Annual Report 2021

The Corona pandemic was unfortunately still present in 2021 and prevented planned events and tours in particular. The Balgrist Campus supported the Balgrist University Hospital in the "Lengg Vaccination Campaign" and was the venue for the healthcare facilities in our neighbourhood which participated in the vaccination campaign. 

In the reporting year, the "Balgrist Campus Seminar Series" - which was already planned for 2020 - was initially held only as a virtual event due to Corona restrictions. The aim of this event is to promote exchange between Balgrist Campus research groups and to present topics that are of interest to all. The first two "Meet the Prof" events were held to introduce the new Balgrist Campus research group leaders Prof. Carlo Menon (ETH, Biomedical and Mobile Health Tech) and Prof. Didier Surdez (Balgrist University Hospital, UZH, orthopedic tumor research). Then, in November, the first "Balgrist Campus Seminar Series"- could take place on site at the Auditorium Christian Gerber at Balgrist University Hospital. 

On September 24, 2021, the City Council President of Zurich, Corine Mauch, and the economic delegation of the city council of Zurich, which she chairs, visited the Balgrist Campus on the occasion of the "Aussentermine", which takes place once a year. 
 

SCMI (Swiss Center for Musculoskeletal Imaging)
The team of the Swiss Center for Musculoskeletal Imaging (SCMI), led by Prof. Daniel Nanz, functions as an independent research and development unit and as a research service unit. In the year under review, the close cooperation with Siemens was extended until the end of September 2026. The team published 2 original and 1 review paper as main authors and 5 original and 1 review paper as co-authors. SCMI's achievements were credited in 14 other publications. The pulse sequence of the SCMI (high-field spin-echo sequence with optimizable radiofrequency pulses), available as a "work-in-progress" software package, was adapted for a new Siemens software release. SCMI acts as one of two central imaging institutions in the SUVA-funded "ARCR_Pred_MRI" study (outcome after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair in the shoulder), in which patients from 3 Zurich hospitals are examined at SCMI. In addition, psychology (UZH) and the SNS laboratory (UZH Center for Neuroeconomics) conducted one and three studies, respectively, at SCMI. In total, measurements were made for about 40 imaging projects in the reporting year. Prof. Nanz taught at 2 implementations each of a mantle course of the medical faculty (UZH) and the "Neuroimaging Block Course". In addition, a collaboration was established with the University of Cambridge (Dr. A. Schmid) regarding peripheral nerve imaging.

SCMB (Swiss Center for Musculoskeletal Biobanking)
The SCMB, led by Dr. Sander Botter, serves as a national reference center for the collection, analysis and storage of tissue and body fluid samples donated to us by patients with musculoskeletal conditions. Patient consent is secured and recorded electronically in advance, and only encrypted patient data is used.
In 2021, the SCMB was able to start 5 new biobank projects: 1 project uses the SCMB infrastructure (FACS device) and 4 projects - 2 of them from commercial partners - collect tissue samples. Sample collection from a total of 5 projects was successfully completed during the reporting year. In addition to sample processing as a service, the SCMB also conducts independent research projects. Infrastructure utilization recovered after the Corona lockdown in 2020. The capacity to store additional tissue samples is still sufficient. In order to further increase utilization, a partnership with the technology platform Center for Microscopy and Image Analysis of the University of Zurich was launched in 2021, offering technical support as well as joint user training. The SCMB microscopes can now also be booked via the UZH's reservation system of the UZH and are thus available to a very large group of users.
The communication of the biobank activities is still very important; in the reporting year 2 papers were published and thanked in a publication. In order to further increase security and trustworthiness and thus be able to attract more commercial customers for our service, the biobank platform is to be certified. For this reason, a quality manager was hired in the reporting year with the goal of preparing for ISO certification for biobanks (ISO 20387), and completion of the accreditation process is expected to take place in 2022.

SCMA (Swiss Center for Movement Analysis)
The SCMA, headed by PD Dr. Linard Filli, offers researchers a highly specialized infrastructure for the precise analysis of various movements. The SCMA team has a long-lasting expertise in the field of quantitative motion analysis and supports researchers in planning, conducting and analysing clinical studies. In addition to the above-mentioned services, the SCMA group conducts own research projects.
The importance of objective, quantitative motion analysis for research on the musculoskeletal system is increasingly recognized. The SCMA offers state-of-the-art technologies and measurement devices to assess motor function in a highly-precise fashion. Additionally, the SCMA offers different supporting systems which enable motion analysis and training in subjects with restricted movement capacity (i.e., adapted to the severity of the motion limitation). The SCMA aims at simulating movements in realistic scenarios that mimic everyday life situations. 
The SCMA is constantly striving to integrate new technologies and to develop them in order to advance the field of motion analysis. To this end, the SCMA regularly develops customized products with external partners, such as instrumented crutches and walking frames. In 2021, the SCMA co-developed a new adjustable stair-ramp construction that enables detailed motion analysis when walking on uneven surfaces or climbing stairs. 
The SCMA platform is used by various research groups at Balgrist University Hospital, the University of Zurich, and ETH Zurich to conduct clinical research projects. The user contributions of the SCMA in 2021 could be doubled compared to the previous year. The SCMA was represented with 6 publications in 2021. The center's own research activities are supported by motivated students and PhD candidates from the University of Zurich and ETH.

An important task of all three open platforms is to make our research infrastructures and services known to external groups and industry. With this goal in mind, the following measures were implemented in 2021:

• Intensification of our social media presence (LinkedIn and Twitter) and networ
• Two public reports in supplements of the Tages Anzeiger as well as BILANZ
• Exhibition booth at the Swiss MedTech Day in Bern (September 2021)
• Exchange with other research infrastructures: visit of Biopôle Lausanne and CSEM Neuchâtel; reception of a delegation of the Paul Scherrer Institute
• Participation in the annual "Core Day" of the University of Zurich, which took place physically for the first time in the reporting year.

Finances

The year 2021 could be closed with a surplus of almost CHF 80,000. On the income side, thanks to full occupancy, rental income should have reached the maximum possible amount. In 2021, the Balgrist Foundation again very generously covered the entire cost of the Südstrasse apartment, which was available for out-of-town "Guest Sabbatical" groups. In addition, the Balgrist Foundation provides money to the research platforms SCMI, SCMB and SCMA for their own research expenses, for which the Balgrist Campus expresses its sincere thanks. 

The three open platforms also continue to be on the ambitious budget course and were able to invoice the planned user income in the reporting year. Balgrist Campus AG also leased the Human Cadaver Lab to industry for the first time for testing new products. 

On the cost side, personnel and operating costs for the new infrastructure are covered by federal contributions until the end of 2024. The Balgrist Campus is also within budget on the expense side.
The construction for the new platforms co-financed by the federal government as well as the high investment costs had to be financed with loans. The equipment will be depreciated over the entire funding period of 8 years and the third-party loan will be amortized by the end of these 8 years. The Balgrist Association and the Balgrist Foundation have provided generous interest-free loans. The Board of Directors expresses its sincere thanks for this support.

Accounting and payments continued to be handled by Interconsulta AG, Zurich. The audit was carried out by the elected Lienhard Audit AG.

Tenants at Balgrist Campus 

Since 2019, the Balgrist Campus is fully booked except for a few places. In the year under review, two new research groups from ETH (Prof. C. Menon) and UZH (Prof. D. Surdez) were welcomed to the Balgrist Campus. Due to construction delays on the new Zurich Children's Hospital research building, the existing lease agreement with UZH for the various Kispi research groups was extended until fall 2024.

Organization

At the 10th General Assembly (Universal Assembly) on June 28, 2021, all motions of the Board of Directors were approved/confirmed. All Board members were available for re-election and were elected for a further term of 3 years. The Swiss Confederation has observer status on the Board of Directors (without voting rights) as part of its support for the three platforms.

Balgrist Campus AG appreciates the good cooperation with the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support.

The Board of Directors held four meetings in 2021. Discussions focused on finances, space allocations and long-term funding for the three open infrastructures SCMI, SCMB and SCMA following federal funding from 2025.

The Board of Directors and the management would like to thank all employees and users of the campus for their excellent cooperation and especially all supporters for their substantial help, because without it research at the highest level would not be possible.