Beyond biotech: why Switzerland's real longevity credentials go far beyond pharma

It's all too easy to assume that Switzerland's pharmaceutical ecosystem, its biotechnology expertise, and clinical infrastructure make it a serious contender in the race to dominate the emerging global longevity landscape. But what if these aren't the reasons that could crown it the world leader? Focusing exclusively on the obvious actually undersells Switzerland's potential while boxing longevity into a mechanistic vision that's music to the ears of investors - those still hooked on the metrics of the sick-care business model. Sure, you can't build a life sciences ecosystem like Switzerland's overnight, but there's something that goes far beyond laboratories, product pipelines, pills, and venture capital vultures. Something that requires much more than a supply chain to construct: it's called culture, it's called history, it's called governance, it's called geography.

Big Tech infrastructure & the Swiss way to develop tech (like a public LLM)

First off, Switzerland hosts an impressive array of innovation centres from tech giants who've chosen Greater Zurich as their research playground. We're not talking about fancy corporate showrooms here - this is where real research happens. Tech companies contribute 15.8% of Switzerland's GDP, with over 400,000 skilled professionals commanding salaries you'd struggle to find anywhere else in Europe. It's not just about attracting the big names in technology - it's about attracting and retaining the brilliant minds that drive innovation. Consider the groundbreaking large language model (LLM) set to launch in late summer 2025, developed on public infrastructure by ETH Zürich and the EPFL AI Center . Trained on the "Alps" supercomputer at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS), this new LLM represents a milestone in open-source AI and multilingual capabilities. Notably, it has been developed with careful attention to Swiss data protection laws, Swiss copyright regulations, and the transparency requirements of the EU AI Act. Could this signal the emergence of a distinctly European approach to AI? Approaches like this as well as the private and public technical infrastructures are essential not just for AI-driven diagnostics or personalized medicine, but for analyzing and interpreting complex heterogeneous data - like the exposome concept or the sophisticated causal inference reasoning that will define the longevity field. Take a stroll through IBM's Zurich Lab to see how research - from atoms to analytics - flows along the shores of the Zürichsee.

It's not just about being at the centre - it's about being "the" centre.

Switzerland sits at the geographic heart of Europe, serving as the nexus between major European economic powers and the natural transport crossroads between northern and southern Europe. For a longevity capital whose role will be coordinating research, policy, and implementation across different healthcare systems and regulatory frameworks, this centrality is invaluable. Not to mention that Switzerland is smack dab in the center of the world's oldest continent - one with the highest percentage of population over 65 and an average of roughly 19% of the total population. In this landscape, Switzerland faces the fastest ageing + lowest fertility combination in the #OECD, with a 57% increase in the over-65 population by 2050, reaching 30.2% of the Confederation's population. It's not just about being at the centre - it's about being the centre.

Unparalleled ethical heritage, governance innovation, and unique democratic infrastructure

Switzerland is the birthplace of the International Committee of the Red Cross (founded in Geneva in 1863) and has maintained internationally recognised neutrality since 1815, making it a trusted mediator for sensitive international negotiations. Not to mention, naturally, that Geneva houses the United Nations (UNGO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), and the World Economic Forum (WEF). It's also worth remembering that Lausanne hosts the International Olympic Committee (IOC), while Nyon houses UEFA, and Zurich is home to FIFA - two organisations that have assumed crucial global political relevance, given that football fans number roughly 4 billion worldwide. As I argued in my work currently on display at the Triennale Milano titled "The Republic of Longevity," longevity is much more than a question of biology, biomarkers, or cells. It's primarily, and above all, a political question. And for longevity governance, perhaps no country in the world has Switzerland's credentials. Today, it's the only country where citizens have successfully sued their government for inadequate climate action. The KlimaSeniorinnen (Senior Women for Climate Protection) won a landmark case at the European Court of Human Rights in April 2024, establishing that governments have positive obligations to protect citizens from long-term health threats. The European Court ruled that Switzerland violated Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) by failing to establish adequate regulatory frameworks and achieve emission reduction targets. This legal precedent is decisive for transparent, intergenerational longevity governance that goes far beyond the interests of mere scientific advancement and places the Roman principle "Salus publica suprema lex esto" (public health is the supreme law) - carved into the dome hall of the Federal Palace in Bern, seat of the Swiss Parliament - as its guiding principle. In other words, governments have enforceable duties to protect citizens from predictable health harms, even those decades in the future. This is the foundation for building a business model that goes beyond treatment and focuses on prevention.

Switzerland operates the world's most sophisticated direct democracy system, with citizens able to directly influence policy through referendums and constitutional initiatives. Moreover, Switzerland has held more than half of the world's national referendums, requiring only 100,000 signatures to propose constitutional changes. The Federal Council operates as a unique seven-member collegial executive where power rotates annually, ensuring that no single leader dominates the decision-making process. For longevity policy -which will require navigating complex ethical questions about life extension, resource allocation, and social equity - this multilevel democratic system provides an unparalleled framework for building legitimate public consensus when it's time to make controversial decisions.

Interdisciplinary innovation: where research streams converge

And finally, the cornerstone: research. Or rather, the convergence of research streams. Switzerland's academic system uniquely emphasises interdisciplinary approaches that are essential for longevity research governance. Unlike countries where interdisciplinary work is an exception, Switzerland has institutionalised cross-disciplinary collaboration at the regional level (through partnerships like Basel-FHNW), national level (through ETH-EPFL coordination), and international level (through projects like the Blue Brain Project). This systematic approach to breaking down academic silos is exactly what longevity research requires - integrating biology, ethics, economics, psychology, technology, and social policy into coherent frameworks for human life extension. The Basel region particularly exemplifies this approach, with the University of Basel's five strategic focal areas naturally intersecting with FHNW's focus on aging society challenges, creating a regional ecosystem perfectly positioned to tackle longevity's interdisciplinary demands. Researchers like Aylin Yildirim Tschoepe , Arzu Çöltekin , Christina Röcke , and Eleftheria Giannouli , with whom I've had the privilege to collaborate, are living proof of this culture.

While companies like AVEA , Aeon , and AYUN are certainly building important pieces of the longevity puzzle, Switzerland's real competitive advantage lies in its capacity to be more than just a place where longevity science happens - it can be the place where humanity figures out how to responsibly implement radical life extension. The combination of technological excellence, ethical leadership heritage, democratic innovation, geographic centrality, and proven legal frameworks for protecting citizens' long-term interests positions Switzerland uniquely to serve as the global coordination hub for longevity governance, not just longevity commerce. This is a much deeper and more sustainable foundation for longevity leadership than any collection of biotech startups could ever provide