The Sandoz Family Foundation was established in 1964 by the sculptor and painter Edouard-Marcel Sandoz, the son of the founder of Sandoz SA of Basel (now Novartis SA).
The aim of the Family Foundation is to encourage entrepreneurial commitment through long-term holdings in companies in a variety of sectors. Apart from commercial criteria, the Foundation is dedicated to the encouragement of entrepreneurship and innovation as well as to the cultivation of Swiss entrepreneurial tradition. In addition, its investments are directed at a strategic objective concerned with preserving high quality and protecting fundamental social values.
The Foundation also encourages creativity and private initiative. Its commitment to art and culture, in the framework of the Fondation Edouard et Maurice Sandoz (FEMS), and to science counterbalance the commercial activities of the Foundation.
The Foundation is either directly or indirectly involved in the pharmaceutical industry and agribusiness, the hotel trade and the watch industry through a variety of organisations and holding companies. The philosophy underlying all its commitments focuses on innovative strength in technology, sustainable development and the creation of new jobs.
