Laboratories and R&I department

La Source University of Applied Sciences fully meets the HES-SO’s research requirements, whilst also developing its own tools to form part of a coherent national strategy. Its work is guided by the Swiss Research Agenda for Nursing (SRAN), which is based on a consensus among experts, as well as by federal guidelines, in particular the Nursing Initiative.

Our research activities make a tangible contribution to the development of the healthcare system and reinforce our role as a key partner for decision-makers. They also inform high-level training programmes. Because intuition alone is not enough, we base our actions on validated knowledge and evidence, to support informed decision-making.

It is also with this in mind that La Source plays an active role in the development of organisations such as the Bureau d'Knowledge Exchange for Exemplary Care Practices (BEST), which transforms evidence into concrete recommendations to improve the quality and safety of care.

In line with the missions of universities of applied sciences (teaching, research and knowledge transfer), our research is firmly rooted in practice. At La Source, it is developed in close collaboration with partners in the field. Whilst healthcare forms the foundation, health issues also intersect with other fields, such as ecology, the agri-food sector and industry.

Knowledge transfer is a key focus. It is implemented in both teaching and professional settings, with the support of LERs and LABs, which facilitate the integration of research findings into undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Our staff are distinguished by their dual scientific and professional background, which ensures that our research is collaboratively developed, diverse and directly beneficial to society.

Our research environment is underpinned by a rich ecosystem: laboratories with a wide range of expertise, an institutional culture focused on innovation, and close partnerships, notably with the Source Innovation Lab (SILAB), the Hands-on Human Health Hub (H4) and economic stakeholders, ranging from start-ups to SMEs.

We also benefit from a high-quality simulated hospital, which serves as both a learning space and a research platform. It enables us to test, experiment and generate knowledge under controlled conditions, complementing our field studies with high ecological validity.

Finally, La Source, like the HES-SO, promotes open and accessible science. It supports open-access publications and data sharing. To this end, it draws on a Zenodo community for open data sharing and an Open Research DATA (ORD) advisory board, which supports teams in their Open Science.