Wyss Zurich – Translating Science into Life

The Wyss Zurich is a joint accelerator of ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich, which was made possible by a generous donation from the Swiss entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr. h.c. mult. Hansjörg Wyss. It was established to foster translational research focused on developing treatment protocols and clinical therapies, as well as novel technologies and intelligent systems, in the emerging fields of Regenerative Medicine and Robotics, and hybrid technologies thereof. Wyss Zurich unites world-leading experts from both institutions in multidisciplinary teams, pooling their knowledge and expertise.

Switzerland holds a leading global position in basic research, but there is a long latency period between scientific discovery and its widespread application. Many research scientific discoveries do not get translated into practical applications because industry/investors typically prefer to invest in riper technologies. Due to lack of funding, early stage developments get stuck in what is called the „Valley of Death“. Swiss entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr. h.c. mult. Hansjörg Wyss wants to change this: „Breakthrough discoveries in medical and technological fields have to be made available as soon as possible for the benefit of mankind,“ he says, „I want to help accelerate the translation process and build a bridge between basic research and application.“