Expansion of the clean room in Buchs
Die Hochpräzisionsfertigungsindustrie im Rheintal benötigt modernste Forschungsinfrastruktur, um wettbewerbsfähig zu bleiben. Die OST – Ostschweizer Fachhochschule, RhySearch und der Switzerland Innovation Park Ost planen deshalb den Ausbau des Reinraums in Buchs, um neue Innovationspotenziale zu erschliessen. Die St. Galler Regierung unterstützt das Projekt mit zwei Sonderkrediten von insgesamt 22 Millionen Franken.
The precision industry is an important economic sector for the canton of St. Gallen, particularly in the Rhine Valley. Companies in this sector rely on a state-of-the-art research environment that meets the highest quality standards. Cleanrooms are essential in order to minimise microscopic particles in the air and thus produce high-precision components without errors.
The existing cleanroom in Buchs at the OST is already being used intensively – particularly by RhySearch, which conducts research there using its own equipment. The partners now want to modernise and expand the infrastructure and make it more widely accessible in order to further strengthen the region’s innovative power.
22 million francs for the “Sensor Innovation Hub“
Research in the fields of sensor technology, semiconductor technology and high-precision manufacturing is to be further developed under the name “Sensor Innovation Hub”. The St. Gallen government is planning to support the project with CHF 22 million.
The Cantonal Council’s preliminary advisory committee has examined the proposal and recommends that it be approved. A tour of the existing plant in Buchs has emphasised the relevance of the project.
Next steps and political decision
The Cantonal Council will discuss the proposal at first reading in the 2025 spring session and at second reading in the 2025 summer session. If the Council supports the project, the referendum could follow in autumn 2025.
With the expansion of the cleanroom in Buchs, the region would take an important step towards technological leadership in high-precision manufacturing and secure its international competitiveness in the long term.