At the BioArk Visp technology site for life sciences, biopharmaceutical giant Lonza has developed a virtual reality-based training tool to attract and effectively train workers in the biotechnology industry. Thanks to this technology, more than 250 people have been trained so far.
Lonza chose to use virtual reality because it needed to train 200 to 500 employees each year in its new facility, but access to clean rooms was limited and it was sometimes difficult to train with real equipment. Virtual reality allows trainees to learn at their own pace, repeat certain sessions until they feel comfortable, and receive training without the need for an instructor at their side.
Moreover, this training tool can be used to train people from different countries at the same time in a virtual room. Lonza has found that virtual reality has reduced the time to completion by 60% and that trainees appreciated its fun and immersive nature.
A biopharma technology site in the canton of Valais
BioArk Visp is a facility that brings together various players in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and chemical industries in the canton of Valais. Since 2016, the vocational school for laboratory technicians in chemistry and biology, biopharmaceutical companies, innovative start-ups and a technology platform for drug packaging have been brought together at the BioArk in Visp.
Due to the strong international competition in these industries, it is important to develop the professional skills and training of local employees, as well as to use new innovative technologies. BioArk Visp has consequently built a second building in cooperation with the municipality of Visp, the canton and Lonza. In this second building, innovative solutions were implemented in the areas of education and digitization in cooperation with the industrial sector, in order to adapt to the ever-changing needs of companies and to strengthen the long-term competitiveness of the region.
Alongside BioArk Monthey, BioArk Visp is part of The Ark Foundation‘s multidisciplinary technology parks, which are active in the fields of information and communication sciences, life sciences, energy and the environment.
