The new innovation park in Biel offers a ultra-modern infrastructure to network companies, research and specialists. Offices, workshops, laboratories and even clean rooms are provided to develop digital solutions for industrial production. The start-up Alveolix has already moved into one of the clean rooms for the development of biotechnological in-vitro models “Organs-on-Chip”
After two years of construction, the new five-storey Swiss Innovation Park was opened in Biel. The aim of the Swiss non-profit organization is to provide an openly accessible platform for industry and research. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and the development of a large network of partners, research results are to be accelerated and converted into marketable solutions.
When planning the Innovation Park, attention was paid to ensuring that the facilities were very modern and could be used in a variety of ways. In addition to conference rooms, offices and laboratories, four clean rooms were set up for applied research. As the flexible concept aims to ensure open and changing usability, the cleanrooms were equipped with flexible equipment and media supplies for different applications.
The cleanroom company Schilling Engineering was commissioned to develop the special concept and install the cleanroom technology. The modern CleanCell4.0 cleanrooms offer a clean environment of almost 300 square meters in which laboratory work and research activities are carried out that need to be protected from contamination by the smallest particles. The cleanrooms have an approximate size of 50 square meters each. Two cleanrooms each share a personnel airlock, where employees put on cleanroom clothing and enter the cleanrooms safely. Each Cleanroom has its own material airlock of approx. 15 m² to ensure the safe introduction of materials. 49 filter fan units with high-performance filters and an energy-efficient air circulation system ensure controlled conditions in accordance with ISO class 6. The cleanrooms can be rented annually, monthly or even for just one day if required.
Even before the Innovation Park opened, this approach proved to be effective and the cleanrooms are already in full use. In addition to Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH), the start-up company AlveoliX has also rented one of the cleanrooms on a permanent basis. The young Swiss company impressively demonstrates the future opportunities that will arise from digital research.
AlveoliX develops biotechnologically produced in-vitro models, so-called organs-on-chip, which precisely replicate the structure and function of human organs. By modeling the smallest functional unit of the organ, they enable the simulation of human physiology. The models can be used to test the safety, efficacy and toxicity of molecules (drugs, pollutants, cosmetics, etc.) and to answer fundamental research questions. The failure rate of drugs and animal experiments can thus be significantly reduced.
As the product integrates a 3.5um thin and porous membrane, which must not have any defects due to particles in this size range, an appropriate cleanroom environment is essential for production. The young start-up was therefore very pleased to have the opportunity to rent a fully functional cleanroom facility at the Innovation Park Biel at short notice.
