Human Impact in Neurotech – CEO Talk with Erwin Böttinger, Wyss Center

The Wyss Center in Geneva is a world’s leading research and innovation center advancing neurotechnology and digital health to accelerate the translation of neuroscience discoveries into clinical solutions.  At the intersection of medicine, engineering, and entrepreneurship, its interdisciplinary team develops new technologies to improve the lives of people with neurological and psychiatric disorders.
As part of our Stettler CEO Talks series, we spoke with Prof. Dr. Erwin Böttinger, CEO of the Wyss Center, about his personal career, the center’s mission, and the future of neurotechnology.

Geneva and French-speaking Switzerland – an international hotspot for neurotechnology

Mr. Böttinger, you worked in Berlin and Potsdam for many years. What motivated you to take over the management of the Wyss Center in Geneva?

After eight intense years in Berlin, where I headed the Berlin Institute of Health and later established the Digital Health Center at the Hasso Plattner Institute, it became clear to me that I wanted to work at a location that not only allows innovation, but actively promotes it. For years, Switzerland has been ranked among the world’s leading locations for innovation in international rankings – particularly in the pharmaceutical, biotech, and medtech sectors. I had also received a lot of positive feedback from colleagues at universities and hospitals.

When I received a call from Geneva, it immediately felt right. The conversation with Hansjörg Wyss himself was particularly inspiring. He told me, in essence: “My main concern is that we develop technologies that deliver real clinical benefits – human impact. If you can achieve that in the next three to five years, it will be a success.” This clear mandate convinced me.


The region around Lake Geneva is considered a hotspot for neurotechnology. Do you agree with this assessment?

Absolutely. Its success is due to the work of outstanding individuals such as Patrick Aebischer, former president of EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne), who established the Brain Mind Institute. The institute has succeeded in combining cutting-edge research in neuroscience with technical excellence in the field of neuroengineering (engineering sciences that develop technologies for the nervous system).

Over the decades, the University of Geneva has also built up an internationally renowned faculty of neuroscience, with researchers such as Christian Lüscher, who enjoys worldwide recognition in the fields of optogenetics (controlling nerve cells using light) and addiction research.

However, the final piece of the puzzle was the founding of Campus Biotech over ten years ago. Hansjörg Wyss, Ernesto Bertarelli, the Canton of Geneva, and academic partners joined forces there to create a life sciences hub of international standing. Since then, the Wyss Center has acted as a catalyst, specifically promoting cooperation between research, clinics, and industry. Today, the region is considered one of the top locations worldwide for neurotechnology—and its importance extends far beyond Europe. Even in Silicon Valley, the Region around Lake Geneva is now perceived as a benchmark for a dynamic neurotech ecosystem.

Wyss Center – Where human impact is the benchmark

What are the mission and vision of the Wyss Center?

Our vision is clear: people with neurological or psychiatric disorders should be able to participate in life to the fullest extent possible. In English, we summarize it as follows: Enable people with neurological and mental health disorders to enjoy life to their fullest potential.

Our mission describes how we achieve this: We identify research projects with disruptive potential, reduce their risk step by step (“de-risking”) and develop prototypes that can be transferred to clinical trials. Once a technology has reached what is known as “Technological Readiness Level 6–7” – meaning it is mature enough for investment – we accompany it into a start-up or spin-off. Our model is: Identify – De-risk – Spin-off.

Simply put, we bridge the gap between research and patients.

Learn more about the Wyss Center and their work

Mr. Böttinger, how have the Wyss Center’s partnerships and collaboration with universities and clinics changed in recent years?

In the past, our collaboration was often project-driven: we supported individual research initiatives that produced valuable results, but were mostly opportunistic and less targeted. 

Today, we are pursuing a fundamentally different approach: with the Lighthouse Partnership Project, we have created a model that serves as a “North Star” – with AI-driven neuromodulation at its core. We are providing around CHF 18 million in funding over four years, but for a maximum of three to four large-scale projects. The key difference is that universities and clinics are working together rather than alongside each other, and the projects are milestone-oriented from the very beginning.

This approach has so far resulted in three innovation and spin-off topics, each with its own focus. Our goal is for excellent research to result not only in publications, but also in patents and companies that provide real clinical benefits.

• Non-invasive technologies for AI-controlled neurostimulation
• Invasive approaches for clinical implementation
• A moonshot project in optogenetics as a groundbreaking genetic-electroceutical therapy that translates a successful method from basic research into a concrete therapy

Mr. Böttinger, you mentioned that the Wyss Center not only conducts research but also wants to move closer to patients clinically. A new facility is currently being built on the Campus Biotech in collaboration with Geneva University Hospital. Can you explain exactly what is planned?

Together with Geneva University Hospitals, we are building a facility where patients, doctors, engineers, and AI experts can work together directly. We call this human-centered engineering.

The concept is comparable to that of large cancer research centers: patients gain early access to innovative therapies that are still in development. At the same time, developers benefit because they can work directly with those affected and incorporate their feedback into the prototypes. This allows us to avoid the risk of developing products that do not meet actual needs.

Our goal is for the Wyss Center to play a pioneering role in the field of brain health, similar to that played by the world’s leading cancer centers.

Future prospects: the courage to disrupt, the courage to innovate

What are your hopes for the future of neurotechnology in Switzerland?

Switzerland is already in an excellent position today. But we need to be even bolder. What we often lack in Europe is the Silicon Valley culture of fail fast, win big. We need more risk-taking, more disruption, and more capital.

Many start-ups go to the US for their growth phase because the investment flows are greater there. Here, I would like to see Switzerland strengthen its capital base and spread innovation even more widely throughout society.


If you could give your 20-year-old self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Definitely computer science. I would focus on artificial intelligence early on—specifically where it is being developed in its most ambitious fields of application. AI is and will remain the key driver for the medicine of tomorrow.