ITALY AND SWITZERLAND: AN ALLIANCE FOR RESEARCH

To mark Italian Research Day, Bracco Suisse hosted an event organized by the Consulate General of Italy in Geneva dedicated to the significant contributions made by Italian researchers at universities, research institutes, hospitals, and private companies in French-speaking Switzerland.

GENEVA, April 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Invited by the Consul General of Italy in Geneva, Nicoletta Piccirillo, the community of Italian researchers gathered at the Bracco Suisse headquarters in Plan-les-Ouates to celebrate the ninth Italian Research Day around the world.

The Research Day takes place every year around this time to commemorate the birth on April 22 of Professor Rita Levi-Montalcini, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Medicine and the first Italian woman to receive this award in the field of science.

The event was attended by about sixty specialists who shared their experiences and explored new opportunities for cooperation. The program emphasized innovation in health sciences.

In her remarks, the Consul General of Italy in Geneva, Nicoletta Piccirillo, highlighted the value of Italian Research Day as an occasion for celebration and well-deserved recognition for Italian researchers abroad: "This year, we are holding the event at a venue that symbolizes the value of Italian research. Bracco Imaging is a world-class leader in medical and scientific research, and the facility hosting us is the flagship of Italian research in Switzerland. The education received in Italy continues to serve as a solid foundation for successful careers also at the international level, as witnessed by the strong and extensive community of Italian researchers in French-speaking Switzerland."

Diana Bracco, Chairwoman and CEO of the Bracco Group, highlighted in a video message the fundamental role of the alliance between Switzerland and Italy in research: "Switzerland is of strategic importance to the Bracco Group. We have been present here for nearly 40 years: first with the Research Center and then, since 1997, with this site in Plan-les-Ouates, one of our largest production facilities. It is precisely the proximity of the R&D and production units—which we recently expanded based on criteria of efficiency and quality with an investment of over 80 million euros—that is an essential factor in Bracco's success in this extraordinary country. A choice in line with the strategic vision of our Group, which has always focused on research, seeking fertile and advanced territories in the field of innovation. The high-tech district of Plan-les-Ouates on the outskirts of the city is a cutting-edge ecosystem that perfectly embodies our mission, and we have always found exceptional partners in Italian and Swiss institutions."

In her presentation "From the Lab to the Patient: The Story of a Vessel That Can Change Lives," Professor Lucia Mazzolai, an expert in vascular medicine at the CHUV in Lausanne, highlighted the importance of bilateral collaboration in the health sciences:  "The treatment of lymphedema, for example, is entering a new phase of development: we are shifting from an approach focused on symptom management to one aimed at restoring function. In this process, engagement with Italian research is a key factor in consolidating and accelerating the progress achieved."

The event concluded with remarks by Fulvio Renoldi Bracco, Vice President and CEO of Bracco Imaging, who emphasized the importance of innovation for the benefit of patients: "Innovation plays a decisive role only when it addresses real clinical needs and improves patients' quality of life. It is not merely a technological matter, but the result of a human commitment driven by curiosity, rigor, and the ability to bridge different disciplines and institutions to achieve meaningful results and effective solutions. In this context, Bracco is proud to be at the forefront of medical imaging, supporting physicians, researchers, and the healthcare system with the goal of improving people's lives. The Geneva site is a global center of excellence with solutions already adopted in daily clinical practice for over two million patients a year and a robust pipeline that paves the way for the next generation of innovative products."

Media contact: 
Carolina Elefante - +39 02.21772279
M +39 333.4263484
Carolina.Elefante@bracco.com 

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2968963/Bracco.jpg
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1707756/Bracco_Logo.jpg

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/de/pressemitteilungen/italy-and-switzerland-an-alliance-for-research-302757185.html