News

We look back on an eventful and challenging year, as Expertinova AG created a second start-up called ChoNova AG in February 2024, while our first endeavor Elionova AG continues its successful journey. Elionova AG* The mission of Elionova [1] is to develop and commercialize an innovative diagnostic platform and in...

In the 1980s, approximately 80% of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for products consumed in the European Union were produced within its borders. Today, this proportion has dwindled to less than 20%, with over 45% of APIs by volume coming from China.(1) Unprecedented recent shortages in generic drugs and fine chemicals...

There exist sustainable alternatives for replacing oil, gas or coal as energy sources. However, replacing oil, gas or coal as feedstocks for basic chemicals, polymers or fine chemicals is much more difficult. In addition to the utilization of carbon dioxide, only recycling and biomass remain to meet all non-fossil demand...

*The US, the EU, China and many other countries got one – only Switzerland doesn't have one yet! This refers to bioeconomy strategies and Green Deal treaties adopted by governments and organizations. Why does Switzerland not yet have formulate a bioeconomy strategy? Do we even need a bioeconomy strategy?* *What...

Rare earth elements (REE) are common in the earth’s crust, but in low concentrations. Their extraction is labor intensive and comes with a considerable environmental impact. Mostly used as chemical catalysts, rare earth elements are also indispensable for the energy transition and global electrification. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects...

This is a new and unusual experience: supply bottlenecks in almost all areas. Press reports about the shortage of generics received particular attention. At times, up to 600 products such as propofol (muscle relaxant for intubation), fentanyl (painkiller) or synthocinone (induction of labor) were hardly or even impossible to obtain....

These months, media frequently reported on supply difficulties of medicines, food, computer chips, plastic, paper, copper an many other products and raw materials. The reasons for this are manifold: deindustrialization, transfer to low-wage countries, just-in-time production, minimal warehousing, transition to sustainable resources, the pandemic, political uncertainties and, above all, the...

In the days before the automobile, as much agricultural land was needed to feed horses as to feed people. Disposing of horse manure in cities like Paris or London was a major challenge, even though only wealthy people could afford a horse. Today we consume almost 100 million barrels of...

A rapidly growing world population aspires to live a long, healthy and comfortable life. But shrinking resources, growing waste problems and climate extremes are factors which limit these aspirations and create a latent danger for social unrest. We need different value chains, new technologies and new products which encompass the...

Because of the global population growth, a new city of the size of Geneva needs to be supplied with food, water or energy every day. Many raw materials are in short supply and the situation will get worse in the future. We have already reported on some bottlenecks where biotechnology...

Excessive packaging, especially in combination with convenience food and littering, has become an issue, instigating social and political pressure and calling for near-term solutions. “Bioplastics” are one possible element eventually providing a way out of the plastic problem. However, to address the topic of biopolymers in the context of food...

The world is running short of many raw materials, a fact painfully demonstrated during the past covid pandemic. We experienced shortages of masks, ventilators or pharmaceuticals, such as relaxant drugs required for the intubation of Covid patients. However, the pandemic was not the root cause, but merely an accelerant. *Also,...

On the one hand, images of Serbia’s Potpeć Resevoir or Bolivia's Uru Uru lake circulated early 2021, both almost completely covered with plastic waste. On the other hand, a shortage of plastic raw materials such as polyethylene or polypropylene resulted in a lack of packaging materials, coffee capsules, yogurt pots,...

At Maxia Strategies we integrate our clients' business demands with health authority expectations. As regulatory professionals we apply our knowledge and experience to transform innovative ideas into commercially successful products. Whether you need support with ad hoc tasks, regional (European/Swiss/US) coordination, or comprehensive support to cross-functional global teams, Maxia Strategies...

A good basic technology, a highly experienced and proven team and a clear focus on providing superior solutions for customers are the key ingredients to optimize the chances of success for any start-up company. This is exactly the mix of assets made available to Elionova by the Senior Partners of...

Like other Western countries, Switzerland regularly experienced phases of drug shortage for over ten years now. These drugs, their active ingredients or intermediates are almost exclusively manufactured in China or other low-wage countries. This went on almost unnoticed by the general public. However, this changed early 2020 with the corona...

Biotechnology is a key asset to the contemporary Swiss economy! According to the Swiss Biotech Report 2020, compared to all Swiss exports, the share of the chemistry pharma and life sciences sector has increased to 47.3% in 2019, reaching a record value of CHF 114.56 billion. More than a third...

Under the auspices of the SATW* we organized a Forum on "Bioplastic" to discuss the current situation and possible shortcomings in Switzerland.  You can find the corresponding "Factsheet Bioplastic" in the apendix. During the Forum is became quickly clear that Switzerland has very limited opportunities in the field of bulk (bio)plastics...

ExpertInova was again selected as preferred coaching partner for (future) start-up companies in the large European program EIT-Fan. This EU Program has the goal to select and develop the most promising future food star companies in the EU and selected partner countries and is supported by Universities and several large...

Two ExpertInova Senior Partners (Dr. Hans-Peter Meyer and Prof. Dr. -Ing Erich Windhab) have been elected in Spring 2019 by the SATW (Swiss Academy for Technical Sciences) to become SATW Fellow Members. Dr. Hans-Peter Meyer is thus recognized for his important strategic contributions to the introduction of Biotechnology in the...