Technopark Graubünden is expanding its offerings for innovative startups and, in collaboration with the Medizincampus Davos, is establishing new opportunities for life sciences startups. This marks the implementation of another measure outlined in the canton’s current innovation strategy. Thanks to the collaboration with the Medizincampus Davos, startups gain access to modern laboratory space, shared labs, and a unique research and clinical network right here in Davos.
The combination of high-quality technical infrastructure and a dynamic research and healthcare environment creates ideal conditions for the development of new medical and biotechnological solutions. In the research building at the Medizincampus Davos, startups have access to flexible laboratory space—in the immediate vicinity of renowned institutions such as the Christine Kühne Center for Allergy Research and Education (CK-CARE), Cardio-CARE, Davos BioSciences, and the Davos High-Altitude Clinic, one of Switzerland’s leading rehabilitation clinics.
Access Instead of Ownership
For many young companies, having their own laboratories presents a nearly insurmountable hurdle. High investment costs, maintenance expenses, and regulatory requirements make market entry difficult. The new partnership offers an attractive alternative: Startups can use professional laboratory facilities as needed, receive training tailored to their specific requirements, and simultaneously benefit from access to established research and development networks. “Startups benefit twice over with us. They gain low-threshold access to laboratory infrastructure and can operate in an environment focused on translational research—thanks to the institutions of Medizin Campus Davos AG in both clinical and research settings, as well as the other research institutes based here,” says Dr. Georg Schäppi, CEO of Medizincampus Davos AG.
Visibility Through Strong Alliances
The collaboration is further strengthened by Technopark Graubünden’s membership in the Technopark Alliance. This links the offering to the Bio-Technopark Schlieren, one of Switzerland’s most significant life sciences hubs, with over 100,000 square meters of research and development space and approximately 1,900 employees.
“For Graubünden, this collaboration with two such key partners in the life sciences sector means a forward-looking positioning as a startup region beyond the traditional hubs of Zurich and Basel,” says Dr. Rudolf Minsch, President of Technopark Graubünden. Valérie Favre Accola, Mayor of Davos, adds, “Davos has long since made a name for itself as a city of knowledge.” Among experts, the Davos brand owes its international reputation and innovative appeal in large part to the established research institutes with their excellent reputations and major contracts from around the world. We are pleased that Davos’s status as a research and innovation hub is being further strengthened, thanks to the collaboration with Technopark Graubünden.”
Creating High-Quality Jobs for Graubünden
The program is aimed in particular at early-stage startups with scalable business models in the fields of cardiology, pulmonology, dermatology, allergology, and other medical technology and life sciences applications. It is specifically designed for teams that have a personal connection to Graubünden or that wish to leverage the region’s unique expertise and infrastructure to further develop their products.
Through this new collaboration, Technopark Graubünden and Medizincampus Davos are pursuing a common goal: to promote the establishment of innovative companies, strengthen knowledge transfer between research, clinical practice, and industry, and create high-quality, high-value-added jobs in the canton of Graubünden over the long term.
Fotocredits: Walter Dürst / www.wdfotografie.ch & Dean Jaggi / www.luxwerk.ch
Technopark Graubünden
For the past six years, Technopark Graubünden has served as a hub and meeting place for technology-oriented startups in the canton. From concept to commercialization, the park fosters connections with research institutions such as CSEM, FHGR, OST, and the AO Foundation. The vision: to make Graubünden a hub for technological innovation and entrepreneurial thinking.
Medizincampus Davos
The Medizincampus Davos embodies the integration of research, education, and patient care. Through the collaboration of the research institutes CK-CARE, Cardio-CARE, and Davos BioSciences with the Davos High-Altitude Clinic, translational medicine is practiced here in a cross-disciplinary manner. Since 2009, this ecosystem has been significantly supported by the commitment of the Kühne Foundation. At the heart of the Medizincampus Davos are personalized prevention and therapy in the fields of allergology and cardiology. The goal is to integrate innovative research approaches into everyday clinical practice and to optimize patients’ quality of life. Medizincampus Davos AG serves as the umbrella organization, creating the structural, substantive, and organizational conditions for sustainable healthcare solutions of international significance.
Bio-Technopark Schlieren-Zürich
In the immediate vicinity of ETH Zurich and the University Hospital of Zurich, a nationally significant life sciences hub has developed over the past two decades. Around 60 companies and 80 academic research groups form an ecosystem of startups, large corporations, and clinics—with successful exits to companies such as Roche, Novartis, and Pfizer.
