Swiss philanthropist Hansjörg Wyss receives special award
Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss has been given a special award for his generosity and support to Swiss science.
The 86-year-old business tycoon and philanthropist, who lives in the United States, was awarded the 2022 Gallatin Award by the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday. The award was handed over by Swiss Economics Minister Guy Parmelin.
“The ongoing commitment of Hansjörg Wyss and his foundation to support ground-breaking research in Switzerland and elsewhere is more than a gift: it is a strong symbol of confidence in science and in the scientists who make it live on a daily basis,” saidExternal link Parmelin in his speech.
Over the past ten years Wyss has donated over CHF500 million ($502 million) to ground-breaking research projects in Switzerland via his Wyss centres and academy in Zurich, Geneva and Bern. Each centre works closely with leading Swiss universities, such as the two federal institutes, EPFL and ETH Zurich, on projects ranging from robotics to medicine. These have resulted in over 250 jobs and 25 spin-off companies.
Giving Pledge
Wyss made his fortune by selling his company Synthes to the American multinational Johnson & Johnson in 2012. The magazine Forbes estimates his net worth at $5 billion. In 2017 it described him as “one of the most philanthropic people in the world”.
Wyss has signed the so-called “Giving Pledge”External link to agree to give away the majority of his fortune to charity.
In the US he helped found the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University.External link In Switzerland, he has been involved in the creation of the Campus BiotechExternal link and its Wyss Center for Bio- and Neuro-engineeringExternal link in GenevaExternal link. In 2014, he donated $120 million to ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich for a joint medical research centre. As president of the Beyeler Foundation, he is also involved in art and sports.
Chelsea bid
Wyss has been in the news recently for his involvement in a consortium bid, fronted by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly, to buy the English Premier League football club Chelsea. The British government has yet to approve the sale of the London club, which was previously owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
The Gallatin AwardExternal link, which is given every three to four years, celebrates people who have helped bring Switzerland and the US closer together. The award is named after Albert Gallatin, born in Geneva in 1761, who was the longest-serving US Secretary of Treasury, founder of New York University and the Bank of New York.
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