Communications
Credible, coherent, and transparent communication is essential for ETH Zurich.
As a university that is mainly financed by federal funds, ETH Zurich depends on the trust and support of the public and the political arena. It is therefore essential that its communications are understandable and transparent.
The Corporate Communications department (CC) is responsible for internal and external communications at ETH Zurich. Working together with various decentralised communication units, CC provides information on the services and concerns of ETH Zurich to the public, the media, the political arena and the business community, and ensures that the university presents itself in a professional and consistent way.
Responsibility for communicating issues that might damage the reputation of ETH Zurich lies with the Executive Board and not with the professorships, academic departments or administrative units. Such issues must be reported to the Executive Board, in order that CC can provide support and guidance.
When members of ETH Zurich communicate to the public, they act in the name of the university and so help to shape its image. All ETH staff are bound by professional, business and official secrecy; they may only pass on information about ETH Zurich if it is already public knowledge. Any breach of professional confidentiality will be reported to the prosecution authorities.
- Be aware that you are always perceived as the voice of ETH Zurich in the public eye – whether in traditional or social media.
- Make public statements only in the context of your job function or on the strength of your professional expertise.
- Corporate Communications deploys its own channels and has the expertise to tailor communication to your target audience.
Dealing with the media
Newspapers, radio, TV and online media offer a good opportunity to make ETH Zurich’s themes and expertise accessible to the general public. If you are contacted by members of the media, you are not obliged to respond. However, as a public institution, it is part of our mandate to communicate our work and to contribute specialist knowledge to address issues that are important to society. Only speak out on topics where you feel confident and have relevant expertise. Take enough time to prepare. If in doubt, decline a request in a friendly manner. Should you feel uncertain about a media enquiry, please contact the CC Media Relations team and follow our guidelines for dealing with the media. If you wish to approach the media about a particular topic, always contact Media Relations in advance.
Social media
If you want to use social media such as LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter to communicate directly with your target groups, our CC experts will be happy to support and advise you: socialmedia@ hk.ethz.ch
Corporate design
ETH Zurich seeks to ensure a consistent, professional visual identity. When designing digital or physical communication material, use the corporate design templates and follow the online guidance. The Corporate Design team will be happy to assist you: corporate_design@hk.ethz.ch
Internal communication
ETH Zurich believes in providing its staff with comprehensive, transparent information. This is mainly done through the Staffnet website, which addresses the ETH community. The in-house news channel can be used to communicate information of relevance to university members. Please send your suggestions and questions to: intern-aktuell-news@hk.ethz.ch.
Accessibility
As a federal organisation, ETH Zurich must ensure that its communication is barrier-free. The international standard for website accessibility WCAG 2.1 AA and the Swiss Accessibility Standard eCH0059 apply to all digital channels. CC offers consulting and training on digital accessibility: barrierefreiheit@hk.ethz.ch.
Corporate Communications
+41 44 632 98 92
General communication queries:
kommunikationsberatung@hk.ethz.ch
Media queries:
mediarelations@hk.ethz.ch
+41 44 632 41 41
Social media queries:
socialmedia@hk.ethz.ch