A new health innovation hub has launched in Switzerland with the aim of accelerating late stage medical research into clinical practice.

Located in Switzerland’s Health Valley, the Genolier Innovation Hub is designed to bring late-stage medtech, pharma, biotech, and digital health companies together to speed innovation to market.

The research centre is the brainchild of Swiss investment group Aevis Victoria SA, who have injected more than CHF 100 million ($118 million) into its development. The building was officially opened on Friday 27 September, with a ribbon cutting ceremony that welcomed international media and industry to view the site.

Companies including GE HealthCare and Accuray have already set up a base at Genolier and the centre is looking to sign on more. The 25,000 m2 building includes laboratories, R&D rooms, clean rooms, radiotherapy and training rooms, with around 11,000 m2 of the space available for rent to companies conducting late phase clinical programs.

During a presentation at Genolier's opening ceremony, GE HealthCare's Zone President DACH, France, Belux, Iberia and French Speak Africa Christian Bernhard, said the Swiss hub provided GE HealthCare an ideal base to focus product development on its theranostics and cancer care pipeline.

“At GE we continually develop products and there’s not really a place where you have research and can transform it into clinical application easily," Bernhard explained. “What is unique here at Genolier is that it's not a public hospital where there is a massive flow of patients, so we really have the time to develop products and make massive progress. That is one reason why we invested here."

"The second reason is that we can’t treat cancer alone,” he added. “The doctors need us, but even as industry we need partners like Accuray as we don’t have a therapy. So having proximity with Accuray here at the Hub is unique and makes it a very special place for the health industry in Europe. At GE HealthCare, we plan to use this as an educational hub for our customers and employees, so we’re very excited to be here.”