The Cube, the laboratory where, through innovation and science, the smoke-free future is built
In Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel, there is one of the most advanced research centers in the world dedicated to the development of alternative smoke-free products: The Cube, the global research and development laboratory of Philip Morris International (PMI). Opened in 2009, this center has become a pillar of efforts to reduce the harmful effects of tobacco use through the development and rigorous scientific evaluation of products that heat tobacco instead of burning it.
From a historical site to a modern scientific hub
The area where The Cube laboratory is located has a tradition of nearly a century in tobacco processing. Here, the first products were manufactured as early as 1925, and PMI took over the site in the 1960s and turned it into the company's first European subsidiary. In the following decades, PMI continued to invest steadily in Neuchâtel. Thus, The Cube building was built between 2005 and 2008 and inaugurated in 2009.
Today, The Cube houses state-of-the-art laboratories and the Industrial Development Center (IDC), where smokeless product prototypes are designed and perfected, as well as production lines for consumables used in heated tobacco devices.
A symbolic design: earth, wind and water
The complex consists of three buildings with symbolic names – “Earth', 'Wind' and 'Water' – joined by glass walkways. The choice of these elements is not accidental: the absence of the element “fire” emphasizes PMI's intention to move away from combustion, the process responsible for generating the toxic compounds in cigarette smoke.
The transparent structure has a dual role: it maximizes natural light and reflects the commitment to an open, accessible and verifiable scientific approach.
The Cube integrates green technologies such as photovoltaic panels and a geothermal heating system, helping to reduce energy consumption. The glass dome creates open, bright spaces designed for interaction, collaboration and exchange of ideas. For researchers, this framework functions as a true ecosystem that fosters collaboration, where innovation advances rapidly and external validation is naturally integrated into the scientific process.
At the heart of the research: the science behind smoke-free technology
At The Cube, research is conducted at an intense pace and with high rigor, with a focus on the development and scientific evaluation of smoke-free products. It is home to a diverse team of specialists – physicists, biologists, chemists, physicians, epidemiologists, behavioral science experts and many others – who directly contribute to the scientific foundation of smoke-free products. They are involved in various activities: they analyze the composition of aerosols, study toxicological effects and carry out complex studies aimed at clarifying the impact of these products on health.
The indoor air quality laboratory, for example, compares volatile compounds released by smokeless products with those from cigarette smoke, while other teams test the behavior of aerosols under varying climatic conditions or conduct in vitro toxicological analyses.
The collaborative atmosphere in The Cube fosters constant experimentation and refinement of technologies, an effort that, by 2024, has resulted in 541 publicly available scientific publications. Specialists are constantly engaged in dialogues with the international scientific community, regulatory authorities and the general public to explain the scientific foundations of smokeless products.
Article supported by Philip Morris Romania
