Bellinzona, September 15th, 2021 – the Foundations of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) and the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR) presented the newly formed association Bellinzona Institutes of Science (Bios+), which was established by the two Institutes on July 21st with the aim of promoting and coordinating research activities and creating scientific and organizational synergies in view of the development, in the Italian-speaking Switzerland, of a national and international research center on life sciences.
The President Gabriele Gendotti retraced the steps that preceded the establishment of Bios+: “In 1997 some personalities had not only the vision, but also the courage and the determination stubbornness to transform an idea into a concrete project that developed progressively. It started with a few research groups, few laboratories and few resources. With the help of the Confederation, the Canton, the City of Bellinzona and several donor foundations, it was possible to gradually grow on several fronts and attract talented researchers from all over the world to Italian-speaking Switzerland”. The Vice President Franco Cavalli expressed the same enthusiasm: “the creation of Bios+ represents a fundamental leap forward as it will guarantee an increasing number of synergies, not only organizational but above all, scientific with the IRB researchers. We are convinced that the creation of Bios+ will represent an essential element in making the Biomedical Research Center of Bellinzona an essential element in the field of basic and translational life sciences research, not only at the national level but also at the international level”.
Also present at the press conference were the Rector of USI, Boas Erez, and the Mayor of the City of Bellinzona, Mario Branda. Erez welcomed the coordinated development dynamic, defining priority as “clear agreements between all the players involved on issues ranging from the sharing of equipment to the definition of strategies, with the aim of ensuring a rational use of resources and a clear positioning of the Pole in the Swiss and international panorama. The creation of the Bios+ association is certainly a step in the right direction”; Branda recalled how “the constitution of the Bios+ association is a further stimulating initiative aimed at creating a true centre of competence in the field of life sciences”.
Finally, Davide Robbiani, Director of the IRB, spoke about the collaboration with the IOR: “Since cancer is one of the IOR’s strongest areas, as IRB we see the creation of Bios+ as a scientific opportunity to strengthen existing collaborations and create new synergies in a sector of biomedical research, the one straddling immunology and oncology, with great potential for future discoveries”. Carlo Catapano, Director of the IOR, echoed him: “The creation of Bios+, and the forthcoming opening of the new center in Via Chiesa, represent one of the fundamental points in our vision of the future of the two Institutes. A fundamental aspect is that, thanks to Bios+, we will be able to work together to create a high quality and competitive research centre through new investments in state-of-the-art instrumentation and technological platforms to be put at the service of our researchers”.
This is science that helps life.
