Photo  ©CSEM – From left to right: Jens Krauss, Vice President Medtech at CSEM; Prof. Dr Virginia Richter, Rector of the University of Bern; Prof. Dr med. Jennifer Diedler, CEO of Insel Gruppe; and Dr Alexandre Pauchard, CEO of CSEM

 The “Bern Medtech” partnership launched in 2023 between Insel Gruppe, UniBE and CSEM has been extended by three years

·        32 medical technology projects led by research teams from Insel Gruppe and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Bern have been selected for collaboration with CSEM

·        Funding for these research projects was made possible in 2023 and 2025 through decisions taken by the Bernese Grand Council

The canton of Bern is continuing its goal of establishing itself by 2030 as a leading international medical hub. For more than three years, Insel Gruppe, the University of Bern and the technology innovation centre CSEM have been pooling their cutting-edge medical and technological expertise in joint research and development projects. Given the positive results achieved, their partnership has been extended by three years, with the aim of sustainably strengthening the competitiveness of regional industrial companies and start-ups.

Bern’s medtech ecosystem is delivering results 

Since the Bernese Grand Council’s decision on 13 June 2023 to establish a department of the technology innovation centre CSEM, medical and clinical research has been actively promoted on the Insel Gruppe campus. Between 2023 and 2025, 24 collaboration projects were launched, notably in gynaecology, neurology, diabetology, endocrinology, nutritional medicine and metabolism, pulmonology, cardiology and surgery. The common aim of all these research initiatives is to simplify patient care and monitoring through new sensor technologies and the use of artificial intelligence and algorithms, and to provide effective support to medical staff in diagnosis and treatment optimisation.

The Bern Medtech Collaboration Call (BMCC) was launched for the first time in 2023 and has since been renewed four times. Over this period, research teams from Insel Gruppe and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Bern submitted around 90 project proposals for collaboration with CSEM. On the basis of recommendations from medical, clinical and technical experts, the BMCC evaluation committee approved 32 of the submitted proposals, or around 35.5%. In light of these positive results, the Bernese Grand Council decided on 3 June 2025 to extend the partnership by a further three years, with the aim of sustainably strengthening the competitiveness of regional industrial companies and start-ups in 2026, 2027 and 2028 as well.

Prof. Dr Virginia Richter: “This collaboration shows the impact research can have when it is consistently focused on implementation. Working with CSEM, we are turning medical questions from the laboratory into concrete solutions more quickly – and that is exactly what a leading medical hub needs.”

Prof. Dr med. Jennifer Diedler: “Innovation must be embedded in everyday clinical practice – otherwise it remains theoretical. The joint projects with CSEM show that technology can significantly improve diagnosis, care and efficiency. That is why we are pursuing this collaboration in a targeted way.”

Dr Alexandre Pauchard: “Geographical proximity on the Hospital Insel campus is a strategic advantage. It accelerates innovation and strengthens Bern’s position in the international competition for the best medtech solutions in the long term.”

Concrete medtech innovations in Bern

Eight new research projects were launched at the end of November 2025. The wide range of topics and the high quality of the applications submitted underline the strong interest in digital solutions in the hospital sector, as well as the innovation potential at the intersection of medicine and engineering.

The ELAINE project, which perfectly illustrates the fruitful collaboration between Insel Gruppe’s gynaecology clinic and CSEM, is one example. The goal is the continuous monitoring of pregnant women and their babies before and during childbirth using a lightweight, wearable abdominal belt fitted with electrodes. The solution is designed to make pregnancy monitoring more comfortable and better suited to everyday life, with fewer hospital visits and greater autonomy for patients, while maintaining a high medical standard. Building on the results achieved so far, the start-up VidaSense, supported in particular by Innosuisse and the European Newlife project, is currently preparing the technology for market launch. Clinical trials are scheduled to begin this year.

New prospects in blood pressure monitoring

Many other BMCC projects focus on further developing and clinically evaluating the CSEM’s optical continuous blood pressure measurement technology, particularly in areas where cuffless measurement brings clear added value. CSEM’s long-standing expertise in this field has already led, from 2018 onwards, to the creation of the spin-off Aktiia and the market launch of the medically certified Hilo blood pressure monitor, which is now in successful use internationally.

At present, this technology is being studied in close collaboration with the cardiology, paediatrics, neurology and neurosurgery clinics of Insel Gruppe: in patients being treated for hypertension, in women suffering from pre-eclampsia during pregnancy (LONGBP project), in obese children and adolescents (CARIOCA project), and in people with disorders of the autonomic nervous system (NIVS-ANS project).

A shared goal: better care, lower costs

All projects share the common aim of going beyond current standards of care. Through new non-invasive and mobile monitoring technologies, medical care and follow-up are to be more closely integrated into patients’ everyday lives. The projects therefore make a concrete contribution to improving the quality of care and quality of life, while also easing the burden on the healthcare system.

More information on all projects

An overview of all CSEM projects and activities within the Bernese medtech ecosystem can be found here:

https://www.csem.ch/fr/focus-technique/sante-numerique/csem-partie-ecosysteme-medtech-bernois

About Insel Gruppe

Insel Gruppe is one of Switzerland’s leading hospital groups in university and integrated medicine. Through outstanding quality, research, innovation and training, it provides the population with comprehensive healthcare: at every stage of life, 24 hours a day and in the right place. Insel Gruppe carries out more than 850,000 outpatient consultations every year and treats around 55,000 inpatients using the latest therapeutic methods. Insel Gruppe is a training centre for a large number of professions and an important institution for the continuing education of young doctors. It employs around 11,000 people.

About the University of Bern 

Founded in 1834, the University of Bern has eight faculties, around 150 institutes and ten inter- and transdisciplinary competence centres. With a global network and regional roots, the University of Bern focuses on excellence in research and teaching. It has more than 19,000 students enrolled in 40 bachelor’s and 75 master’s programmes, making it Switzerland’s third-largest university.

The University of Bern’s five priority areas are: sustainable development, health and medicine, matter and universe, intercultural knowledge, and politics and management. In certain research fields such as space research, dentistry and veterinary medicine, it holds a leading international position.

About CSEM – Tackling the challenges of our time

CSEM is a Swiss technology innovation centre that develops breakthrough technologies with high social impact and transfers them to industry to strengthen the economy. As a non-profit public-private organisation, it enjoys international renown and supports the innovation activities of companies in Switzerland and abroad. CSEM operates in the fields of precision microfabrication, digital technologies and sustainable energies. To fulfil its mission of bridging the worlds of research and industry, more than 600 employees from 45 countries work closely with leading universities, universities of applied sciences, research institutes and industrial players. With its seven sites in Allschwil, Alpnach, Bern, Landquart, Neuchâtel, Schwyz and Zurich, CSEM is active throughout Switzerland. www.csem.ch

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