You want to rent a laboratory, but you are still deciding if a private or shared lab is the way to go? Let’s find out! We can also help you set your lab space at our Main Campus, in Basel: the Silicon Valley for Biotech in Switzerland.
Research in biology, chemistry, or biotechnology typically starts in a university laboratory. However, when this research develops into a business concept, a university lab might not be sufficient anymore.
Renting a lab space can be a practical solution for startup founders who cannot afford to build and equip a lab from scratch. While some companies can secure a significant upfront capital investment, for many, the initial costs can be a substantial limiting factor. Additionally, startups often require flexibility to scale up or down their operations, relocate or adjust space requirements as needed without being tied to a permanent facility. In these cases, renting an existing lab space allows companies to start their operations faster. With lab infrastructure already in place and facility management handling maintenance tasks, companies can focus on research and development.
If renting a lab space is the best solution for you, the next question you need to ask is: private or shared lab space, which one better fits your needs?
Private labs are best suited for expanding small to medium size companies and startups. This is the best option if you need:
Customized lab setups that must meet unique research and development requirements
Large spaces to accommodate teams and equipment
Specialized facilities for advanced research and testing
Strict control over laboratory environment
Flexibility to customize workspace
When working in a private lab, you and your team may use it on your own terms. Something to consider though: it is usually a more expensive solution than a shared lab and your team might need to wait to have everything settled before you can start working.
At the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area – Main Campus, we offer fully furnished and customizable private labs from 20 to 100 m². Whether you are in biotech, medtech or other life sciences fields, our infrastructure flexibility will help your business thrive.
Shared labs are a solution for small companies that are starting out, have limited funding or need to conduct initial experiments. In this type of lab, several research teams share the same space andd share instruments. Startups can benefit from access to modern laboratory infrastructure without the high costs of setting up and maintaining their own facilities.
At the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area – Main Campus, we offer ready-to-use shared lab spaces so you can work on your innovation from day one. You can allocate your resources efficiently towards research and development, while we take care of all the rest.
There are some reasons to consider renting a private lab for exclusive use:
In this case, the best decision would be a private lab.
Should you be sharing a laboratory with other individuals and teams? If the answer to the below points is yes, perhaps you should:
Your funds are limited.
That’s the way things are for most startups. Shared labs offer the benefit of using some very expensive infrastructure, without the high costs associated with setting up and maintaining your own facilities. The same goes for equipment as you don’t need to buy everything on your own.
You are an organized and thorough person.
While this should be a given for people working in the lab, these skills are even more important when you share a work environment with others. Landlords and other teams expect you to book slots in the lab or the office space and to clean up after use. If this is alright for you, a shared lab is a great space to work!
Working in an environment with like-minded people suits you.
Good news! There’s no way to avoid running into the other teams at a shared lab, so if you are open for collaboration, these spaces provide a very special possibility to network. When you find others that most likely face similar challenges as yourself, cost-sharing initiatives or even join projects can always flourish.
You want to spend your precious time working – not maintaining sensitive and costly infrastructure.
That’s probably the best part: Safety installations, waste management, infrastructure maintenance, – it’s all taken care of in a shared laboratory. Sometimes, if you are lucky, you can even find a space with a Lab Manager on site for your support. Meaning that utilizing a shared lab can significantly reduce operational costs, which can be allocated to more resources in research, development and scaling innovations.
You need a flexible renting option.
Shared labs often cater to teams and projects who are just starting. That is also the reason why leases are quite flexible in a shared lab and residents can choose lease periods that suit their needs. Sometimes your company might grow and decide to rent a private lab, you should be able to do so without being stuck with long rental fees.
It depends on the set up. In the shared lab of the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area, there is a total of eight workstations for rent. With three biosafety cabinets in the cell culture area and an area of more than 150 m2, the shared lab space offers enough space for residents to feel comfortable.
The shared lab at Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area – Main Campus offers a comprehensive range of equipment to support the diverse needs of biotech-focused companies. Here’s an overview of the equipment available:
Basic laboratory equipment: This includes essential tools such as centrifuges, thermomixers, orbital shakers, rockers balances, pipettes and pH meters, which are fundamental for a wide range of biological and chemical analyses.
Cell culture facility:
Multiple safety cabinets (up to BSL-2 safety standards)
Shakers and incubators for bacterial and mammalian cell cultures
Microscopes
Cell counter
Bead bathMolecular biology and biochemistry:
PCR and qPCR machines
Plate reader
Imaging stations
Electrophoresis and blotting equipment
Fluorometer
Chemistry and analytical instruments:
HPLCs (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography)
Rotary evaporator (Rotavap)
Chemical hoods
Supporting facilities and services:
Cleaning service
Waste management
Lab glassware washer
Autoclaves
Ice machine
Media:
Carbon dioxide, nitrogen gas, compressed air, deionized and purified water
Liquid nitrogen and dry ice
Safety installations:
Eyewash stations
Emergency showers
Storage
Cold storage units (+4°C, -20°C, -80°C), including backup solutions
Storage space for lab consumables, solvent and chemical storage.
With this extensive array of equipment and facilities, companies have access to everything they need to conduct experiments, analyze data and advance their research. The shared lab ensures that companies can focus on their scientific endeavors without worrying about the logistical challenges of equipment procurement and maintenance.
All the equipment is available. For a small company like ours, this is a big advantage. We were able to start working right away.
Damien Evéquoz, Co-founder and Scientist at Alpha Anomeric, Alpha Anomeric is focusing on developing therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Shared labs often cater to teams and projects who are just starting. You start small, you grow, you leave for a private lab – that’s how it should be. That is also the reason why leases are quite flexible in a shared lab and tenants can choose lease periods that suit their needs.
Do you want to use certain instruments for only two weeks? In some laboratories, this is possible, e.g. at the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area in Allschwil.
Confidentiality is indeed a paramount concern. Here’s how we, at the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area – Main Campus, address confidentiality concerns in a shared lab environment:
By implementing these measures, we ensure that startups at the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area can utilize the shared lab facilities without compromising the confidentiality of their intellectual property.
Normally, landlords should take full responsibility for the maintenance and repairs of the lab equipment provided within a shared lab, while also ensuring that all equipment is regularly serviced and maintained to optimal working condition.
Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area, for example, takes full responsibility for the maintenance and repairs of the lab equipment provided within the shared lab. The team ensures that all equipment is regularly serviced and maintained to optimal working condition. In the event of any malfunctions or breakdowns, they are available to promptly address the issue to minimize downtime for resident companies. This arrangement allows startups to focus on their research and experiments without worrying about the upkeep of the equipment.
In general, both for private and shared labs, it’s important to obtain permits or certifications required by government regulatory entities. In Basel, this includes a permit from the “Kantonales Amt für Industrie, Gewerbe und Arbeit (KIGA)”.
If you’re working with genetically modified organisms, alien organisms subject to compulsory containment or pathogenic organisms (up to BSL-2), you must register your activities with the Federal Coordination Centre for Biotechnology.
Periodic biosafety inspections will be conducted by the “Amt für Umweltschutz und Energie (AUE)”.
Rules regarding pathogens, chemicals, and operational procedures in the workplace may also vary per Government/Canton. If you have any questions regarding on what you would need in the Basel Area, reach out to us.
All over Switzerland, you will find laboratories for rent. However, if you are in biotech, no place matches the Basel Area’s innovation ecosystem home of Novartis, Roche, Johnson&Johnson, Idorsia and so many more.
Become part of our life science community at our Main Campus, the Silicon Valley for biotech in Switzerland.
Interesting partners and service providers specialized in delivering drugs, can be found in the Basel Area. The proximity our Main Campus provides for startups in life sciences could be very attractive. When locating in the area, you may find yourself just around the corner of:
Startups also find funding in the Basel Area: Biotech startup Cimeio received 46 million francs in funding, Engimmune acquired 16.7 million US dollars in 2022, and Anaveon raised 110 million francs in 2021 to pursue their research.
To make things even better, one of the best established/most relevant biotech programs in Europe is located here: BaseLaunch has helped numerous projects launch and grow their business and get funding since 2016. Nine of their portfolio companies raised 450 million dollars from venture funds in Switzerland and the US.
If you are a biotech startup or wish to become one, apply now. If you are a match, you will get coaching but you will also get access to fully equipped labs in the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area- Main Campus.
