BaselArea: Life Science Brochure This brochure introduces Basel as one of the most successful life-science clusters in the world.

1. World’s finest
place for success
in life sciences

2. Editorial details
Publisher: BaselArea, Basel
Editing: advocacy AG, Basel/Zurich, Cogit AG, Basel
Layout: Continue AG, Basel
Photography: Christoph Gysin, Jürg Isler, Matthias Willi
Images ©: Roche Corporate Photo Library, Roche Historical
Collection and Archive, Company Archives of Novartis,
Basel Tourismus, Actelion, Straumann, Portraitsammlung der
Universität Basel, Pharmaceutical-Historical Museum Basel,
ETH Studio Basel, ESA European Space Agency, Eumetsat
Location page 7: Executive Lounge Skylight, Ramada Plaza, Basel

3. Welcome to the Basel area
Over the past 100 years, the Basel area in the Upper Rhine
region has grown to become one of the most successful life
sciences clusters in the world today – with about 900 com-
panies and an annual turnover of 100 billion dollars.
The Basel area contributes significantly to making Switzer-
land the world’s most competitive economy.* Located at the
borders of Germany and France, and with residents coming
from over 150 nations, the region pulses with diversity and
dynamism.
Dynamism and intellectual capacity have made Basel a world-
leading center of innovation: nowhere in the world are more
patents registered per capita than in the Basel area.
Here, dynamism means world-class openness to new ideas,
people, and companies. There is a spirit of successful entre-
preneurship in Basel that companies moving into the region
sense immediately: here they find all of the necessary frame-
work conditions for success and growth. The best of quality
is available – whether infrastructure, financial sector, services,
suppliers, or highly qualified employees.
That is why world-leading companies in the pharmaceuti-
cals, biotechnology, medical technology, and agribusiness
are headquartered in Basel: they invest steadily and strongly
in the region.
Together with the outstanding quality of life in the region, these
excellent success conditions make the Basel area the location
of choice for the life sciences industry.
Dr. Hans-Peter Wessels
CEO
BaselArea Business Development
* Global Competitiveness Report 2006 – 2007,
World Economic Forum, September 26 th 2006

4. At the center of Europe lies the meeting place of
Switzerland, France, and Germany. This is the Basel
area, one of the most successful life sciences clusters
in the world: with 900 companies achieving an annual
turnover of 100 billion dollars.

5. “In northwestern Switzerland the spirit
of entrepreneurship is pervasive. This
makes Basel a place for successful
investments in the life sciences.”
Thomas Straumann, president of the board of
Medartis and member of the board of Straumann
The pulse of the life sciences industry
Every industry has a heart, a center, where the pulse of the A heart for the life sciences
industry beats, generating bursts of energy to the industry For new medications, implants, diagnostics, novel seeds, or
the world over. For the life sciences, this heart beats in Basel. innovative materials to be developed and later successfully
Here the economy, research, government policy, and society introduced on the market, numerous ingredients have to come
move to the rhythm of the life sciences. The life sciences have together. Basel has them all: the latest research, ground-
thus become the dominant industry in the Basel area – and breaking technology, and strong business experience come
the Basel area has become one of the most successful life together with ideal framework conditions.
sciences clusters in the world.
The result of this recipe is success that is rooted in a long
The figures are impressive: tradition: Basel’s silk dye works of the eighteenth century
• Life sciences companies in the Basel area achieve an developed into leading chemical companies of the nineteenth
annual global turnover of over 100 billion dollars and an and twentieth centuries. And because Basel recognized and
annual profit of close to 20 billion dollars. tapped the potential of molecular biology early on, the last
• Over 900 companies in the region are active in the life sci- 50 years have seen the development of extremely productive
ences. pharmaceuticals, agribusiness, food, and medical technol-
• Of the one million people living in the region, about one ogy industries.
person out of ten is employed in the life sciences – as
a researcher, technician, lawyer, manager, bus driver, Over the centuries, Basel not only became the heart of the
plant worker, university professor, or student. And there is life sciences industry but also developed a heart for the life
employment growth of about 1,000 to 2,000 new jobs in sciences: for here there is far-reaching good will and support
the industry each year. for the life sciences and the industry. The Basel area is a highly
attractive location to companies from the world over: year after
Dynamic growth is assured: the many companies in the Basel year, Basel welcomes dozens of new firms.
area life sciences cluster and the competition among them
assure the continuously increasing productivity of the cluster
and drive the firms towards excellence.

6. The Basel area is a vibrant environment for the life sci-
ences, with the best conditions for success and growth.
Along with global leaders in pharmaceuticals, agribusi-
ness, and chemicals, new successful enterprises in the
life sciences are constantly emerging, and more and
more established firms are relocating to Basel.

7. “The building permit for our new
biotechnolgy production center was
issued by the authorities in only three
months’ time. This rapid and depend-
able process is of great benefit for
patients, the creation of jobs, and fur-
ther development of the Basel area.”
Matthias M. Baltisberger, Head of Roche Basel
Best conditions for success
Basel mirrors the conditions and demands of the world mar- company needs in order to move forward is readily available
ket: A company achieving growth here will stand the test in Basel – employees, patent lawyers, investors, suppliers,
worldwide. It is no wonder that two of the ten largest pharma- and laboratory space.
ceutical companies in the world are headquartered in Basel:
Roche and Novartis are located here, only walking distance
Consultants,
apart. patent lawyers
Suppliers Private investors and
Basel is also home to many other leading life sciences com-
mentors
panies and related branches – large corporate groups, such
Investors and
as agribusiness world leader Syngenta and chemical compa- IT infrastructure
venture capital
nies Ciba, Clariant, and Lonza, as well as medical technology
companies Straumann and Synthes. In addition, numerous International Researchers
transport and personnel
foreign global companies have invested strongly in the Basel connections
area in recent years: DSM Nutritional Products, Huntsman
Office and Industry
Advanced Materials, and Bayer Consumer Care. laboratory space partners
Basel is also especially attractive to start-ups in the life sci-
ences industry. In the last ten years, over 100 young com-
panies have emerged, working in bioinformatics, develop- The government authorities actively support new and exist-
ing antibodies, or building nanoinstruments. Several of these ing companies: thanks to the authorities’ experience in the
young firms, such as Actelion, Arpida, Basilea, and Speedel, life sciences, investors are rapidly provided with information
succeeded within a very short time in putting their shares on the requirements for implementation of their projects. The
on the stock market. Other start-ups stand on the verge of necessary permits are reviewed and granted quickly. Public-
completing their IPO. private partnership is a reality here.
The right temperature This is evidenced by the steady growth of infrastructure for
What makes this possible for these companies is not only life sciences and the enthusiastic investors and CEOs. For
excellent science and convincing business models but also Basel has not only the critical mass for success but also the
the very favorable business environment: Everything that a critical temperature.

8. Although the region already has over 100 , 000 m 2 in
laboratory space, construction of additional laboratory
space is ongoing in Basel. Private investors have con-
fidence in the market, because each year in the life
sciences alone, 1, 000 to 2 , 000 new jobs are created.

9. “As a start-up company in Basel, we
experienced exceptional support in the
university environment but also from
the cantonal authorities, and this made
our rapid development possible.”
Ulf Grawunder, Chief Scientific Officer
and Cofounder of 4-Antibody
Strong dynamism drives maximum performance
Probably nowhere in the world is there a higher density of This not only puts everything in immediate proximity but also
research specialists in the life sciences than in the Basel area, enables faster and better coordination of work processes.
where close to 10,000 researchers are at work. In addition, at Here, research results go to a plant across the street to be
the universities in the region over 5,000 professors, research- converted to medications.
ers, and doctoral candidates work in fields connected with
the life sciences. Despite the already strong presence of the life sciences in the
Basel area, accelerated growth of the industry is continuing.
These 15,000 people invest more than 1.5 billion dollars per Growth rates of 5 % in annual turnover are the rule.
year in research development and represent huge potential
and an enormous knowledge base in the life sciences. This not only continues to attract new companies but also
drives the companies already located in Basel to record per-
But good research alone does not produce a successful life formance. Each year in Basel, they invest over a billion dol-
sciences cluster: many companies have chosen Basel as lars in improvements or in construction of infrastructure for
their location for all activities – from headquarters to research life sciences.
departments to production facilities.
Founding team of
Actelion (from left):
Andre Mueller,
Jean-Paul Clozel,
Martine Clozel,
Walter Fischli,
Thomas Widmann
In December 199 a research team formerly at Roche was possible because of the unique environment
founded the biopharmaceutical company Actelion, in the Basel area. “Here we find everything that we
with the goal to use innovative science for the dis- need for success in the life sciences,” says Jean-
covery, development, and marketing of Endothelin Paul Clozel, founder and CEO of Actelion. “Not least
Receptor Antagonist (ERA). Today, Actelion employs a large number of motivated, very well educated,
over 1,000 people and is the fastest growing biophar- and experienced employees for management and
maceutical company in the world. This rapid growth research.”

10. The Basel area as a life sciences and research center
is truly a giant campus for the life sciences: the labo-
ratories of the universities, the private research insti-
tutes, and the RD departments of the companies to-
gether form a knowledge pool that provides impetus
towards top productivity each and every day.

11. “The achievements in research and
teaching in Basel have a far-reaching
resonance. To this, the university
institutes and private research facilities
make future-oriented contributions.”
Werner Arber, Nobel Prize winner in Medicine
A new skyline of research is rising in Basel
Müller, Reichstein, Arber, Jerne, Köhler, Tonegawa, Zinker- Four of the top 100 universities are in the Basel area
nagel: the names may be unfamiliar to some. But they are The long tradition of success is only possible thanks to inten-
all Nobel Prize winners that made their ground-breaking dis- sive research, whether conducted at the leading pharmaceuti-
coveries in Basel or are closely associated with Basel. Basel cal companies or at the universities. Basel is the center of a
not only has one of the oldest universities in the world but region that has a globally unique density of researchers. About
also a tradition of world-shaking innovation – mainly in the 15,000 highly specialized life sciences researchers work in
life sciences. the region, and there is practically no biomedical research
question that researchers in Basel have not made a significant
Basel has played an extraordinary role in the history of modern contribution to or are not currently seeking answers to.
biology. Did you know that DNA was discovered in Basel?
Here Friedrich Miescher extracted the nucleic acids, the Basel also offers a rich pool for the recruiting of young talent
chemical substrate of the genetic code, from white blood – after all, four of the world’s best universities are in Basel
cells in 1871. Werner Arber, winner of the Nobel Prize in 1978 and the surrounding region, according to the Shanghai Aca-
and later president of the University of Basel, discovered with demic Ranking of World Universities. Along with the Univer-
his fellow researchers the restriction enzymes and their appli- sity of Basel, these are the University of Freiburg in Freiburg
cation to problems of molecular genetics, making him known im Breisgau, the University of Zurich, and the Swiss Federal
as the father of genetic engineering. Georges Köhler, winner Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH). Basel’s reputation as
of the Nobel Prize in 1983, was the first to construct mono- a knowledge center draws graduate students and doctoral
clonal antibodies, conducting his work at the Basel Institute candidates from all over the world. They know that here the
for Immunology. educational opportunities are outstanding and that completing
their studies in Basel will open the doors to interesting jobs
Not to mention the numerous medications developed in Basel in the life sciences.
that have changed the world of medicine and help millions
of patients.
9

12. The companies and the people of Basel are keen to
promote the future of the life sciences in the region:
in the coming years, thanks to public investments,
Basel will become a center of the nanosciences and
systems biology. Together with new research buildings
from companies, Basel area is ensuring that it will con-
tinue to take a prominent position on the global re-
search map.

13. The conditions for pharmaceutical
industry are ideal in the Basel area.
That is why we are making major
investments into research, devel-
opment, and management at this
location.”
Michael Plüss, Head Novartis Switzerland
Research seminars around the corner Shaping the future today
As a result, there are strong connections and synergies Such collaborative efforts will continue in the future: sev-
between university research and research development eral forward-looking projects have been launched in Basel
in industry. Mutual exchange between researchers, whether in recent years. The Swiss Nano Center at the University
from university or industry, is intensive. Day after day, there of Basel, for example, is dedicated, in addition to top-class
are dozens of research seminars and lectures. And it is easy basic research in nanoscale science, to applied research in
for researchers to attend: the university is such a short dis- collaboration with the life sciences industry. The Center of
tance away from the Roche or Novartis laboratories that they Biosystems Science and Engineering of the ETH Zurich in
often choose to walk. Basel, devoted to systems biology, is a pioneering center of
its kind in Europe.
But the strength of research in the Basel area is also based in
the early and successful investment that was made in basic The industry, too, is investing in the Basel area. Numerous
research and in new technologies. As early as forty years ago, new research facilities are emerging: The independent bio-
the University of Basel recognized the signs of the times and, pharmaceutical company Actelion built ultramodern research
acting on an innovative idea, founded the Biozentrum, the first laboratories in Allschwil. Apart from its newly raised biotech
center for molecular biology in continental Europe. Together production center Roche is planning a new RD facility and
with the Basel Institute of Immunology (Roche), the Fried- a innovative high-rise building. With its “Campus of Knowl-
rich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (part of the edge,” Novartis is making its global headquarters into a unique
Novartis Research Foundation), and further university insti- research, development, and management center.
tutes, Basel subsequently became a focal point of research
collaboration in the life sciences. With these projects, Basel’s impressive research skyline of the
21st century is already taking shape on the horizon.
11

14. Milestones in research in Basel
The University of Basel, Susumu Tonegawa
Switzerland’s oldest uni- discovers the genetic
versity, is founded in 1460 principle for generation
at the instigation of the of antibody diversity in
Council of Basel. 1976 (Nobel Prize 1987).
Albert Hofmann Erika Böhni develops
synthesizes an alkaloid the broad-spectrum
from ergot: LSD (1943). antibiotic Bactrim
(1969).
Friedrich Miescher Andreas Vesalius is
is the first to isolate the first to prepare a
DNA and characterize it human skeleton for
(1869). scientific purposes
(1543).
Paracelsus (1493–1541), Otto Isler achieves
physician and alchemist, synthesis of vitamin A
revolutionizes the treat- (1947).
ment of wounds and
does pioneering work in
the use of chemicals in
medicine.
Georges Köhler and Werner Arber is
César Milstein describe awarded the Nobel Prize
in 1975 the hybridoma in 1978 for his discov-
technique for the pro- ery of the restriction
duction of monoclonal enzymes.
antibodies of monoclonal
antibodies (Nobel Prize
1984).

15. Innovative products from Basel-based
companies since 1999
2006 Lucentis ® for age-related macular degeneration; Novartis
Max Hartmann synthe-
sizes Coramin (1924). 2005 PureHeart ™ personal size, seedless watermelon; Syngenta
SLActive oral implant with surface which halves
oridnary healing times; Straumann
2004 Avastin ® for colorectal cancer; Roche
Emselex ® for urinal incontinence; Novartis
Jean François Borel Tarceva ® for non-small cell lung cancer; Roche
and Hartmann Staehelin
2003 Bondronat ® for osteoporosis; Roche
develop the first
immunosuppressant
Certican ® for organ transplantation; Novartis
agent (Sandimmun) in
1970.
Emdogain ® easy to use oral tissue regeneration; Straumann
Fuzeon ® for HIV infections; Roche
Stalevo ® for Parkinson’s disease; Novartis
Tadeusz Reichstein
is the first to synthesize Zavesca ® for type 1 Gaucher disease; Actelion
vitamin C (1933) and later
also isolates cortisone 2002 Famvir ® for herpes simplex infections; Novartis
(Nobel Prize 1950).
Xolair ® for asthma; Novartis
2001 Callisto ® maize herbizide; Syngenta
Pegasys ® for hepatitis C; Roche
Tracleer ® for pulmonary arterial hypertension; Actelion
Valcyte ® for retinitis caused by CMV; Roche
Zelnorm ® for irritable bowel syndrome; Novartis
2000 PMI selectable marker gene system for use in plant
biotechnology; Syngenta
Starlix ® for diabetes; Novartis
Felix Platter is the first
to classify mental ill- Zometa ® for hypercalcemia of malignancy; Novartis
nesses (1602).
1999 Comtan ® for Parkinson’s disease; Novartis
Gleevec ® for chronic myeloid leukemia; Novartis
Herceptin ® for breast cancer; Roche
Tamiflu ® for influenza infections, Roche
1

16. With the growing multinational community in the Basel
area, the capacities of the international schools are in
continual development: four schools offer internation-
ally recognized curricula. And the quality level is high,
for Switzerland has one of the best school systems
worldwide and is regarded as a pioneer and model for
public schools.

17. “The only thing we miss is American mayonnaise”
Keri and Bill Hinshaw and their two sons have lived in their the language of instruction is English, but German is taught to
lovely single family house in Pfeffingen, near Basel, for two all pupils by native German speakers. Many of the Hinshaws’
and a half years now. “We have lived in a lot of places and we friends send their children to the International School Basel
found a great house that feels like home in the idyllic hills of (ISB), but as Keri explains, “We wanted our boys to learn Ger-
Switzerland.” says Bill. The family moved to Switzerland from man in preschool and kindergarten.” The school is very flexible
New Jersey, because Bill, a marketing specialist, found an and responsive to parents’ needs and wishes, says Keri. Kai
attractive position at Novartis. and Ronan had no difficulties adjusting: “Both of our boys are
very happy at the school.” Keri herself has hired a German
Bill is from Tennessee, Keri from Wisconsin. Neither Bill nor teacher and is taking private lessons. She has a challenge to
Keri is a born city dweller, both coming from more rural set- practice her German, however, because everyone in Basel
tings. While Bill would have enjoyed living in a city environ- immediately answers her in English. Even in the shops.
ment, the couple chose to settle in the countryside for the
benefit of their children Kai (6) and Ronan (4). “And because Don’t the Hinshaws miss anything at all in Switzerland? “Yes,
we can hike, bike and jog right outside our house,” adds the we do,” says Keri, laughing, “We miss American mayonnaise,
Novartis manager. pancake syrup, and the huge selection of breakfast cereals
and cream cheeses available at American supermarkets.” But
Safe, clean, and wonderful for children she likes Swiss cuisine a lot and enjoys shopping in France
Despite every conceivable kind of help from Novartis and or Germany: “Shopping in Alsace or Südbaden is like a mini-
useful tips from Swiss acquaintances, there were also a few vacation.”
surprises for Keri and Bill when they first moved here – and
mainly positive ones: When they saw a six-year-old boy travel- Paris, Milano, or Vienna for the weekend
ing by tram alone one day, they immediately asked him if they You can feel the Hinshaws’ enthusiasm as they list all the
could be of help. But the boy needed no assistance and was advantages of the Basel area, mentioning the public trans-
not searching for his mother; he was taking the tram to school, portation that takes them to every corner of the region and
happily and on his own, as he did every day. “That would be the museums in Basel that their children so enjoy. The fact
unthinkable for a child of that age in the United States, the that the museums of Paris, Vienna, or Amsterdam are within
safety of Switzerland is very impressive.” fast and easy reach is another of the advantages of the area.
Bill: “It is an unbelievably good experience for us to live in the
This and other experiences were very convincing to the Hin- heart of Europe and to be able to travel to Milan, Venice, or
shaws: “Switzerland is safe and clean and a paradise for Vienna for a long weekend.”
children.” Returning from their last vacation in the United
States, their older son said, “It’s good that we’re back home The Hinshaw family ideally would like to live in Switzerland
in Basel.” for five years and then move again. But they do not want to
live abroad forever. Keri: “We want Kai and Ronan to be able
Flexible, international schools to spend a part of their youth in America, together with our
Keri Hinshaw is a trained physiotherapist, currently at home families and friends.”
with the children. Mornings, she takes the two boys to school
at Rhein International Academy (RIA). The private school is But for now they want to stay where they are: in their happy
specifically designed for the needs of international children; “home” in Pfeffingen.
1

18. Life Sciences in the Basel area*
Swiss companies
4-Antibody Chemoforma Konapharma Santhera
Actelion Chemspeed Lipomed Schweizerhall
ADD Technologies Cimex Lonza SenTec
Anklin CIS Pharma Lubapharm Skan
Arpida Concentris Medartis Solvias
Bachem Confarma Mepha Sotax
Basilea Covalys MondoBiotech Speedel
Bio Concept Diagene Mundipharma Straumann
Biolytix Doetsch Grether Necura Pharmaceuticals Swiss BioAnalytics
Biopur Drossapharm Nitec Pharma Swiss Pharma Contract
Bioreba EyeSense Novartis Syngenta
BioWay Genedata OncoScore SynphaBase
BMA Biomedicals Herbonis Pentapharm Synthes
bSys Hesperion Permamed Thommen Medical
Buhlmann Laboratories Infors HT Phares Drug Delivery Tillotts
Bureco Inotech Polyphor TLT Medical
Camlog InPheno RCC Ltd. Vitaplant
Chemgineering Jungbunzlauer Roche Weleda
Foreign companies
Antares Pharma Divi’s Laboratories Knoll (Abbott) Robapharm (Pierre Fabre)
USA India USA France
Bayer Healthcare Dr. Reddy’s Kontron Medical (Fukuda) Schwarz Pharma
Germany India Japan Germany
Beiersdorf DSM Nutritional Products LSMW Shogoo Pharmaceuticals
Germany Netherlands Germany Japan
BioFocus DPI EUCRO Merck Biosciences SkyePharma
UK Germany Germany UK
Canyon Pharma Elsevier MDL Merz Symyx
USA USA Germany USA
Carbogen AMCIS (Dishman) Evolva Novozymes Teva Pharma
India Denmark Denmark Israel
Cochlear Gebro Pharma Quintiles Valeant
Australia Austria USA USA
Clinalfa (Merck Biosciences) Genzyme Pharmaceuticals ResMed Zeptosens (Bayer)
Germany USA Australia Germany
Institutions
University of Basel Friedrich Miescher Institute Center of Biosystems, ETH
University of Applied Sciences Swiss Tropical Institute
Are you interested in the Basel area?
If you are considering setting up business in the world’s finest BaselArea Business Development
place for life sciences, we are happy to help. BaselArea pro- Aeschenvorstadt 36 4010 Basel Switzerland
vides advice and active support, for a smooth and successful Phone +41 61 295 50 00 Fax +41 61 295 50 09
start. Our services are free of charge. BaselArea is sponsored info@baselarea.ch
by the Cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft and
major business associations and unions. www.baselarea.ch
* Incomplete list without distributors, consultancies and finance

19. Freiburg
France
Germany
Mulhouse
International Basel area
Basel is Switzerland’s third-largest city. It is also a Rhine
highly cosmopolitan city: not just as the center of Basel
an area of 800,000 people living in Switzerland, Ger-
many and France, but also as home to citizens of
Zurich
some 10 nations. As a large number of leading global BaselArea
companies have their headquarters in the Basel area,
the region also attracts highly skilled specialists
and their families from the widest possible variety Switzerland
of countries.
Bern
The Basel area especially
stands for ...
… a highly developed and productive economy
Total population Basel area 460,000
City of Basel 180,000
Percent international immigrants over 0%
International residents over 10 countries
Full-time employees 20,000
… a strong life sciences cluster … outstanding productivity of life sciences
companies
Contribution of life sciences sector to regional GDP 2004 Index of productivity per hours worked in life sciences companies
Basel Basel
London London
Munich Munich
San Francisco San Francisco
Boston Boston
0 3 6 9 12 15 0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Source: BAK Monitoring Life Sciences Locations Source: BAK Monitoring Life Sciences Locations
For more information on life sciences in the Basel area please see:
www.lifesciences.ch and www.biovalley.ch

20. BaselArea Business Development
Aeschenvorstadt 36
4010 Basel
Switzerland
Phone +41 61 295 50 00
Fax +41 61 295 50 09
info@baselarea.ch
www.baselarea.ch