7. November 2025 — von Heidi Troisio

Cleanroom Buchs: A yes to Sarganserland-Werdenberg as a business and education location

7. November 2025 — von Heidi Troisio

Cleanroom Buchs: A yes to Sarganserland-Werdenberg as a business and education location

On 30 November 2025, the people of the canton of St.Gallen will vote on the modernization of the clean room in Buchs. In this room, regional companies develop new technologies for the whole world - from smartphone cameras to car sensors. By voting yes, the population is supporting research and innovation as well as training and jobs in the Sarganserland-Werdenberg region and throughout the canton.

The "OST - Ostschweizer Fachhochschule" and "RhySearch - das Forschungs- und Innovationszentrum Rheintal" operate a clean room at the Buchs campus. A cleanroom is a specially designed room in which the temperature, pressure, humidity and purity of the air can be precisely regulated. A cleanroom must meet high standards. This makes operation complex and expensive.

Creating good framework conditions for the technology sector

Today's systems and equipment are no longer state of the art. The cleanroom will also soon no longer meet current requirements. The cleanroom is therefore to be expanded and renovated under the name "Sensor Innovation Hub". In this way, the government wants to increase the attractiveness of the canton as a location and its innovative strength. The canton of St.Gallen is contributing 19.5 million francs. The costs must not exceed the total amount of 22 million francs by 2034.

"By investing in the clean room, we are supporting companies so that jobs and research opportunities remain in our canton," explains Beat Tinner, President of the Cantonal Government and Head of the Department of Economic Affairs. Technology companies in Eastern Switzerland are dependent on top research facilities in order to remain globally competitive. The clean room at the Buchs campus is the only clean room in Eastern Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein that is accessible to the entire industry.

The cleanroom is also important for the canton from an educational perspective. It offers technology companies research opportunities and thus gives young specialists and students the chance to live and work in the same place. They do not have to move to other regions after their studies. "The expansion and extension of the clean room is also an investment in the future of our education location," emphasizes Government Councillor Bettina Surber, Head of the Department of Education.


Appreciation for the Sarganserland-Werdenberg site region

The planned modernization of the clean room is a strong signal for the Sarganserland-Werdenberg site region. "It is a very positive sign that the Canton of St.Gallen is making a financial commitment to the Buchs site together with the Principality of Liechtenstein," says Rolf Pfeiffer, Mayor of Buchs and board member of the Sarganserland-Werdenberg RSW region. A modern clean room will strengthen the Hightech Campus Buchs in the long term and offer ideal conditions for new developments and innovations with state-of-the-art technology. "The investment and the close cooperation between the institutions involved - including the Bildungscampus OST, Switzerland Innovation Park Ost and RhySearch - will not only benefit the cleanroom and the Buchs site. It will create added value in the mid double-digit million range for the entire region," emphasizes Rolf Pfeiffer. (Source Chamber of Commerce)

Great importance for the regional economy

Cantonal Councillor Christian Lippuner from Grabs is also strongly committed to the renovation of the clean room. The joint project between RhySearch, the OST University of Applied Sciences and the Innovation Park East is very important from an educational, economic and location policy perspective. "Without the renovation of the clean room, the Hightech Campus Buchs would be missing an essential element and the attractiveness of the region would suffer noticeably," emphasizes Christian Lippuner.

Companies from the entire canton of St.Gallen and the neighboring Principality of Liechtenstein benefit from the cleanroom. "The cleanroom plays a key role in the economic development of the region and the cross-border economic area with Liechtenstein," Lippuner continues. Experience has shown that innovative companies prefer to locate where first-class research and innovation infrastructure and excellently trained specialists are available. As a highly industrialized and export-oriented region, the St.Gallen Rhine Valley benefits from leading international corporations as well as dynamic start-ups and young talents in the technical field.

In a nutshell: A yes for a sustainable region

The clean room at the Hightech Campus Buchs is an example of the excellent cooperation between business, science and politics in Sarganserland-Werdenberg. Its modernization not only strengthens the competitiveness of regional companies, but also promotes the training and retention of young specialists in Eastern Switzerland.
The Sarganserland-Werdenberg region, the Cantonal Council and the government therefore recommend that the population vote yes on November 30, 2025 to the "Cantonal Council resolution on the special loans for the renovation, expansion and operation of the clean room at the Buchs campus". By voting yes, the population is sending a strong signal for research, innovation and skilled jobs in the region.

Swiss social media star Fabian Egger, alias the intern, provides an entertaining insight into the cleanroom:

 

Further information about the cleanroom can be found on the Switzerland Innovation Park East website: www.si-hub.ch.

More information about the Hightech Campus Buchs: www.hightechcampusbuchs.ch

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