ETH News

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) provides medical supplies to people in need. A planning tool developed by researchers at ETH Zurich will make this complex task more efficient in future and save the ICRC millions.

Peter Schmidt has been working in development aid for over 30 years, constantly seeking ways to help people help themselves. His first visit to India left him in shock for three days – but ended up shaping the rest of his life.

Students from ETH and the Ghanaian university KNUST came up with some creative solutions for sustainable waste management at the Rethinking Waste summer school, where knowledge sharing and intercultural exchange topped the agenda.

For the first time, farmers in the Philippines have cultivated Golden Rice on a larger scale and harvested almost 70 tonnes of grains this October.This nearly never-ending story began at ETH Zurich.

Together with partners in Ethiopia, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Africa, ETH Zurich researchers are creating circular economies that use processed organic waste and human excreta as fertilizer or animal feed, resulting in higher crop yields and new jobs.

ETH postdoc Olivier Gröninger is improving the drinking water supply for people in rural areas of South America with his Openversum project. This benefits not only the families but also the local economy and the climate

To protect tropical forests in Brazil, commodities traders have made voluntary commitments to avoid buying soybeans grown in areas that have recently been deforested. Two new studies reveal just how inadequate these guidelines are in protecting Brazil from deforestation and assess the potential effect of implementing the commitments on a much larger scale.

Using innovative technologies and scientific expertise to help people in need is the goal of the Engineering for Humanitarian Action initiative launched by the ICRC, ETH Zurich and EPFL in 2020. Six of the projects are already offering results for tangible improvements for the ICRC.

A representative survey conducted for the first time shows: the Swiss population is concerned about global poverty, advocates for its reduction — and calls for greater Swiss engagement.

Researchers from ETH Zurich and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute have created a risk map showing which regions in Africa may see a faster spread of infectious diseases due to lacking infrastructure.

A research team from ETH Zurich and LMU Munich is using artificial intelligence to analyse 3.2 million development aid projects worldwide. Their research reveals trends and funding gaps.  

Two-thirds of the world's population still lives on less than ten International Dollars a day. Although global inequalities remain gigantic, Adina Rom is convinced that living conditions can be sustainably improved for all.

Since 17 January, ETH lecturers have been working alongside colleagues at Ashesi University in Ghana. On Monday, the new joint Master’s in Mechatronic Engineering launched with 26 students from seven African countries.

When donating to charities, asking about their administration costs is problematic says Shruti Patel. We need to ask better questions if we want our donations to help.

ETH pharmaceutical sciences graduate Nicole Stoffel has shown that iron deficiency reduces vaccine efficacy. Her research is now helping to improve the health of children in developing countries – yet becoming a researcher was not originally part of her plans.

The NADEL Center for Development and Cooperation at ETH Zurich is celebrating its 50th anniversary. We sat down with NADEL co-directors Isabel Günther and Fritz Brugger to learn more about the effectiveness of development cooperation as well as the centre’s new missions and plans for the future.

Many cocoa farmers live in poverty – yet the fairly traded chocolate bunny often stays on the shelves. We should pay more attention to origin when buying chocolate, believes Isabel Günther.

ETH alumna Therese Adam spent 28 years in the diplomatic service working for peace and development. Now she shares her knowledge as a lecturer.

A recent study in South Africa and Ghana shows people support government steps to combat Covid-19 but lack the infrastructure and financial security required to maintain social distancing.

Optimised on-farm grain storage boosts food security in sub-Saharan Africa, as an ETH study in Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic shows.

Engineers from the ETH Feasibility Lab are working together with the ICRC to develop a prosthetic leg that allows easy replacement of its wearing part. This prolongs the service life of the prosthesis. In the future, more mine victims could be fitted with a such.

A large study shows that preventive treatment of children with antimalarial drugs reduces clinical malaria and anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa.

Well-trained, dedicated engineers from Africa will play an increasing role in industrial development in sub-Saharan Africa. This is what has inspired ETH Zurich to join forces with Ashesi University in Ghana and Swiss companies ABB, BarryCallebaut, Bühler, Lafarge-Holcim and Nestlé to co-present a new Master’s degree programme.

About 40 percent of children around the globe suffer from anaemia because they do not consume enough iron. Now, studies by ETH researchers show that iron deficiency also reduces the protection provided by vaccinations.

ETH scientists have responded to the coronavirus pandemic by developing a low-cost ventilator that should help to alleviate the shortage of such equipment in emerging and developing countries. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) is now offering start-up financing for the project enabling production to commence in Ukraine.

Jan Dirk Wegner uses artificial intelligence to research different aspects of the Earth's surface. In doing so, he hopes to help raise people's quality of life and protect the environment. His work has now earned him a place in the World Economic Forum's Young Scientists community.

ETH Professor Kristina Shea and her team are busy developing a new ventilator. Their aim is to make it as inexpensive, modular and easy to use as possible – the ideal combination for any country that needs this medical device.

Working from home, distance learning, online shopping – many African countries cannot easily adopt rich nations’ measures against the coronavirus. Isabel Günther calls for international solidarity in the pandemic.

Dominik Hangartner, a political scientist at ETH Zurich, has received one of Switzerland’s most prestigious science awards. The National Latsis Prize has recognised the quality of Hangartner’s research on migration and its importance for public policy. We sat down with Hangartner to find out what drives him and what he finds so exciting about turning research into concrete policies.

Today’s new buildings could easily last until 2050 and beyond. That's why we now need binding climate targets in the construction sector, argues Guillaume Habert. 

Amazonian fires are started by humans and they can be stopped by humans – with partnerships, more investments in forest conservation and sustainable agriculture, argues Rachael Garrett.

ETH researchers are involved in the development and implementation of a method to efficiently breed for disease-resistant beans in different regions of the world. Their work will help to improve the livelihood and food security of smallholders in developing countries.

We do need more transparency on the origins of conflict minerals – which are found in every mobile phone – but blockchain will not solve the problem, says Fritz Brugger.

Many small, local steps may lead more sustainably to peace than big dreams of the perfect state. This principle lies at the heart of an innovative approach to conflict mediation developed by a Kenyan mediator and an ETH researcher.

He grew up in a clay house in West Africa. With his ETH spin-off Oxara, Gnanli Landrou is now developing a cement-free concrete made from clay-based excavation material. His goal is to help Africa and the rest of the world build affordable, sustainable houses.

To combat epidemics, the local population must be more involved and respected, says Ursula Jasper. This is one of the lessons learned from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014.

The development economist Adina Rom is studying solar lighting in rural Kenya as part of her doctoral thesis at the Center for Development and Cooperation (NADEL) at ETH Zurich. She is also the founder of an ETH spin-off, Policy Analytics, whose goal is to assess the impact of social and environmental policies.

Safeguarding both humanitarian traditions and the interests of the domestic pharmaceutical industry creates tension in the Swiss health-related foreign policy, says Ursula Jasper.

In 2004, a tsunami devastated much of the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh. An international team of researchers has studied the long-term impact that rebuilding efforts in coastal areas have had on the community.

While climate change has led many high-income countries to increase their efforts to improve energy efficiency and to invest in renewable energies, households in low-income countries still face another energy challenge: more than 1 billion people lack access to electricity. Could solar lights offer a solution?

An unusual study project with tangible benefits: ETH students work on solutions to the urgent waste problem on the island nation of the Seychelles, along with their counterparts from the University of Seychelles and representatives from the local authorities and government.

ETH Zurich is establishing a new centre specialising in public governance. The intention is to fill the gap in the educational programmes currently on offer, and to bolster ETH’s research activity in this sphere.

Der Durchbruch der Sonnenenergie wird hierzulande seit Jahren verkündet – und wieder abgeblasen. Doch für viele Menschen in Entwicklungsländern ist Solarenergie heute schon günstiger, praktischer und sauberer als alle Alternativen. In Bangladesch und Kenia findet gerade ein dramatischer Ausbau statt. Eine entscheidende Rolle spielen dabei passende Kreditmodelle.