Startups gain access to cutting-edge technology without leaving Fribourg
In the heart of Fribourg's innovation district, startup Particle Vision, coached by the cantonal startup incubator Fri Up, is working with the Swiss Integrative Center for Human Health (SICHH) on the development of fine particle analysis. A concrete example of the synergies developed on the blueFACTORY site.
Particle Vision is a team of four specialists from a variety of technical and scientific disciplines who offer particle and gas analysis services to measure indoor and outdoor air quality in order to identify the cause of any problem and propose solutions. By working with the SICHH, Particle Vision gains access to state-of-the-art technologies such as the scanning electron microscope (SEM), and continues to innovate in its activities. The startup is developing services for analyzing surface failure or contamination by micro or nano particles. SICHH, which works with private and academic customers throughout Switzerland, provides technological support to the Fribourg-based start-up. Dr. Jean-Marc Brunner, Director of the SICHH Competence Center, comments: "Our infrastructure and skills foster innovation by breaking down barriers to access to academic knowledge, while providing fast and professional services. SICHH enables companies like Particle Vision to draw on the skills of specialists in chemistry, physics, biology and computer science to develop their technologies in an integrative environment. For our part, working with Particle Vision provides us with a valuable exchange of know-how.
"We are very pleased with the collaboration with SICHH and the support of the unique Fri Up platform within blueFACTORY. Thanks to this collaboration, we have the opportunity to further develop our company. The new microscope represents a huge technological advance for our work. It stimulates our curiosity and motivates us to take our innovations to an even higher level of quality. We are convinced that these new opportunities and the enriching exchanges with the SICHH will enable us, in the near future, to further develop our methods for detecting and characterizing even finer particles in the nanometer range", adds Dr. Juanita Rausch, Co-Director of Particle Vision.
The fast-growing site now brings together a number of top-quality players, enabling the Canton to strengthen and develop locally. Fri Up supports innovation both by coaching startups and by connecting the players needed for projects to succeed. "SICHH's R&D services give our startups access to cutting-edge techniques without leaving Fribourg. The SICHH is therefore a major asset for young entrepreneurs and the Canton's economy," adds Grégory Grin, Director of Fri Up.
"This is exactly why blueFACTORY was created," concludes Philippe Jemmely, Director of blueFACTORY. " Our mission is to develop the innovation district by interconnecting all the companies located on the site, all innovative project initiators and partners, acting as incubators and idea developers. As a scientific service center, the SICHH provides undisputed support to blueFACTORY companies as a technology incubator. We are proud that the ecosystem set up to foster innovation in our Canton is bearing increasing fruit, and look forward to future developments on the site."
