The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), a Bengaluru-based bio-innovation hub, has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with the University of Basel.

The LoI is a formal initiation of the Indo Swiss Life Sciences Sister Innovation Hub, a forerunner of a dedicated Bangalore-Basel Innovation Corridor that aims to promote deep science and deep tech innovations with societal impact in life sciences in both countries, said a press release. The focus areas of the agreement are healthtech, digital health, precision medicine and anti-microbial resistance, among other areas, it added.

Under the agreement, the Hub will provide a soft landing pad for Indian start-ups and innovators in the life sciences and biotech domains expanding in Swiss markets and vice-versa.

Innovation cannot happen in isolation especially in view of current global challenges. With this overarching theme, C-CAMP and Basel University are collaborating to foster bilateral innovation ties between the two ecosystems by acting as a point of entry for innovators, start-ups and entrepreneurs diversifying into either geography, said the release. It will also open up incubation facilities, top-of-the-line technology platforms, knowledge and business networks in both ecosystems.

The primary aim would be to galvanise global networks of excellence and support systems for the top start-ups and researchers innovating at the cutting-edge of modern science in India and Switzerland.

Swissnex India had connected both the institutions last year and facilitated a visit of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, K Vijay Raghavan, to the University of Basel, where the partnership with C-CAMP was discussed for the first time. Swissnex India will continue to support the life sciences activities between Basel and Bengaluru and this Innovation Sister Hub.

The LoI was signed on Thursday at C-CAMP by Christian Elias Schneider, Head, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, University of Basel and Taslimarif Saiyed, CEO and Director, C-CAMP, in the presence of Sébastien Hug, CEO & Consul General, Swissnex India.

Sister Innovation Hub

It marks the inking of the fourth such international Sister Innovation Hub by CCAMP in a move to leverage global innovation ecosystems beyond India, said the release.

“Science-based innovations are key to breaking new ground in healthcare. Basel and C-CAMP are two leading research and innovation ecosystems in this domain. The new Bangalore-Basel Corridor will intensify links between these two powerhouses and facilitate greater exchange of knowledge and expertise,” said Schneider.

Saiyed said: “This bilateral innovation tie-up is aimed at making healthcare solutions more effective, accessible and affordable for all. With the Corridor we are targeting at more digital health interventions, the need of the hour in low-resource settings.”

“We are happy to have built a new bridge between Bengaluru and Basel. This research and innovation corridor will pave the way for both Indian and Swiss start-ups access technology platforms in each other’s geography and benefit the life sciences’ sector in a big way,” added Hug.