Roche’s New Basel Facility Set To Speed Up Pharma Research

Roche has officially opened its new Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED) Center at its global headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. Featuring the latest technological advancements and providing around 1,000 modern laboratory and office workspaces, this new facility unites scientists and researchers to speed up groundbreaking innovations aimed at improving patient outcomes.

Severin Schwan, Chairman of the Roche Group, stated “Roche has invested CHF 1.2 billion into the new pRED Center, underscoring our ongoing commitment to supporting Switzerland in remaining a leading innovative life sciences hub, the country where Roche was founded over 125 years ago.”

Thomas Schinecker, CEO of the Roche Group, added, “The new pRED Center will play an integral role in collaborating with our research centers across the globe, aiming to boost the effectiveness and efficiency of our R&D, and to deliver the greatest impact for patients.”

Hans Clevers, Head of Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), said in a statement, “By investing in the new center we are continuing to push scientific frontiers to translate innovation into medicines, to better meet the needs of our patients. The new center will enable greater interaction and knowledge sharing across disciplines, for example, chemists, biologists and data scientists.”

The new pRED Center is composed of two innovative laboratory towers (standing at 114m and 72m), equipped with advanced lab technologies and digital solutions, along with an office and convention building (26m and 18m tall). Altogether, the complex features 33 floors dedicated to laboratories and offices, housing 150 labs and workspaces for approximately 1,800 researchers. 

Designed with collaboration and an integrated approach in mind, the cutting-edge facilities aim to accelerate the delivery of transformative treatments to patients. Since 2009, Roche has committed 4.6 billion CHF to upgrading the Basel/Kaiseraugst site, with the pRED Center representing the largest single investment. An additional 1.2 billion CHF is currently being invested into the Basel site, bringing the total investment to 5.8 billion CHF between 2009 and 2030.