Musical projects
Musik-Akademie Basel (MAB)
Various forms of supports such as scholarships, master classes, instruments
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Support for the Musik-Akademie Basel
The WFF supports the MAB where it is most needed. The academy selects students for scholarships. It also supports chamber music courses and master classes held by outstanding teachers. It also provides young talents with better instruments through a specially created instrument fund to improve their performance.
Gstaad Menuhin Festival
String Academy
Funding for the string master classes
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Support for the summer Menuhin Festival in Gstaad
The Gstaad String Academy has become an integral part of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival. Renown teachers such as Rainer Schmidt, Ana Chumachenco, Gilles Apap, Ettore Causa and Ivan Monighetti share their knowledge and many years of experience in private lessons. Together with the Tharice Foundation, the WFF organized start-up funding for the master classes in 2013. These have since become a permanent institution and celebrated their tenth anniversary in 2023. Requests for the masterclasses are increasing every year. Currently, well over one hundred international young soloists are applying. From these the professors select a small number for the masterclasses in violin, viola and cello.
Förderkreis Kammermusik
Support for Swiss chamber musicians
Support for the Paul Juon Chamber Music Competition
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Support of the Swiss Chamber Music Competition
The competition is run in cooperation with the “Förderkreis Kammermusik Schweiz”. It is organized by the Swiss Piano Trio under the leadership of Martin Lucas Staub (www.swisspianotrio.com). The prize includes concert placements in all of Switzerland during three years for the winning ensembles. The result is a targeted and lasting support for young, outstanding Swiss chamber ensembles.
Musical research projects
Empa St. Gallen / Dübendorf
Mycowood research
Development of violins/violas made from fungus-treated tonewood
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Development of violins made from treated tonewood
The WFF is co-sponsor of the “tonewood” project at Empa St. Gallen. The goal is the production of improved tonewood for string instruments. The project was taken on in a preliminary phase in 2011 with the aim of optimizing the existing process and making it reproducible. The aim is to produce new violins with sound characteristics that meet high quality standards. These should ultimately be made available to young, talented musicians. Today, after twelve years of support, the program is approaching its exciting final phase.
Scientific research projects
University of Basel
Department of Biomedicine
Platform for personalized breast cancer treatment
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Shifting the paradigm in breast cancer treatment
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. Every year, around 6000 women in Switzerland and 2.6 million women worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer. Prof. Bentires-Alj and his team developed the “Patient Avatar Platform”. It aims to use robotics to determine the most effective treatment for each individual patient through personalized drug tests on patient-specific tumor samples (avatars). After breast cancer surgery and initial treatment, dormant cancer cells can remain in the body and form metastases in vital organs even years later. The researchers want to find out how they can prevent cancer cells from awakening. Once the metastases are there, the best treatment is needed to cure the patient for good. The WFF supports the development of Prof. Bentires-Alj‘s avatar research.
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH),
University of Basel
Tropical diseases
In vitro models for tropical infectious diseases
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Research in tropical parasitology and infection biology
The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) explores the biology and transmission of tropical pathogens. The latest research findings are used to develop new drugs and vaccines against neglected tropical and poverty-related diseases (poverty diseases) such as malaria, worm infections, Buruli ulcer and tuberculosis. The WFF supports new research approaches in these areas.
Biomedical research at Empa
Research in wound healing
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Biomedical research at Empa
Starting in 2024 and for a duration of six years, the Walter Fischli Foundation supports projects in the strategically important research area of wound healing. The supported projects will be selected by the Empa management or an expert committee (jury) appointed by it.
www.empa.ch/en/web/s604/wundheilung-mit-probiotika-bakterien