred Source Newsletter Signup - Under Article / In Page"*" indicates required fieldsURLThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest biotech news!By clicking this I agree to receive Labiotech's newsletter and understand that my personal data will be processed according to the Privacy Policy.*Company name*Job title*Business email* Known as the capital of peace, Geneva’s life science industry is bound to western Switzerland’s Health Valley ecosystem but is also growing in and of itself. The region suffered a blow when Merck Serono closed its pharmaceutical division in 2012, but it looks like Geneva has bounced back, with an expanding hub and new funding initiatives in the offing. Geneva is a key driver of the Health Valley, home to 313 medtech and biopharma stakeholders that span the western Switzerland region. Research and development (R&D) in the canton has fed into the Swiss biotech sector’s revenue, which hit a record of CHF 7.5 billion ($9.25 billion) last year. Table of contentsMerck Serono’s exit and reviving pharma in Geneva Geneva has experienced a turnaround since the Merck Serono closure that rocked the industry and saw about 580 people laid off. The economy minister at the time, Pierre-Francois Unger, called it a “seismic shift” for the Genevan economy. The closure saw employee strikes, following which trade unions agreed to a deal that ended protests. While some people moved to Germany for work, others who were let go joined Swiss pharma companies like Novartis and Roche. Meanwhile, some didn’t find a job. “It created a lot of mess,” said Igor Fisch, chairman of Fongit, a tech startup incubator. Today, however, the shock has worn off, and some of the former employees have gone on to found healthcare companies in Geneva. The site where Serono was – bought by German pharma giant Merck for $13.3 billion in 2006 – is where Campus Biotech sits today. The healthcare hub was set up to connect academic institutions like the University of Geneva, and Geneva University Hospitals with startups to foster collaboration and research. Lab spaces have been set up at Campus Biotech that are available for companies of varying sizes, be it startups or SMEs, most of them focused on neuroscience research and digital health. According to Magali Bischof, secretary general at BioAlps, the hub has come a long way. “It has become a reference point in Europe, with the state-of-the-art research platforms that are available for researchers as well as for startups and for bigger companies,” she said. “Campus Biotech has patients that come in and there’s research that’s being done there. It’s the crossroads between artificial intelligence (AI), data, and medtech. So, it’s really interesting to have all of that under one roof.” BioAlps is among the major stakeholders of the life sciences ecosystem in Western Switzerland, helping translate academic research from the region’s universities into spin-offs, therapies and products that reach patients. Led by Secretary General Magali Bischof, the organization hosts events such as the BioAlps Networking Day, bringing together young startups, local scientists and investors to work hand-in-hand.Suggested Articles Swiss biotech going strong in 2025: 19 companies to put on your radar Basel: What’s behind the success of one of Europe’s leading biotech hubs? Cell and gene therapies gain momentum in Basel Deal after deal: Novartis spends billions in 2025 “One of the attributes that has shaped the region’s attractiveness is the available pool of talents. I believe it is essential to keep nurturing the education and research ecosystem while developing talent retention strategies, to ensure that the critical mass and quality of talents are preserved,” said Bischof. Neurology being a priority therapeutic area for research in Geneva, biotechs like Neurosterix, Stalicla, and GliaPharm are ones to watch out for, according to Bischof. Neurosterix launched with $63 million two years ago with the goal of creating small molecules that address neurological conditions. At present, its lead candidate, an M4 muscarinic receptor called NTX-253, which could reduce psychosis symptoms in schizophrenia, is being investigated in phase 1 trials. Stalicla’s lead program STP1 is in the clinic for autism spectrum disorder. Last year was a big one for the company, with STP1 having been cleared for a phase 2b study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and for scoring CHF 2 million ($2.47 million) in funding. Meanwhile, GliaPharm is honed in on studying glial cells that drive neuroinflammation in diseases like Alzheimer’s. It has developed the technology platform GliaX to identify targets that affect glial cell pathways. Startup incubator Fongit keen on fundraising All these startups are backed by Fongit, an innovation hub that was founded in 1991 to endorse deep technology. Roughly 40% of the companies associated with the private non-profit are biotechs. “What we try to do at Fongit is not to only allow companies to be founded and help take care of the administrative part, but also to identify potential investors that can help them all the way to series B. That’s where Fongit plays a unique role,” said Fisch. “It helps researchers at university to move out of university and to go in the real world of entrepreneurship.” Understanding the legal and financial impacts of founding a company is critical, explained Fisch. Fongit helps entrepreneurs navigate this and coaches them on the know-hows of starting a business. Further, the organization, along with Superlab Suisse, offer lab spaces to startups. “It’s like a hotel for life science,” said Fisch. “They can go in these labs where they pay rent, and they have access to machines and equipment. We’re pushing as much as we can not only by coaching them in these different areas of making a company, but also in helping them transform their university setting into a company center.” Fongit is bankrolled by government grants that help fund the startups, then acquiring a stake in these companies. Later, when these companies exit or go commercial, Fongit makes its money, which is then used to fuel more R&D in Geneva. Oncology and neurology research and AI drive innovation Oncology is another sector raking in investments in the hub. “The field has opened up,” said Fisch. There was once a time when antibody development pretty much encompassed oncology R&D, but now a number of technologies are being researched in cancer care in the region. “We have antibody-drug conjugates, radiolabel antibodies, as well as gene and cell therapies all in development. We see a lot of opportunities in the startup scene that are now actually addressing the issues of cell and gene therapy. This is an area that started three or four years ago and will be booming in five to ten years,” said Fisch. “In terms of drugs that can cure patients, we see a boom.” Fisch pointed out that AI is a significant part of this boom in not only oncology, but also the life sciences at large. The AI Hub at Campus Biotech was set up less than a year ago to improve mental healthcare. The point is to drive earlier diagnosis and provide personalized treatments to patients. It has partnered with Geneva University Hospitals and Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering to propel the initiative. Collaborations like this are a big part of why Geneva’s life science industry is strong and growing, according to Bischof. Projects like OncoBench, which links bioinformatics with hospitals and research institutes, aid in automating and analyzing clinical data for routine clinical cancer care. “The aim is to collect the data and use the different data points to be able to suggest the best therapies. Doctors and clinicians who are working on different cases come together and collaborate to find the therapies that will have the highest impact,” said Bischof. Local investors risk averse; challenges faced by life science sector in Geneva Meanwhile, international acquisitions have put Geneva on the map. Selexis, a pioneer in mammalian cell line generation and co-founded by Fisch, was bought by Japanese company JSR Life Sciences in 2017 and integrated with KBI Biopharma in drug development and manufacturing. Another notable buyout was German giant Boehringer Ingelheim’s €325 million ($366 million) acquisition of vaccine developer Amal Therapeutics in 2019. These international deals have benefitted a region, where local investors tend to be risk averse. “This is fairly common across Europe, but I think it is even more pronounced culturally in Switzerland,” said Bischof. She explained that Switzerland being a fragmented and small market, makes it “complicated” to grow within the country. “It’s a trend that no longer becomes a trend. It’s just the way things are,” she said. Funding woes are echoed by Fisch as well. He explained that while in Switzerland it is easier to raise pre-series A funding from family, friends, and angel investors, securing series A and up is tricky. “We have problems because it’s difficult to find investment,” said Fisch. “What happens is, when they (startups) don’t find the money in Switzerland, they often move to the U.S. because that’s where you find the money.” Competing with the U.S. for funding is challenging, as well as with China in R&D, where Bischof believes the quality and expertise in biotech is gaining traction. “With the geopolitical situation and the costs that are rising everywhere, but especially in a country like Switzerland, where everything is so expensive, it’s important to remain competitive with countries like China.” Nevertheless, she added that “it’s important to focus on the strengths that we have, and that’s not numbers, because we’re a small country, and instead to develop really value-driven services and expertise.” This expertise also lies in diagnostics, as Fisch pointed towards Terapet, a precision imaging company, Neurosoft Bioelectronics, which has created a minimally invasive device for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, and Adiposs, which has developed the first diagnostic imaging product to identify patients who are at a higher risk of treatment failure, to keep an eye out for. What’s next for the budding biotech hub? The recently launched AI Hub having the potential to improve patient care in Geneva, new ventures are underway to bring therapies to patients as well as incentives for startups to develop these medicines. Fongit has an undisclosed funding initiative in the works, which will be revealed later this year. “We’re now on the edge of creating a new fund that will explore all the startups in Switzerland,” said Fisch. He believes that Geneva has what it takes to beat other hubs in Europe. “I think the Geneva life science industry is one of the strongest institutions,” he said. “In five to ten years, it (western Switzerland) will become a village. The competing hubs are Zurich as well as Basel, which also try to invest in biotech, but they are not as efficient as Geneva. So, I think the area along the Lac Leman will one day become one of the unique hub spots in Switzerland, and probably in Europe. That’s how I see the evolution.” This article is reserved for subscribers Subscribe for free to continue reading.Enter your details to log in or subscribe. Email Company name Job title Continue Readingor Continue with Microsoft Continue with LinkedIn By continuing, I agree to receive Labiotech's newsletter and understand that my personal data will be processed according to the Privacy Policy. How Chiesi partners with early-stage science, and how to get on their radar Chiesi's Open Innovation leads walk through their partnering process live, featuring a live Q&A Save your seat Explore other topics: FundingPartnershipsSwitzerland ADVERTISEMENT
Sentinel — Human
Confidence
The text functions as a well-researched journalistic summary, effectively synthesizing complex financial data, scientific developments, and regional dynamics into a coherent story about the Geneva life science ecosystem.
Signals Detected
low severity: Sentence length variance shows natural variation; the flow is dense but punctuated by quoted material.
low severity: The text successfully weaves disparate facts (corporate history, specific company trials, funding landscapes) into a narrative arc, demonstrating contextual synthesis rather than pure data dumping.
low severity: Attributions are mixed between named individuals (Bischof, Fisch) and generalized statements, suggesting human editorial choice in framing the narrative flow.
low severity: Specific details like company acquisitions, trial statuses (e.g., STP1 for ASD), and named entities seem factually grounded within the context of biotech reporting, suggesting careful research input.
Human Indicators
The inclusion of direct, quoted perspectives from multiple stakeholders (Bischof, Fisch) that offer subjective commentary on the landscape (e.g., risk aversion, competitive positioning) strongly points to human editorial selection and synthesis.
The flow deliberately pivots between macro-economic shifts (Merck Serono exit), specific local hubs (Campus Biotech), emerging therapies (cell/gene), and investor sentiment, which reflects a narrative strategy typical of journalism.