Cyclical knowledge transfer from university research to the market and back is of central importance for a sustainable economy and society. The University of Basel plays an important role at the intersection of research, society and the economy and brings partners together who can work collaboratively on solutions.

Start-ups are enormously important for a sustainable economy. On the one hand, they can create high-quality jobs themselves by raising venture capital. On the other hand, start-ups cooperate with the university to advance the development of technologies, which leads to additional jobs in research. This positive cycle strengthens the economy of the Basel region, as confirmed by the university’s surveyed figures.

Thanks to an growing team, the Innovation Office was also able to expand its activities in 2021 and 2022 in both start-up funding and industry collaboration. This is reflected both in greater numbers of start-ups being founded and in their increased success. Twelve new start-ups were founded in 2021 and 11 in 2022. Altogether, over CHF 240 million of private investments were raised from venture capitalists.

In order to fund innovations to combat antibiotic resistance, the Innovation Office, together with partners from Germany and company sponsors, initiated the new incubator INCATE. The project brings together translational and foundational research, industry, experienced entrepreneurs and investors from throughout Europe to focus on developing new therapies, diagnostic tools and interventions that contribute to reducing the prevalence and effects of antimicrobial resistance.