Meet F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. – 2020 Facility of the Year Award Winner for Equipment Innovation
F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. is the 2020 Facility of the Year Award Category Winner for Equipment Innovation for their B098: Setting the new standards for an in vivo building in Basel, Switzerland.
Projects selected for an Equipment Innovation award have developed novel applications of commercially available and custom developed process manufacturing and facility management tools. These projects typically yield superior results, advance process understanding, and improve competitive position and often include imaginative collaboration with vendors, suppliers, or manufacturers.
Project: B098 - Setting the new standards for an in vivo building
The equipment innovation that is found in every part of the project aims to protect researchers and animals, drive efficiency, and set new industry standards for animal research.
FOYA Judges
Founded in 1896, F. Hoffmann-La Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people’s lives. With about 98,000 employees worldwide, Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, a leader in personalized healthcare, the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics and has been recognized as one of the most sustainable companies in the pharmaceutical industry. Roche strives to be an industry leader in every aspect of the pharmaceutical industry and that includes animal research.
In most countries it is a legal requirement that any new human medication be tested on animals. However, animal facilities are not typically talked about or usually lauded. In fact, the laboratories are often found in the basement and rarely deemed a source of pride. Before Roche built their new facility, Building (B098), animal husbandry was split over various buildings of the Basel, Switzerland, site, some of the infrastructure was outdated, and productivity and efficiency was not optimal. But thanks to a team dedicated to exploring new ways to improve the status quo, Roche was able to discover clever and unorthodox solutions to common issues found at in vivo facilities and create a technological masterpiece that sets a gold standard for future laboratories.
Some of the advances in the facility include:
- Glass partitions with optimum foil types to allow both animals and humans optimum lighting
- Intelligent ventilation to reduce allergens
- Fully automated logistics and cage handling
- Modular structure for easy reconfigurability
- Mobile furniture and equipment
- Automated Guided Vehicles
- Robots to assist with cage cleaning
- Customized Roche In Vivo Building IT System
- Environmentally friendly products throughout the building
- Atrium to allow natural light throughout the building
“Some of the innovative solutions we realized in B098, you will find in other buildings too,“ said Nora Denk, Roche In Vivo Researcher and Veterinarian. “But I am not aware of any other animal facility which brings everything together so perfectly. We did not have to make one single compromise.”
ISPE congratulates the F. Hoffmann-La Roche team for their achievements in advancing In Vivo research and their FOYA award winning entry for Equipment Innovation. Learn more about the 2020 FOYA Equipment Innovation winner.
Has your company recently designed, built or renovated a state-of-the-art pharmaceutical or biotechnology facility that is best in its class?
ISPE is now accepting entries into the 2021 ISPE Facility of the Year Awards (FOYA) Program, and your facility may be eligible to apply. Learn more about the Facility of the Year Awards submission process and your company could be the next Facility of the Year Awards Category winner. Nominate your facility in 2021
Want to learn more about the 2020 FOYA winning projects? Get inspiration for future innovations at these complimentary digital events.
Get a free Facility of the Year Awards Day Pass to take an in-depth look at each of the 2020 FOYA winning projects during the 2020 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo. Claim your complimentary pass today to benefit from 3 hours of compelling and insightful sessions.
Join ISPE and prominent industry leaders on Tuesday, 3 November, as we come together to recognize the outstanding achievements of all the FOYA winners during the 2020 Facility of the Year Awards Virtual Banquet.
