Charter

People working on biomaterials in Switzerland having various backgrounds and coming from different disciplines and environments (industry, universities, research centers, government agencies) founded the Swiss Society for Biomaterials in 1995. The objectives of our society are:

•	to encourage progress in the field of biomaterials in all its aspects, including research, teaching and clinical applications
•	to promote the propagation of scientific information
•	to be identified and recognised as an interdisciplinary group
•	to co-operate with other scientific organisations, governmental and private bodies, both national and international
•	to share existing resources
•	to develop structured actions on issues involving biomaterials
•	to stimulate the creation of research programs on biomaterials, on a national level, mainly by the Swiss National Science Foundation

Every person working in the field of Biomaterials (in Switzerland or in neighbouring countries as well as Swiss citizens who are currently living abroad) can become a member.

According to the definition proposed at the Consensus Conference of the European
Society for Biomaterials, Chester, England, March 1986, biomaterials are

"any substance, other than a drug, or combination of substances, synthetic or natural in origin, which can be used for any period of time, as a whole or as a part of a system which treats, augments, or replaces any tissue, organ, or function of the body."