 Social gatherings between the international staff of the three institutes and heated discussions concerning lifestyles, the arts and in particular science in the pubs of Basel were common in the period.The BII was known as a training ground for independent thinking and career development rather than a place to be for an entire career.While maintaining a relatively constant core of 50 scientists over its 30-year history, the average age of which was at any one time 35 years, the BII gave rise to over 500 scientists who worked and trained there who with their scientific progeny represent the core of the field of immunology worldwide.