About us

On 14 July 2006, in a solemn ceremony, in the presence of Rita Levi Montalcini and other major political, academic and scientific authorities, Biogem was opened in the Camporeale district at Ariano Irpino. This was the beginning of our adventure in a place rich in history, not only for the presence of the ancient farms, remnants of  seventeenth-eighteenth-century architecture, but also for having been the scene of a very important event in the life of Southern Italy. In the expanse of Camporeale, in 1140, a large 'royal-field' was set up to house King Roger II and the hundreds of barons and feudal lords, with their respective followers, gathered from the entire territory of the new Kingdom, extending from Sicily to the Tronto river. The first 'parliament' was summoned in today's Camporeale district, and on that occasion the Constitution of the newborn Kingdom (the "Assizes of Ariano") was promulgated.

The choice of this location as the headquarter of Biogem stems from a challenge:  creating a successful  biomedical research center with all its downstream activities in the hinterland of a southern region, far from big cities and the traditional circuits of research institutions. In short, the challenge to offer a contribution to the battle against the underdevelopment of the South, focusing on culture, research and innovation, via the extension of the 'research system' to a marginalized hinterland area in the South, traditionally cut off from such perspectives. The refusal to passively accept the policy of neo-centralism that is impoverishing inland areas and aggravating the problems of urbanized areas and worsening their own quality of life.

The beginnings were not easy, with the site ready and active only for a third of its extent. Today a lot has changed from a structural point of view and beyond. The complex has been completed, and is fully operational. Significant functional and aesthetic changes have been introduced (the deserted land of that time is now a rich olive grove of centenary plants which, together with a wonderful botanical garden, surrounds the complex). Cutting edge scientific equipment  has been acquires and an impressive energy-saving plan has resulted in a major cost reduction, thanks to photovoltaic and wind systems and adequate insulation. A large two-level building, made of steel and glass, has recently been built, to be used as a venue for educational activities and conferences (Museum of the History of the Earth and of Life - Library - Conference Room). Residence for researchers and students is located downtown Ariano Irpino.

Biogem has significantly expanded and strengthened its original mission, and the traditional biomedical research activity has taken on a more marked translational orientation, to be ever more directly at the service of healthcare. The new front of pharmacological research has thus opened, with structures and facilities that cannot be found elsewhere in the South, such as laboratories for the preclinical experimentation of drugs, operating with methods certified and controlled by the Ministry of Health [GLP], as a production laboratory of proteins for pharmaceutical purposes, and as a nutraceutical laboratory.

Unlike traditional research institutes, Biogem has also aimed to be a center for higher education (master's degree courses, research doctorates and masters in agreement with Italian and foreign universities and its own post-graduate training courses, organized with large national and international companies.

Above all, Biogem did not intend to close itself in the narrow confines of biomedical scientific research. Therefore, every year in September we organize the "The Two Cultures" meeting: scientific conferences, literary workshops and artistic events inspired by the logic of dialogue between humanists and scientists around 'fundamental' themes. Following the same logic, a Museum of the history of life and the earth (Biogeo) was set up, full of significant finds and multimedia attractions, to fulfill the duty of spreading the knowledge of 'our' history and to increase  the interest in science of the new generations from southern Italy.