Industry News

The Dutch high-tech company VDL Enabling Technologies Group (VDL ETG) and its subsidiaries such as VDL ETG Switzerland AG are banking on closer cooperation with research institutions. On 9 February 2023 VDL signed a rental agreement with Park Innovaare, a business innovation hub next to the PSI campus in Villigen Switzerland. VDL ETG has already been working with PSI for many years, and this step now makes it an official member of Park Innovaare’s innovation ecosystem.

The technology transfer centre Swiss PIC was founded at the beginning of January 2023. Swiss PIC will be located in the Park Innovaare, in the immediate vicinity of PSI, one of its founding partners alongside other industry and research stakeholders. The new centre aims to facilitate innovation in packaging and integration of optical systems and to make these accessible to industry.

This year's KMU Swiss Symposium will take place in Baden, Kt. Aargau, on 23 March - we are pleased to be physically present again this year!

The KMU Swiss Symposium offers a platform for exchange and inspiration - this is made possible by exciting presentations, various booths with innovative projects and networking.

Listen to exciting presentations on the topic of "The power of trust - manipulation versus trust" by, among others, Swiss Army Chief Thomas Süssli; or Ivano Somaini, Security Analyst at Compass Security Schweiz AG.

PSI will be there - visit us at our joint booth with the Hightech Zentrum Aargau and find out more about how we can support industry and SMEs with their technical challenges and innovation processes.

In a joint collaboration, the technology transfer centre ANAXAM, PSI and Audi Sport successfully demonstrated the potential for optimising car brakes. Neutrons from the spallation neutron source SINQ at PSI were used for this purpose. Using a jointly developed measurement method, it was now possible for the first time to look live into the brake caliper and thus sound out optimisation possibilities. For the industrial partner Audi Sport, this collaboration yields promising results.

This project is a great example of successful technology transfer and shows how PSI's large-scale research facilities and ANAXAM's expertise can optimise a well-known product and contribute to new ideas. 

Applied materials analysis with neutron and synchrotron radiation: For over 2.5 years, the technology transfer centre ANAXAM has been operating on behalf of industry, and it has completed more than 70 successful customer projects with international industry and research partners to date – time for a look back.

A fruitful collaboration between our spin-off Excelsus Structural Solutions, Novartis Pharma Basel, the Institute of Crystallography of the CNR (Centro Nazionale Ricerche) in Bari, Italy and the University La Sapienza in Rome brought to the development of a simple theoretical model that describes the structure and functionality of a VitE-TPGS drug delivery system (DDS) of micelles with dimensions in the nanoscale.

This can play an important role in the efficient distribution of a drug in the body and opens the gate to new opportunities for the pharmaceutical industry.

A Technology Briefing on photovoltaics will be held at Empa in Dübendorf on 1 December.

When: 01.12.2022; 14:00 - 18:00

Where: Empa Academy, Dübendorf

The event, jointly organized by the research institutes CSEM, Empa and PSI, will highlight the potential of photovoltaics, present next-generation PV technologies and address questions about how the technical system integration of the plants can succeed and what impact greater dependence on PV will have on our CO2 emissions, material consumption and the economy.

The event is aimed at experts and interested parties from industry and research. Learn more about how solar energy can help us to meet our growing energy needs while contributing to our climate goals.

We look forward to your participation!

A reason to celebrate: The PSI spin-off "Excelsus Structural Solutions" will commemorate its 10th anniversary from 20 to 21 October 2022 at Park Innovaare in Villigen. The company uses PSI's large-scale research facilities to carry out measurements for clients primarily from the pharmaceutical industry.

PSI and Apollo Health Ventures have launched Focal Biosciences. The newly established biotech company aims to redefine the treatment of age-related diseases by reprogramming deregulated processes in cells that cause the detrimental processes underlying many serious diseases of aging that represent a significant health burden. The newly founded entity will initially operate out of the Paul Scherrer Institute.

We wish Focal Biosciences every success for the further development of the company.

https://www.psi.ch/en/media/our-research/paul-scherrer-institute-and-apollo-health-ventures-launch-focal-biosciences

https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-90639.html

Araris Biotech AG is a spin-off company of PSI and ETH Zurich, which is engaged in the development of novel antibody-drug compounds for the targeted therapy of cancer cells. The company has successfully closed a financing round in the amount of 24 million US dollars. Proceeds from the financing round, which was led by 4BIO Capital and Pureos Bioventures with participation from new investors, will be used to further develop Araris' antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidates. Araris is thus one step closer to its goal of helping cancer patients better and more effectively.

Dr. Philipp Spycher, CEO of Araris Biotech AG began his entrepreneurial endeavors with the PSI Founder Fellowship that helped kick-start his ideas of building a business around the technology that he helped to develop at PSI.

We are delighted with the success of Araris and congratulate the team warmly on this milestone!

https://www.ararisbiotech.com/

https://www.ararisbiotech.com/#news

Visit the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI at the Open Day on 23 October 2022 from 10 am to 5 pm. Learn more about our research in the fields of matter and materials, energy and the environment and human health, at the largest research institute within Switzerland: 38 stations with exciting content await you!

Date: 23.10.2022, 10:00 - 17:00

Location:

Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland

More information at: https://www.psi.ch/en/tdot

With the "Swiss Sustainability Forum", NZZ is launching a new dialogue platform on the topic of sustainability. The forum will take place for the first time this year and will be held in Bern from 22.09. - 24.09.2022.

The "Business Day" on 23.09. bears the vision "Towards a Sustainable Swiss Future" and deals with central topics such as the circular economy, decarbonisation and generational dialogue. Around 500 representatives from business, science and politics will be brought together for discussion and shaping the future. Speeches, deep-dive- and networking sessions will enable dialogue, inspiration and information on the question of how we can make Switzerland more sustainable together.

Speakers include Adrianne Gilbride, Ellen MacArthur and Solomon Baumgartner Aviles.

PSI supports the Swiss Sustainability Forum as a partner and will be present at the "Sustainable Switzerland Business Day" in Bern. 

Detailed information on the programme and registration for the conference at

https://forum.sustainableswitzerland.ch/ssf-business-day/

Networking and exchange, inspiration and new ways of thinking can make an important contribution to innovation. That’s why we as PSI support the this year’s edition of the Swiss Innovation Forum (SIF) 2022 in Basel as a partner.

On 23 November, motivated start-ups, committed investors and courageous idea generators meet at the Congress Centre Basel. In a cross-sector exchange, they develop new ideas to drive the Swiss innovation landscape forward.

Highlights of the programme:

💡 Keynotes by Tricia Wang (founder, Sudden Compass), Dr. Prof. Heino Falcke (astronomer), Miriam Meckel (HSG professor), Marc Gläser (CEO, Stöckli) and many more.

💡 Presentation of the Swiss Technology Award 2022, the most important technology prize in Switzerland.

💡 Experience Zone with exciting cases from Switzerland as a country of innovation.

PSI will be there - visit us at our booth and find out more about energy research at PSI and our ideas for sustainable fuels and gases, decarburization and against power shortages.

Detailed information and registration for the conference at www.swiss-innovation.com/en/

At this year's "SwissSkills", which will be held in Bern in September, a competition for young professionals with an entrepreneurial mindset will be held for the first time. The topic of entrepreneurship is to be taken into account more and more as part of the education programmes in order to promote initiative and entrepreneurship.

The PSI team, consisting of electronics technician Eric Brouwer, Noah Piqué and computer scientist Janik Meier, has been nominated for the "Entrepreneurship" competition discipline at SwissSkills 2022. We are keeping our fingers firmly crossed for the team for the upcoming competition, where it is not primarily about technical knowledge, but about creativity and own ideas.

More information at:

www.entrepreneurskills.ch

"ENERGIE - Geht der Schweiz der Strom aus?"

When: 6. September 2022, 9am - 6pm

Where: Halle 622 Zürich-Oerlikon

Language: German

On the Swissmechanic Business Day various renowned speakers offer perspectives from  on the topic "ENERGY - Is Switzerland running out of electricity?". Innovations and products will be exhibited, including the Paul Scherrer Institute's ESI Cube - a mobile exhibit of the "Energy System Integration" experimental platform, which is available to research and industry partners. The Cube makes the complex topic of energy storage and conversion comprehensible in a playful way.

Industry decision-makers meet to hear the technical presentations and inform themselves about the newest products and innovation.

The Business Day is an excellent opportunity to get informed about highly relevant and concurrent topics such as the securing of the Swiss energy supply in the years to come or the security of nuclear energy. Make use of this opportunity to network and join!

More information about the detailed program, speakers and event registration can be found here: https://www.swissmechanic.ch/business-day

Deadline for registration: August 16th 2022

When: 8 September, 12:45 - 18:00 h

Where: PSI Villigen Switzerland

The event "Quality Assurance of 3D-printed Metal Components" deals with the challenges, needs and problems regarding to the quality of 3D-printed components.

The cross-ING AG, Inspire AG and ANAXAM are jointly organising this event at PSI, which is aimed primarily at industrial users. The focus is primarily on quality in the area of tension between the three aspects of "quality - costs - material".

Learn more about the opportunities and challenges of additive manufacturing and take advantage of the opportunity for discussion and networking.

Language of the event: German.

More information on the detailled programme, the speakers and registration can be found here:

https://www.anaxam.ch/de/QSmetalAM-2022

From 5 July to 6 July 2022, the Swiss NanoConvention will take place in Fribourg. The platform offers the opportunity to exchange, discuss and network with key players from science and industry.

PSI will be there - visit us at our joint stand with the Hightech Zentrum Aargau! In combination with the possibilities of state-of-the-art material analytics, we can help you to improve both your products and your manufacturing processes.

Technology transfer - meaning the transfer of research results to industry - can take place in various ways. Founding a spin-off is a very efficient way of transferring or commercialising a technology developed at PSI to industry. In recent years, PSI has founded a number of such spin-offs from various research areas. Even years later, PSI is still in close contact with most of its spin-offs, from which both sides can benefit. The company "SwissNeutronics AG", based in Klingnau, is the oldest PSI spin-off and was spun off as early as 1999. For more than 20 years, SwissNeutronics and the PSI have repeatedly worked together successfully on various projects and can mutually benefit from synergy effects.

After the topping-out ceremony of the Park Innovaare took place in autumn 2021 as an important milestone, construction continues to progress according to plan. From 2024, companies and researchers will work together at one place.

Around two and a half years have now passed since the groundbreaking ceremony for Park Innovaare was held in 2019. Since then, the project has taken shape as planned and is well on schedule, despite various challenges such as a pandemic or shortage of raw materials. In the meantime, the scaffolding has been removed from the buildings and the focus of further construction work is on the interior fittings. With more than 35,000 m2 of space, the Park Innovaare offers laboratories, clean rooms and workshops, as well as offices, co-working spaces and meeting rooms - a versatile range of facilities for a wide variety of needs. There will also be meeting rooms to promote exchange between research and industry, as well as a restaurant.

The first tenants, including PSI as the main tenant, are expected to be able to move in at the beginning of 2024. Around 70% of the space has already been let; further customer acquisition is currently underway so that the Park Innovaare ecosystem can be further expanded in the coming months and other companies can benefit from direct access and exchange with the PSI by locating on site.

ANAXAM offers industry access to advanced analytical methods using neutron and synchrotron radiation (X-rays) at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI)

In a wide range of application fields, ANAXAM supports industry and SMEs in improving materials, products and processes in a wide range of application fields, thus strengthening their competitiveness and innovative power.

The event is organised and held jointly with KMU Swiss (event language: German).

Register for the event and learn how your company can also benefit from collaborating with ANAXAM:

When:  28th April 2022, starting at 4:00 pm

Where:  PSI West, Auditorium

PSI scientists have developed a ground-breaking achromatic lens for X-rays which facilitates the glimpse into the nanoworld. This allows the X-ray beams to be accurately focused on a single point even if they have different wavelengths. Soon, the newly developed lens will also be used in industry.

What started as an idea a few years ago has been established itself at PSI as a valuable funding instrument for talented researchers or engineers: the PSI Founder Fellowship (PSIFF for short). It is aimed at researchers with an entrepreneurial spirit and is supported by UBS.

This year, two fellows from PSI are starting the program: Dr Sebastian Gliga from the "Photon Science Division" and Dr Lars Gerchow from the research division "Neutrons and Muons" convinced the PSIFF jury with their business ideas. We warmly congratulate the two budding young entrepreneurs and look forward to working with them!

This year's KMU Swiss Symposium will take place in Baden, Kt. Aargau, on 17 March - we are pleased to be physically present again this year!

The KMU Swiss Symposium offers a platform for exchange and inspiration - this is made possible by exciting presentations, various booths with innovative projects and networking.

Federal Councillor Viola Amherd will also be a guest in Baden on 17 March and will give the opening speech, followed by other top-class speakers, including Nina Suma, Managing Director of the Baden thermal spa "Fortyseven", neuroscientist Claudia Thali, Thomas Boyer, CEO of Groupe Mutuel and Guido Konrad, Managing Director of Varian Medical Imaging Labs.

PSI will be there - visit us at our joint booth with the Hightech Zentrum Aargau and find out more about how we can support industry and SMEs with their technical challenges and innovation processes.

Detailed information and registration for the event at:

https://www.kmuswiss.ch/index.cfm?setcatlist=1&publication_id=584&publication_action=dsp_publicationdetail&content=1050&paragraph=1&spr=de

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and the University of Basel have developed a rapid test for Covid-19. Its novel functional principle promises reliable and quantifiable results concerning a patient's Covid-19 disease and its course – as well as evidence concerning other diseases and Covid variants that may be present.

Now a new test developed at PSI  – which, unlike antigen tests, does not directly detect components of the virus, but rather the antibodies the immune system produces in response to the infection –promises to bring substantially more predictive power to rapid testing. It is just as inexpensive, quick, and easy to use, and it can also be used to simultaneously identify a variety of pathogens, such as those responsible for the flu.

Before it can go into widespread use, however, it still must undergo further testing and optimisation.

PSI researchers, together with researchers from Cornell University in New York State, have identified a composite material that could integrate quantum devices into semiconductor technology, making electronic components significantly more powerful. Among the most important challenges currently facing semiconductor electronics are improvements that would increase data transmission bandwidth, energy efficiency and information security. The incorporation of quantum effects could provide a new breakthrough and could be trend-setting for the semiconductur-industry.

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have tested various methods to check how effective they are in combatting certain types of cancer. They found a combination of two preparations to be much more effective than treatment with just one of the two active substances. This is particularly important for the treatment of modular thyroid carcinomas. If the results obtained so far are confirmed in future studies, this therapy could be available to the general public in a few years.

ANAXAM und Swiss m4m Center – Die beiden Advanced Manufacturing Technology Transfer Center blicken auf ein erfolgreiches erstes Jahr zurück und geben einen Einblick in ihre Aktivitäten.

Wann: Freitag, 03. Dezember 2021, ab 16:00 Uhr

Wo: kultur & kongresshaus aarau

Registrieren Sie sich für den Anlass und erfahren Sie, wie Sie die Kompetenzen und Technologien von ANAXAM und Swiss m4m Center für Ihr Unternehmen einsetzen und dadurch die Innovationskraft steigern können! 

Programm und Online-Anmeldung: https://hightechzentrum.ch/event/info-und-networkinganlass-der-advanced-manufacturing-centers-anaxam-und-swissm4m

A fundamental basis for success in these special times is innovation, which is largely driven by exchange and inspiration. The Swiss Innovation Forum (SIF) 2021 brings both together in one place. That is why we are supporting this year's edition of the SIF as a partner.

Meet innovative minds from different industries at the Congress Center Basel on 18th November 2021 , exchange ideas and create new visions. Future-oriented experts will furthermore take you on a journey full of ideas. It will be rounded off by the FutureExpo, which invites you to discover and try things out, and the 33rd Swiss Technology Award ceremony, at which the best tech innovations of the year are honoured.

PSI will be there - visit us at our booth and find out more about how the technology transfer centre ANAXAM uses state-of-the-art material analysis to support both industry and SMEs in optimising production methods and processes, thus creating the basis for innovations.

Detailed information and registration for the conference at www.swiss-innovation.com/en/

Using a protein fusion approach that uses a modular linker PSI Researchers can now connect two unrelated proteins at a defined distance and orientation to each other. This technology could allow for applications e.g. in  vaccine development or could facilitate the crystallization of proteins for drug development. Furthermore, the linker holds potential as a component in protein-based nanomaterials. Feel free to contact us if you are interested in learning more about this exiting technology.

https://www.psi.ch/en/media/our-research/protein-distancing

Der Anlass wird durch das Hightech Zentrum Aargau organisiert und richtet sich an Entwickler, Hersteller und Anbieter von Photonik- und Optik-Komponenten sowie Interessierte, die mehr über die neuesten Möglichkeiten photonischer Komponenten und deren Einsatz erfahren wollen. Die Teilnehmenden erhalten einen Überblick darüber, wie Photonik-Systeme und -Komponenten für technologische Innovationen und neue Produkte nutzbar gemacht werden können. Referenten aus Industrie und angewandter Forschung zeigen Trends und erläutern, wie die Kombination mit anderen Technologien funktioniert und welche Netzwerke in der Entwicklung eine Rolle spielen.

Die Agenda und sowie das Anmeldeformular sind unter folgendem Link zu finden:

www.nano.swiss/photonik

Ort: Hightech Zentrum Aargau AG, Badenerstrasse 13, 5200 Brugg

Kosten: Die Teilnahme ist kostenlos, eine Anmeldung jedoch erforderlich (Teilnehmerzahl begrenzt).