Development of Swiss Biotechnology Beyond the Biopharmaceutical Sector In memoriam Prof. Dr. Oreste Ghisalba (1946–2018)

Although diverse, the potential business opportunities for biotechnology outside the biopharmaceutical market are very large. White biotechnology can offer sustainable operations and products, while investments tend to be lower than those in red biotechnology. But a number of bottlenecks and roadblocks in Switzerland must be removed to realise the full potential of white biotechnology. This was also the point of view of Oreste Ghisalba, who wanted to be part of a new initiative to facilitate the creation of additional business, new processes and new products. This initiative requires the identification and the use of synergies and a much better cooperation between academia and industry through targeted networking. Unfortunately, we must carry on with this task without Oreste, whom we will miss for his deep knowledge and friendship.