Fondazione Leonardo supports CASE BioMed

Fondazione Leonardo will support the Centre of Advanced Studies on Entrepreneurship in BioMedicine, CASE BioMed, at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) during the three years 2026-2028, thereby contributing to the development of the new "Bio- and MedTech-Business" programme at Monte Verità. The programme represents a further development of the two internationally recognised executive programmes "BioBusiness" and "MedTech Business", two sector-specific training courses that were gradually launched by Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) starting in 2010.

At the time, USI was the first Swiss university to offer entrepreneurship programmes in the life sciences that specifically covered the entire innovation process, from research results to biomedical innovation in an entrepreneurial context. This pioneering work was initiated to promote entrepreneurial skills in the life sciences and build a bridge between research, innovation and industrial applications. According to Dr Heidrun Flaadt Cervini, the founder and director of CASE BioMed, a total of 450 young entrepreneurs from Switzerland and abroad have been trained since 2010. Many of the companies they founded, start-ups, have been sold to industry and have thus significantly and sustainably supported the innovative strength of our economy.

Thanks to its collaboration with Wyss Zurich, which brings together the expertise of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ) and the University of Zurich (UZH), CASE BioMed has created a north-south alliance that aims to further enhance training in the field of entrepreneurship in the life sciences in collaboration with two world-class institutions at an inter-institutional level. The support of Leonardo Foundation strengthens USI's role as a nationally and internationally recognised player in promoting biomedical innovation and the growth of an increasingly integrated Swiss ecosystem.

The “Bio- and MedTech Business” programme is now included in the ETH Zürich portfolio. The offer has been updated on the website of the ETH School for Continuing Education and can be accessed via the following direct link:
https://www.ethz.ch/content/associates/continuing-education/en/programmes-and-courses/search-current-courses/wbk/bio-and-medtech-business-2026.html