UPM Biomedicals enters the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area site Main Campus, Europe’s top life sciences hub
11 May 2023
“Entering Basel is a milestone for UPM as a leader in sustainable biomaterial development for life science and clinical use. With location in the heart of European pharma, we can easily collaborate on novel solutions for healthcare. We gain access to the local talent pool and become part of the life science community in Basel,” says Johana Kuncova-Kallio, Director of UPM Biomedicals, who attended the key hand-over event.
The Main Campus, located in Allschwil, is the newest of the four innovation sites of the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area. The campus was inaugurated in 2022 and instantly became a global hub for innovators in the fields of pharmaceuticals, medicine, and research. The landmark architecture by Herzog & de Meuron, developed by SENN, actively promotes vital exchange and offers an attractive, state-of-the-art working environment for start-ups, scale-ups and established companies. The 50.000 square meters campus and the nearby area have further property development ongoing.
The Main Campus has an impressive list of neighbours in the Basel Area. The Basel Area, next to the borders of France and Germany, with over 700 life science companies is Europe’s prime life sciences location and bio-pharma powerhouse. Roche and Novartis, for example, have their global headquarters in Basel. The area is home to many other big life science brands, but also to a myriad of up-and-coming companies and over 1000 research groups working in companies, universities, and innovation centres. Close to 32.000 life-science experts work in the Basel area.
Switzerland Innovation Parks are run by Switzerland Innovation, a privately funded non-profit foundation with joint support from the federal and cantonal governments, universities, and research institutes. In addition to Park Basel Area with its four locations, the foundation runs innovation parks in other cities across Switzerland.
UPM Biomedicals’ nanofibrillar cellulose (NFC) can be used in numerous forms and it acts as an underlying building block for bridging the worlds of biomaterials, biomanufacturing and medicine. The company’s current portfolio is centred around four main product categories: GrowDex® – Hydrogels for 3D cell culture, GrowDase™ – Enzyme to recover cells from GrowDex for downstream processing, GrowInk™ – Bioinks for 3D bioprinting, and FibDex® – Advanced wound care dressing. Nanocellulose is also offered as an OEM material for in vitro and in vivo applications, and a new medical grade hydrogel for implants is under the development as FibGel™.
“Arriving in Basel, one of the most dynamic life sciences clusters in the world, means that we are close to our customers in continental Europe. This in turn allows us to offer support and services to our in vitro customers, but also demonstrate the supreme quality of nanocellulose hydrogel for clinical applications,” concludes Johana Kuncová-Kallio.
