As Ruetschi Technology conclusively proves, the pairing of precision watchmaking and medical expertise is a match made in business heaven. The family-run company, which was founded in 1959 at the prompting of a watch dial manufacturer, originally produced machined components for the watchmaking, automotive and electronics industries expanded into the medical device market and stepped up its R&D activities. Read article

Will Fribourg soon be better known for its biotechnology and green chemistry expertise than for its chocolate and cheese fondue? If the latest developments coming out of the canton's life sciences sector are anything to go by, this might just happen. Read article

The Biofactory Competence Center (BCC) has forged a stellar reputation since it was founded almost a decade ago. One of its core activities is applied research in pharmaceuticals, industrial biotechnology and food biotechnology, which also happen to be key growth sectors of the canton of Fribourg economy. Read article

The University of Fribourg (Unifr) has many claims to fame. In addition to being the only officially bilingual university in Switzerland (some of its study programs are even trilingual), it is also behind a host of pioneering initiatives that push the boundaries of research and technology. They include the Adolphe Merkle Institute (AMI) and early-stage ventures like Xemperia and Neuria which are at the forefront of efforts to develop innovative life science-based solutions. Read article

"Innovation is not the sole preserve of industry. Service providers are innovators, too," explains Stéphane Gumy, General Manager of PMS Process Management System. "In the world of consulting, innovation means having the ability to develop and deploy innovative solutions that are both affordable and fully compliant with current regulations." Read article

Mini-interview with Magali Bischof, Secretary General of the BioAlps Association. Read article

The canton of Fribourg has a booming life sciences sector. But how important is it for the cantonal economy? This was the question that the Fribourg Economic Development Agency (FDA) and GRIP, the trade association for the pharmaceutical industry in French-speaking Switzerland, commissioned BAK Economics, an independent research institute, to answer. Read article

The city of Fribourg is home to Alcon, the world's largest eye care company. Talent from no fewer than 38 countries are employed at Alcon's offices next to the main train station. Read article

Fribourg is home to not one, but two big hitters in the fast-moving medical diagnostics sector: Bio-Rad, in Cressier, and Medion Grifols Diagnostics (MGD), in Düdingen. Since they were founded in 1957 and 1977 respectively, both firms have built a stellar reputation thanks to their expertise and capacity to innovate. Read article

A staggering 60 million people worldwide take an antihistamine that is manufactured entirely in the canton of Fribourg. Since the UCB opened its production facility in the town of Bulle back in 1996, the site has become a pivotal part of the Belgian biopharmaceutical group's strategic growth plans. Read article