Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering


The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering is a cross-disciplinary research institute at Harvard University which focuses on developing new bioinspired materials and devices for applications in healthcare, manufacturing, robotics, energy, and sustainable architecture. The institute has two sites: one in the Center for Life Science building in Boston’s Longwood Medical Area and one on Harvard's main campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Wyss Institute was launched in January 2009 with a $125 million gift to Harvard—at the time, the largest single philanthropic gift in its history—from Hansjörg Wyss. In 2013, Hansjörg Wyss doubled his gift to $250 million and in 2019 he donated a further $131 million.
The institute works as an alliance between Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Boston Children’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston University, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Tufts University, Charité, University of Zurich, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Massachusetts Medical School. Translating technological discoveries into commercial products and therapies is an important part of the organization's mission.

Organization

The Wyss Institute’s scientific operations are organized around six Enabling Technology Platforms that focus on development of new core technologies and capabilities that will facilitate the explosion of major R&D areas in the field of bioinspired engineering. The platforms integrate multiple faculty members with the advanced technology team, clinical experts, and industrial partners. The institute platforms are: