Rental spaces for start-ups

The cleanrooms just before completion. (Image credit: SIPBB)

Flexible design of the purebred rooms for rent. (Image credit: SIPBB)

Pioneering research in the Biel Innovation Park. Biotechnological in-vitro models are produced under cleanroom conditions. (Image credit: AlveoliX)

Research and innovative developments on five floors in the new Innovation Park. (Image credit: SIPBB)

The new Innovation Park in Biel offers state-of-the-art infrastructure to connect companies, research, and specialists. Offices, workshops, laboratories, and cleanrooms are provided to develop digital solutions for industrial production. The startup AlveoliX has already moved into one of the cleanrooms for the development of biotechnological in-vitro models called "Organs-on-Chip".

After two years of construction, the five-story new building of the Swiss Innovation Park was opened in Biel. The goal 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 partner network, research results are to be accelerated and translated into market-ready solutions.

In planning the Innovation Park, great care was taken to ensure a very modern and versatile equipment. In addition to conference rooms, offices, and laboratories, four cleanrooms were established for applied research. Since the flexible concept aims to guarantee open and adaptable usability, the cleanrooms are equipped with flexible furnishings and media supplies for various applications.

The development of this special concept and the installation of cleanroom technology were entrusted to the cleanroom company Schilling Engineering. The modern cleanrooms, CleanCell4.0, offer nearly 300 sqm of a pure environment where laboratory work and research activities are carried out, protected from contamination by tiny particles. Each cleanroom is approximately 50 sqm in size. Two cleanrooms share a personnel airlock where staff can don cleanroom clothing and enter the cleanrooms safely. For the secure introduction of materials, each cleanroom has its own material lock of about 15 sqm. 49 filter fan units with high-performance filters and energy-efficient recirculation ensure controlled conditions according to ISO Class 6. The cleanrooms can be rented annually, monthly, or even just for a day if needed.

Even before the opening of the Innovation Park, this approach proved to be effective, and the cleanrooms are already in full use. In addition to the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH), the startup company AlveoliX has also permanently rented one of the cleanrooms. The young Swiss company demonstrates the future possibilities that digital research will offer impressively.

AlveoliX develops biotechnologically produced in-vitro models, called "Organs-on-Chip," which accurately 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. This can significantly reduce the failure rate of drugs and animal testing.

Since the product incorporates a 3.5 µm thin and porous membrane, which must be free of defects caused by particles in this size range, a corresponding cleanroom environment is essential for manufacturing. The young startup was therefore very pleased to have the opportunity to rent a fully functional cleanroom facility at the Innovation Park Biel on short notice.