Top Stories from Western Switzerland (March 2026)

Foreign Direct Investment 2025: Western Switzerland Confirms Its Attractiveness

In 2025, the Greater Geneva Bern area (GGBa), in close collaboration with the economic development agencies of Western Switzerland’s cantons, supported the establishment of 91 foreign companies. These projects are expected to generate 740 jobs over the next three years.

The Swiss Research That Made a Paralyzed Man Walk Again (A Conversation with Jocelyne Bloch and Grégoire Courtine)

In this episode of Getting Serious, neuroscientist Grégoire Courtine and neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch trace the journey from animal models to their first patient walking in 2017, and share their long-term vision of combining electrical stimulation with gene therapy to cure paralysis.

Mondelēz International inaugurates new Toblerone production line in Bern

Mondelēz International completed a CHF 65 million investment at its Bern Brünnen facility, increasing Toblerone’s global production capacity by 20 to 30%. The upgrade cements Bern’s role as the brand’s worldwide center of excellence, supplying over 120 countries.

The canton of Fribourg makes its mark at BIOKET 2026

Fribourg hosted the BIOKET international bioeconomy conference for its first-ever Swiss edition, reflecting the canton’s growing recognition as a European leader in bio-based innovation. Bioeconomy accounts for approximately 30% of Fribourg’s GDP and 28% of its employment.

The Swiss Data Science Center inaugurates its headquarters at Biopôle in Lausanne

The Swiss Data Science Center opened its first independent home at Biopôle in Lausanne, supported by CHF 7.5 million from the canton of Vaud. The move brings 120 specialists closer to companies, hospitals, and research institutions, reinforcing Vaud’s position as a hub for applied AI.

EPFL and CSEM set world record for triple-junction solar cell efficiency

Researchers from EPFL’s PV-Lab and CSEM achieved a certified 30.02% power conversion efficiency for a triple-junction solar cell, surpassing the previous world record of 27.1%. The result, published in Nature, opens a pathway to affordable high-efficiency photovoltaics for terrestrial and space applications.

bioMérieux invests in Plair to advance environmental monitoring in pharma

Global diagnostics leader bioMérieux has invested over CHF 1 million in Geneva-based Plair, whose real-time microbial detection system addresses growing regulatory demands in pharmaceutical cleanroom monitoring. The partnership gives Plair access to bioMérieux’s commercial presence in over 160 countries.