The BioAlps Industry Award 2025 Goes to Merck Group
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BioAlps Association is proud to announce that the 2025 BioAlps Industry Award has been presented to Merck Group in recognition of its exceptional contribution to the economic and scientific landscape of Western Switzerland. The Award was granted today in Monthey, during the BioAlps Networking Day, the flagship annual event of the Swiss Health Valley.
Merck’s impact on the regional life sciences ecosystem is remarkable. Over the past decade, the company has invested more than CHF 1 billion in the Lake Geneva area, reinforcing Switzerland as its prime global hub for biotech medicine development and manufacturing. With over 2,600 employees at nine locations across the country — including nearly 2,000 in the arc lémanique — Merck has become a pillar of the national healthcare and life sciences economy.
A significant part of these investments is concentrated in Aubonne and Corsier-sur-Vevey, where Merck develops and produces biotechnological medicines for patients worldwide. The most recent milestone is the Biotech Development Center (BDC) in Vevey — a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to advancing the development of biotech therapies. The BDC, inaugurated in 2023, represents a CHF 250 Million investment. The facility strengthens the value chain already established in the region, from molecule development to large-scale manufacturing.
“We develop and produce medicines in Switzerland for the whole world,” explains Jonathan Souquet, Vice-President and Global Head of Drug Substance Development at Merck. “The Lake Geneva area offers an exceptional environment for innovation: a highly skilled workforce, strong infrastructures, scientific excellence and a quality of life that helps attract and retain talent.”
With the 2025 BioAlps Industry Award, the association salutes a company whose vision, investment and scientific excellence create lasting value for the region and for patients all over the world.
📸 Pictures: Dr. Pierre-Jean Wipff (Head of Partnership and Innovation, Biopôle), Mrs Magali Bischof (Secretary General, BioAlps), Prof. Antoine Geissbuhler (President, BioAlps), Dr. Jonathan Souquet (Merck Group). ©BioAlps / Salomé Crouzet, Kazzaz