Innovative Researchers in the Spotlight
Article published by UZH News (Barbara Simpson) – the following is an edited version
The University of Zurich recognized outstanding achievements in the fields of research and innovation. At the research gala Sparkling Research, Vice President Research Elisabeth Stark presented seven awards.
“The awards we are celebrating today capture only a small portion of the outstanding contributions made by our researchers,” Elisabeth Stark said. Unfortunately, it was not possible to acknowledge all outstanding research achievements.
At the conclusion of the award ceremony, two Entrepreneur Fellows were honored. The Entrepreneur Fellowship Program of the UZH Innovation Hub serves as a springboard for early career researchers who wish to translate their research into a start-up. It provides up to CHF 150,000 in funding, consulting and coaching to enable researchers to develop a proof of concept and achieve market readiness. The following two fellows successfully completed the program in 2025:
- Celestin Mutuyimana (Psychology)
- Thomas Look (MedTech)
Additional Information
Together with his team, Celestin Mutuyimana developed a digital psychotherapeutic intervention for post-traumatic consequences that takes into account both universal symptoms and culture-specific manifestations. Online solutions are central in this context, Mutuyimana noted, as they are easily accessible and cost-effective. As part of the fellowship, the focus was on market assessment, initial product development and a pilot study with patient groups in East Africa. Adapting the offering for additional conflict regions is also under consideration.
As part of his fellowship, Thomas Look developed a non-viral platform that enables the rapid and safe production of multifunctional CAR immune cells, with the aim of reducing key barriers in CAR T-cell therapy for melanoma – namely long production times, safety risks and limited efficacy. The next steps include clinical trials and the establishment of a spin-off to bring the technology into clinical practice.
