Barbara Kessler

Novartis International AG manages the Novartis Group. It provides administrative, financial, legal, and technical services. It also offers scientific consultation to the Group. The company was founded on December 13, 1989 and is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland.

The University of Basel is the oldest university in Switzerland. Founded upon the initiative of local citizens in 1460, the University of Basel is a modern and attractive center of teaching, learning, and research situated in the heart of Basel. The University of Basel has been self-managed since 1996 whilst remaining under the jurisdiction of the Cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft. It provides committed individuals from all over the world a strong academic community and an inspiring work environment. It employs nearly 3,500 people, and its annual budget is around CHF 550 million. The University of Basel is a classic university covering almost all fields of study from Ancient Studies to Zoology. The University of Basel is a rather small university in European standards with around 11,000 students, including 2,000 doctoral students (as of 2007). Around 320 professors and 1,300 lecturers provide an excellent education and encourage independent thinking and responsible action. The proportion of female students is 55% - and rising - and one of five students come from abroad. The University of Basel seeks top performance in research, teaching and service. For years, it is among the 100 best universities in the world, and in the German-speaking world it is one of the top ten.