Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday 19th September 2018. 9.30am, Basel, Switzerland.
Today, the University of Basel and ETH Zurich co-founded the Botnar Research Centre for Child Health (BRCCH) in Basel, Switzerland. They bring together top scientists and clinical researchers from a variety of disciplines to develop new methods and digital innovations for global use in paediatrics. The BRCCH is funded by a CHF 100 million contribution from Fondation Botnar.
The operating institutions for the BRCCH are the University of Basel and ETH Zurich. The Research Centre’s network also includes partner institutions such as the University Children’s Hospital of Basel (UKBB) and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) in Basel. It combines the expertise of both universities in systems biology, medicine and various areas of other disciplines that a relevant to health, including life sciences, engineering, social sciences and information technology. The BRCCH will lead ground-breaking research that will help with disease prevention, developing new treatment approaches, improving disease predictions and diagnoses, and ultimately make healthcare systems more responsive and affordable. The BRCCH aims to generate tangible results; “We want to have an impact on the lives of children and adolescents,” says Prof. Andrea Schenker-Wicki, Rector, University of Basel.
Transdisciplinary approach to research
At the BRCCH, top scientists and and clinical researchers will collaborate closely in the fields of implementation research, health systems, health economics, educational science, ethics and law. The focus is on countries with limited resources, with the potential to implement solutions worldwide. This approach facilitates sustainable research and development with a direct benefit for the health of children and adolescents.
The BRCCH will focus on four main areas of paediatric research: diabetes, infectious diseases/immunology, cardio-respiratory diseases and regenerative surgery. The focus will be on approaches that leverage digital and mobile healthcare solutions. “Our aim is to develop ground-breaking digital solutions to improve the health of children and adolescents,” says Prof. Lino Guzzella, President, ETH Zurich.
Targeted investment by Fondation Botnar
The BRCCH is funded by a CHF 100 million contribution from Fondation Botnar, divided equally between the University of Basel and the ETH Zurich Foundation and to be distributed over a 10-year period. Fondation Botnar, a Basel-based foundation set-up in 2003, is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents in fast-growing cities across the world, investing in solutions that use and promote artificial intelligence and digital innovation. “Children and adolescents are a key part of our society. We want to give them tools to successfully shape their lives and to actively contribute to positive development. The BRCCH will stimulate and provide new solutions to help achieve this” says Dr. Peter Lenz, President of the Board, Fondation Botnar. This involvement in the BRCCH represents a targeted investment by the foundation. While newly developed solutions are being introduced, Fondation Botnar will provide the BRCCH with access to its networks in several cities in Tanzania, Romania and elsewhere.
Ideally located at the forefront of life science research
The Research Centre will begin operations in Basel at the start of 2019 and will be expanded gradually. With its university, the Department of Biosystems (D-BSSE) at ETH Zurich and numerous highly innovative companies in the areas of biotech and life sciences, Basel is the natural home for the BRCCH.
