Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering is a cross-disciplinary research institute at Harvard University which focuses on developing bioinspired materials and devices for applications in healthcare and sustainability. The Wyss Institute was launched in January 2009 with a $125 million gift to Harvard—at the time, the largest single philanthropic gift in its history—from Hansjörg Wyss. In 2013, Hansjörg Wyss doubled his gift to $250 million and in 2019 he donated a further $131 million.

At the Wyss Institute, we leverage recent insights into how Nature builds, controls and manufactures to develop new engineering innovations – a new field of research we call Biologically Inspired Engineering. By emulating biological principles of self assembly, organization and regulation, we are developing disruptive technology solutions for healthcare, energy, architecture, robotics, and manufacturing, which are translated into commercial products and therapies through formation of new startups and corporate alliances.

The interdisciplinary nature of the work, the organization of teams within “collaboratories” (research spaces that are allocated by project, rather than faculty), and the presence of outstanding faculty and staff provide a trans-disciplinary environment where students are trained in the field of Biologically Inspired Engineering.

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