The canton of Vaud’s pension fund (CPEV) will finance and construct the new building on the Biopôle site in Épalinges. The construction permit has been issued, and work will begin in July.

This new building demonstrates Biopôle’s success and will meet the growing demand for space for laboratories, offices and services on the site. The CPEV and Biopôle SA have signed a contract, according to which the pension fund will finance and construct the building. Biopôle SA, which owns the land, has granted the CPEV surface rights to the plot.

Construction will begin in July 2020 and is due to be completed in the first quarter of 2023. The new 9,900 m² structure will be home to offices and laboratories for life sciences companies, and it will have a rooftop kiosk for service providers. The project also includes a central car park with 278 spaces to cater for the northern part of the site. Around 150 people will work in the building, adding to the 1,700 people working at the Biopôle site today.

‘Barely a year and a half after our latest building opened, this new project demonstrates the energy and attractiveness of our ecosystem and will contribute to the increasing competitiveness of our region in the field of life sciences. It strengthens the infrastructure, skills and networks that we provide to a unique community. We are delighted that the canton of Vaud’s pension fund has confidence in our value proposition, and we look forward to a dynamic and fruitful collaboration with them,’ said Nasri Nahas, CEO of Biopôle SA.

Stephen Sola, chairman of the CPEV board of directors, said: ‘Through this significant investment in the Biopôle site, the CPEV confirms its desire to invest in the local economy as well as in projects that allow it to guarantee its pension commitments over the long term.’

About Biopôle www.biopole.ch

Created in 2004 by the canton of Vaud, Biopôle is a science park that links companies and universities active in the field of life sciences. Located in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Biopôle site offers high-quality infrastructure and value-added services as well as exceptional living spaces and community engagement – all to enable our members to thrive and bring science to life. The site is home to more than a hundred companies and organisations, including the head offices of multinationals, start-ups, SMEs, clinical development teams and technology and service providers. It also hosts more than 25 world-renowned research groups, notably from the Vaud University Hospital Center (CHUV), the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, with which our companies actively collaborate.

About CPEV www.cpev.ch

The main mission of the canton of Vaud’s pension fund (CPEV) is to guarantee the occupational pensions of the canton’s employees. With over 56,500 policyholders and a fund worth CHF 13.6 billion, the CPEV is one of the largest public pension funds in French-speaking Switzerland. It is also a major property owner in the canton of Vaud, owning over 8,000 apartments, and it regularly invests in new housing, in a general housing shortage context. The CPEV, through its managing company Retraites Populaires, applies a sustainable approach to buildings management. Each renovation or new project is analysed using an environmental, social and governance (ESG) approach, which identifies possible improvements in terms of sustainability.

Lausanne, 29 June 2020

PRESS RELEASE