A young and promising area of research, at least 200 – better still 300 – scientists based in Basle, willing and strongly co-operative partnerships with the Universities of Zurich and Basle, as well as from industry of Basle. When these ingredients come together, the way is open to advance to the very front in the relatively new discipline of systems biology, says George Radda, molecular biologist and, until recently, CEO of Britain's Medical Research Council. Radda led a team of six international experts (1) that worked on a critical evaluation of the concept of "Systems Biology Switzerland", a feasibility study from scientists from ETH, the University of Zurich and the University of Basle (2).

Exciting prospects

The experts "emphatically" – and unanimously – recommend that the project be given "high priority" and carried through. According to Radda, if the existing biomedical, clinical and industrial expertise in Basle and Zurich can be brought together quickly to form a new institution for systems biology it would open up "exciting possibilities". Switzerland would be able to take over a pioneering role in this discipline. To date there is nothing comparable, at least in Europe, says Radda.

The team of experts supports the intended corner stones of the institute, one of which foresees that ETH Zurich be responsible for the management with the universities of Basle and Zurich as close co-operation partners. The new ETH department in Basle will have a clear interdisciplinary character, as systems biology calls for scientists from mathematics, physics, chemistry, bioinformatics and the engineering sciences.

"A half-a-decision"

"Scientific conditions for the project are very good" sums up ETH president Olaf Kübler. An undertaking of these dimensions, however, also calls for realism.

Political, scientific and institutional points of view on the ETH project in Basle delivered by Christoph Eymann, Privy Councillor Basle, Sir George Radda, CEO des Medical Research Council (UK) and ETH President Olaf Kübler (from left). large

The conditions, which ETH set out in spring, still apply. To begin with the long-term funding of the department must be resolved; about CHF 40 million a year are necessary for the running. And this sum cannot be covered by the – already strongly stretched – budget of ETH Zurich, emphasises Kübler.

With a start capital of CHF 20 million from the two Basle cantons – still to be carried by the parliament – at least "a half-a-decision" has been taken. The ETH president also says that the political establishment, industry and the University of Basle all agree that ETH head the project. Naturally, this means a lot of responsibility for ETH, or as Kübler puts it, "The glory and the blame will go to the same place".

Enthusiasm from Basle

The President of Basle's Privy Council and Director of Education, Christoph Eymann, who co-headed the steering committee of the project, speaks of "an extremely important milestone". Now certainty reigns that the right scientific road had been taken. The Swiss Universities Conference will decide on 16th October whether a contribution of CHF 25 million is granted from its co-ordination fund. Together with the contribution of the two Basle cantons, the start capital for the institute (CHF 45 million) would thus be assured.

As regards Basle, according to Eymann there is great enthusiasm for the project: new constellations have worked very well. Apart from academic researchers, research heads from Novartis and Roche – both with seats in the steering committee – have been active. For some time Basle has been considering a CHF 100 million investment in the construction of a "Life Science Campus" in close proximity to the bio centre. Eymann says that the new institute could profit from this.

No decisions on appointments

Ruedi Aebersold (3), renowned system biologist from Seattle, recently appointed as ETH professor, has been directly involved with the planning of the new department according to ETH president Kübler. Aebersold would certainly play a major role in its running. There would be no pressure, however, for him to move to Basle, says Kübler, because systems biology research can already be carried out in Zurich. If taken now, decisions on appointments to the institute in Basle, which is still at the planning stage, would be counterproductive on the whole, according to Kübler.