ImmoTable Basel – Of superclusters, new bridges and the path out of digital antiquity
On November 27, 2025, the real estate industry met for the well-attended ImmoTable in Basel. The atmosphere was characterized by grand visions and concrete large-scale projects. While location promotion is boosting innovative strength with a massive investment package, SBB and the canton of Basel-Stadt showed how modern infrastructure will change the cityscape. The only fly in the ointment was that the real estate industry itself is still partly in the "digital antiquity".
Christof Klöpper, CEO of Basel Area Business & Innovation, kicked things off. He painted a picture of a region that is far more than “just” a pharmaceutical location. Although the life sciences supercluster remains a global leader, the innovation ecosystem has diversified.
Supported by the three cantons of Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt and Jura, the organization focuses on international start-ups and a public-private partnership that is strongly driven by industry. Klöpper’s message was clear: the task is not just classic location promotion, but the active provision of innovation infrastructure for an ecosystem that is constantly growing.
Basel-Stadt and the 500 million lever
Julian Kamasa from the Office of Economy and Labor underlined how the canton of Basel-Stadt intends to further expand its position as a leading innovation location, supported by around 800 life sciences companies and numerous start-ups. At the heart of this offensive is the new “Basel location package”, with which the canton will take on a pioneering role throughout Switzerland from 2025.
With an annual budget of 150 to 500 million francs, targeted investments will be promoted. 80% of the funds will flow into an innovation fund that rewards research and development activities at the location in particular. The remaining 20 percent supports social and ecological goals such as parental leave or climate protection measures.
The core message is clear. Those who conduct substantial research in Basel benefit the most. The canton wants to use this financial leverage to consolidate its position as a leading European healthcare location, build up targeted tech expertise and transform the economy towards a circular economy. The great potential of urban transformation areas plays a key role in this.
An urban planning liberation
The presentation by Marko Kern (SBB) and Marc Février (Canton of Basel-Stadt), who presented the winning project for the new Margarethenbrücke bridge and platform access, took a concrete turn. A key project for future mobility. In view of the massive increase in passenger numbers due to the SBB expansion phase 2035 and the desire for more space for streetcar and bicycle traffic, the old bridge needs to be replaced.
Following a study commission process, in which the listed SNCF hall posed a particular challenge, the project by Penzel Valier AG won out. It envisages a slender, elevated bridge with a green roof. This creates more space for all road users and integrates a new, barrier-free streetcar stop in the middle of the bridge.
The benefits of the project are manifold. It improves the transfer at the SBB railroad station, relieves the Centralbahnplatz, optimizes the bicycle and pedestrian connections between Gundeldingen and the city centre and creates clear added value in terms of urban development with over 11,000 new bicycle parking spaces and additional green spaces. The costs in the low to mid three-digit million range are being borne jointly by the federal government and the canton, and the project is a prime example of successful cooperation.
Out of the “digital antiquity“
Isabel Gehrer (pom+) held up a critical mirror to the industry. Her presentation “From digital antiquity to the industry of the future” showed the discrepancy between Switzerland as a world champion of innovation and a construction and real estate industry that provocatively remains in “digital antiquity” in terms of digital maturity.
While Switzerland once again takes first place in the Global Innovation Index 2025 and Basel is home to three of the top 10 investors in Roche, Novartis and Syngenta, the real estate industry invests significantly less in innovation than other sectors. Only BIM has really caught on.
Gehrer referred to Bill Gates’ concept of the “Green Premium”. Sustainable solutions must become so efficient that they no longer cost a premium. She cited the automotive industry as an example of success, where battery costs have fallen by 80 percent since 2010, making electric cars suitable for mass production.
Her approach comprises four points. Securing research infrastructure through better networking between universities and industry, increasing research and development intensity, mobilizing venture capital for PropTechs and conducting strategic foresight in order to use transformation areas such as Klybeckplus as experimental spaces. Her appeal to the industry: “Let’s make it real.”
Real Estate Award 2026
To conclude the ImmoTable, Mara Schlumpf turned her attention to the coming year. The next Real Estate Award will take place on October 22, 2026 at Trafo Baden and will bring together around 300 decision-makers from the industry. The gala combines award ceremonies with top-class networking. Outstanding projects and companies will be honored in five categories, such as sustainability, digital, marketing, project development & innovation and the real estate personality of the year. The target group includes project developers, real estate and construction companies, investors, politicians and the media. For partners, the award offers exclusive visibility and access to a first-class network.
The immoTable event impressively demonstrated that Basel has the capital, the infrastructure and the political will to change. Now it is up to the real estate industry itself to use the funds and areas provided with the necessary innovative spirit and to take the leap from digital antiquity into the future.