Archive internal news

At its last meeting, the Executive Board of ETH Zurich elected members for the new Integrity Commission and confirmed new members for the Teaching Commission and the ombuds office.

The new Hub is a point of contact for researchers with questions about the 3Rs – the three foundational principles of animal experimentation to which the ETH is committed: Replace, Reduce and Refine. The 3R Hub raises awareness among researchers and the public about compassionate animal research.

The Executive Board issued the 2024 regulations for the new Master's degree programme in Space Systems and the continuing education programme Master of Advanced Studies ETH in AI and Digital Technology (MAS ETH AID). It also simplified the financial planning of the Central Administrative Units. In addition, new guidelines for engagement at the science-policy interface and for the provision of political advice have been in effect at ETH Zurich since 1 February.

The Executive Board of ETH Zurich has issued new rules of procedure for scientific misconduct, completed the rETHink project, renamed the joint initiative with UBS to promote young STEM talent "UP4mint" and approved the implementation of a Swiss Chip Initiative.

At the end of last year, the Executive Board of ETH Zurich approved new features in mathematics studies and elected a new Associate Vice President for Digital Transformation and Governance.

Changes in the management of the fund "Society in Science. The Branco Weiss Fellowship" as well as new elections and re-elections at the kihz Foundation: These were the topics of one of the last Executive Board meetings.  

The new IT security strategy, the utilisation of the construction cost database and the relaunch of the Centre for Students & Entrepreneurs: these were topics discussed at the last meeting of the ETH Executive Board.

At its last meeting, the Executive Board of ETH Zurich elected, among others, Stefan Bechtold as its delegate for IP Policy and appointed three new members of the Commission for Good Scientific Practice

ETH has recently launched a scheme for arranging mutual classroom visits. This should encourage peer feedback to become an established part of teaching practice.

The savings measures announced in June are having an effect. ETH Zurich’s 2024 budget deficit will be less than originally predicted. This can be attributed to the efforts of the academic departments and central administrative units, both of whom have done their homework. Given the persistent constraints on government spending and ETH Zurich’s resolve to safeguard its flexibility for new strategic initiatives, financial prudence is still required.

In its last meeting before the summer break, the Executive Board discussed the current risk situation of ETH Zurich and issued guidelines on the employment of professors beyond ordinary retirement age.

At its last meetings, the Executive Board of ETH Zurich dealt, among other things, with new appointments to the Vice Rectors, the Ethics Commission and the Science-​Policy Advisory Board.

At its last meetings, the Executive Board adjusted the rhythm of the departmental evaluations, approved the regulations for a new CAS programme on sustainability and regeneration, and increased ETH Zurich's operating contributions to the kihz Foundation.

At its last meeting, the Executive Board of ETH Zurich dealt, among other things, with by-elections and re-elections to the Research Commission and to the Prize Commission.

The migration of email services to the cloud, a new member of the GSP Commission and the resignation of an external ombudsperson: these were the topics addressed by the Executive Board of ETH Zurich at its last meeting.

At its last meeting in 2022, the ETH Zurich Executive Board extended the support measures for persons who had fled Ukraine and approved the tender for SAP services.

A new Associate Vice President for Sustainability, a committee for the further development of digitalisation and two renewed continuing education programmes: these were the topics addressed by the ETH Zurich Executive Board towards the end of the year.

New management for the SSHE department, how to organise safety at ETH, and two new programme regulations: these were the topics addressed by the ETH Zurich Executive Board at its last meeting.  

At its latest meeting, the ETH Zurich Executive Board turned its attention to the new CAS ETH in Climate Innovation and discussed elections to the Teaching Commission and to the ombuds office.

The Executive Board of ETH Zurich has put two course regulations into effect and repealed 23 others. It also approved an ETH grant for a research project.

The ETH Zurich Executive Board’s most recent meetings addressed the proper handling of research data and the risks threatening the university’s goals.

At its last meetings, the Executive Board of ETH Zurich approved six social and leadership competencies, made appointments and approved both a preliminary project for the "Digital Campus" program and the proof of need for renovation work on the ETH main building.

The Executive Board of ETH Zurich discussed the split first-year exams and issued new programme regulations for the Bachelor’s programmes in civil engineering and environmental engineering.

Detlef Günther will be stepping down as Vice President for Research at the end of 2022 and plans to return to his former research group for the next few years. He held his VP post for a period of eight years, during which he decisively shaped research and corporate relations at ETH Zurich.

The Federal Administrative Court has reviewed the dismissal of a female professor at ETH Zurich and concluded that it was neither unlawful nor discriminatory on the basis of gender.

Now that the Federal Council has ended the special situation, the Executive Board of ETH Zurich is also withdrawing all pandemic regulations with effect from 1 April. It still advises ETH members to wear a face mask – in lecture halls at least – until the Easter break.

Robert Perich is stepping down as Vice President for Finance and Controlling at his own request on 31 March 2023. He will not retire entirely: at the same time, he will take on a new part-time academic position at D-MTEC. The process to recruit a new vice president will get underway in the coming weeks.

At its last two meetings, the Executive Board elected Ulrike Lohmann as the new Vice Rector for Doctoral Studies and approved financial support for the International Chemistry Olympiad.

In view of the continuously high levels of Coronavirus cases, ETH Zurich will continue to offer almost all of its Covid testing facilities until the end of March.

ETH Zurich is following the Federal Council’s lead and relaxing COVID restrictions: returning to the workplace, eliminating COVID certificate checks and scaling back the mask mandate. The university is adopting a more cautious stance in its relaxation of the rules, however.

At its last meeting, the Executive Board appointed new members to various commissions and approved the further development of ETH reporting.

In its first meeting of the year, the Executive Board accredited the Competence Center for Materials and Processes for another four years, approved the tightening of application processes at the ETH Zurich Foundation, signed off on a new SSHE training concept and appointed a new ombudsperson.

At its last meeting of the year 2021, the Executive Board definitively approved the 2022 budget, re-elected Christian Wolfrum as Associate Vice President for Medicine and decided to extend the stipend for a joint Master’s programme with EPFL.

At its last meeting, the Executive Board decided on a new agreement at the Collegium Helveticum, on a new management for the ISTP, on a tunnel expansion in the BedrettoLab, on fostering Good Clinical Practice and on new CAS/DAS programmes.

At its last meeting, the Executive Board decided on measures concerning the employee survey and the salary rates for the scientific staff. It also supports the Zurich Forest Laboratory ("Waldlabor Zürich").

The Executive Board’s recent meetings dealt with a change concept on desk sharing and the new Geomatics degree programme.

At its last meeting, the Executive Board discussed, among other things, the reorganisation of the Vice Presidency for Personnel Development and Leadership and the employment conditions of doctoral students.

At its last meeting, the Executive Board approved the establishment of the new Center for Sustainable Future Mobility (CSFM) and the purchase of a research furnace.

In its recent meeting, the Executive Board enacted a new policy governing outside employment and addressed possible risks to our university.

In its recent meetings, the Executive Board approved the new programme regulations for the Bachelor of Mathematics, earmarked the funding of a research project in Val Bedretto and, for the first time, discussed a general return to the office after working from home.

ETH members can now obtain and return saliva PCR test kits on the Hönggerberg campus. Colleagues in Basel, Lugano and Schwerzenbach can also be tested regularly.

The ETH Zurich Executive Board has decided to continue running the Energy Science Center and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from business trips. Additionally, the full scope of Zoom functionality is now available to everyone in the ETH community.

Three newly designed CAS programmes, one of them taught jointly with EPFL, a new composition for the Strategy Commission and the appointment of two new members to the Research Commission: these were some of the most important decisions taken by the Executive Board in its most recent meetings.

The focus was again on the well-being of ETH members in the third part of the townhall series led by Julia Dannath on 23 February 2021. Mental fitness was the main issue of the virtual event, during which the ALEA Award was also presented and the three nominees were recognised for their progressive leadership at ETH.

The second instalment of the new townhall series “Well-being in challenging times”, organised by the Vice President for Personnel Development and Leadership, Julia Dannath, kicked off on 29 January. This time around, the subject is physical fitness. During the virtual event, Dannath and the other participants discussed how important exercise is to our well-being.

Following the latest measures announced by the Federal Council, all ETH members must work remotely from home as of Monday. The only exceptions are for experimental work, workshops or other activities requiring on-site presence. University buildings will mostly be closed, with a few exceptions. The exam session is still going ahead as planned from 25 January onwards, with some exams sat in person.

The new Vice President for Personnel Development and Leadership, Julia Dannath, kicked off a new town hall series on 8 December that focused on personal well-being and social fitness. Around a thousand ETH employees and doctoral students took part in the live virtual discussion.

The Executive Board has decided to embed computational thinking and modelling in all study programmes at ETH Zurich. In addition, a new continuing education course will be launched in robotics. Finally, a new platform for clinical studies will be created for ETH researchers in the health sector.

In view of the rapid increase in the rate of COVID-19 infections, the Executive Board has responded to advice from the ETH COVID task force by tightening the measures for combating the spread of the virus at ETH Zurich. The face mask mandate will be extended further, drinks receptions and other social events are generally no longer allowed and working from home will once again become the preferred option.

The Executive Board has given the green light to a large-scale project for improving accessibility throughout all areas of the university. Moreover, Manfred Sigrist has been named Vice Rector for Doctoral Studies, and the Board has taken the decision to hold ETH Week through at least 2025.

The Executive Board is giving the green light for further measures to improve the work situation and to encourage people to treat one another with respect: the Board has defined a procedure for cases of inappropriate behaviour and is also launching a regular survey of the scientific staff. 

Going forward, three confidants will serve as contact persons for all questions about good scientific practice. Three commissions – the Strategy Commission, the Research Commission and the Commission for Good Scientific Practice (GSP) – have also inducted new members, with the Strategy Commission welcoming Ulrike Kutay as its new President.

ETH Zurich has appointed a new delegate for medicine and a new external ombudsman; it is also getting a new unique NMR spectrometer for nationwide use.

Last Friday the Executive Board communicated the master plan setting out how ETH Zurich intends to resume normal operations. At yesterday’s virtual townhall meeting, the Executive Board answered all the relevant questions asked by ETH members.  

At last Thursday’s meeting, ETH Zurich’s Executive Board passed the master plan for the university’s gradual return to normal operations and approved the relevant plans for the academic departments and central bodies.

Following the successful completion of a pilot project, first-year exams can now be taken in two separate blocks in future. The Executive Board has also approved the curricula for a new type of study programme in materials science, as well as the new communication strategy for ETH Zurich.

Balancing the individual needs of 10,000 employees with the demands of running ETH Zurich during the current crisis: this was the challenge facing the Executive Board when deciding on the new regulations governing working hours, holidays and childcare.

In the Executive Board’s Town Hall forum on February 4, the focus was on the sweeping initiative to refine ETH’s organisational structure. ETH members are invited to help shape rETHink through various forms of participation.

The ongoing development of ETH Zurich’s organisational structure as part of the rETHink project is starting to take shape. At its first meeting of 2020, the Executive Board discussed the results of the consultation and used them as a basis to adapt and approve the changes to the ETH Organisation Ordinance.

In the last three meetings before the end of the year, the Executive Board established a new competence centre for rehabilitation, approved the Charter for equal pay and revised the strategy for adjusting parking charges.

In its last four meetings, the Executive Board revamped several Master’s programmes, re-elected the President’s delegates and gave the green light for the 2020 employee survey.

ETH President Joël Mesot announced a restructuring of the Executive Board last June. In the Town Hall forum on 8 October, he provided an update on the status of the "rETHink” project and, together with his fellow board members, answered questions from ETH members.

Future admission arrangements for the ETH master’s programme, the composition of the ETH Zurich Research Commission for the next few years, and new uses for the space under the dome of the ETH main building: these were some of the most important items on the agenda for recent meetings of the Executive Board.

At its last meeting the Executive Board decided to strengthen the ombudspersons and specialist support units, setting up more contact points and advisory services. It also discussed the feedback from the consultation process for the development of the doctoral programme, and passed a corresponding package of measures with a number of changes.

ETH Zurich has been given top marks for its structures and processes in the Transition Review. Other topics in this issue of News from the Executive Board: making better use of the lecture halls; incremental increases in parking fees to reach market levels; and an expansion of Psychological Counselling Service.

At a recent retreat, the Executive Board set the course for the further development of ETH Zurich’s organisational structure. The initial strategic direction was established for the Executive Board’s future composition, the university’s core values and the enhancement of ETH’s leadership culture.

In the first series of meetings chaired by the new President, Joël Mesot, ETH Zurich’s Executive Board made provisions for ten new professorships. It also concluded the project to optimise occupancy of the ETH Main Building and created a more permanent structure for the Critical Thinking Initiative.

Since January, ETH Zurich has been managing its financial and personnel matters with a new resources and finance platform. Here is an overview of the changes.

On Friday, 15 March 2019, Joël Mesot and Sarah Springman, together with the other members of the Executive Board, held an information session for ETH employees in which they answered questions on the planned leadership measures.

ETH Zurich is the proud recipient of a new research funding instrument called “ETH+ Grants” with which ETH aims to fund major interdisciplinary research projects. In addition to this, ETH Zurich hopes to significantly reduce flight emissions. After making these decisions, the Executive Board of ETH Zurich will now take its leave for the holidays.

Eight new professorships through ETH+, an improved introductory programme for professors, a new laboratory building for architecture and a Forest Lab on Hönggerberg: those were the key decisions taken by the Executive Board at its most recent meetings.

ETH Zurich is launching a comprehensive research initiative in a previously overlooked field of medicine, namely the medium and long-term rehabilitation of patients. The last Executive Board meetings also covered the election of two new ombudspersons, the annual gender monitoring report and the new Financial Regulations.

The Executive Board has approved the function description of the departmental delegates for good scientific practice and has also decided to develop online communication channels step by step, to award a prize for young innovators to mark the 200th birthday of Alfred Escher in 2019, and to put childcare on a new footing.

The last meetings of the Executive Board were devoted mainly to numerous construction and infrastructure projects. Decisions were taken, inter alia, on the construction of the new physics building on the Hönggerberg and the future occupancy of the Main Building. The offices of the Vice President for Human Resources and Infrastructure will move into a leased building in Oerlikon.

In its last session, the Executive Board confirmed its deep commitment to the Singapore site, strengthened the position of the Animal Welfare Officer, and approved a new institute for the Department of Computer Science along with the new procurement strategy of the Facility Management department. It also secured financing for the Student Project House for 2019.

According to a survey conducted by the Academic Association of Scientific Staff (AVETH), ETH doctoral students are on balance satisfied with the supervision they receive from professors. But a number of inadequacies were also clear to see. The supervision is now set to be optimised.

Pressure on the busy VBZ no. 80 bus route will be somewhat eased, starting in autumn. From 17 September 2018, additional buses will be added to the no. 80 route to the Hönggerberg campus. This has been arranged by agreement between ETH Zurich, public transport operator VBZ, and public transport authority ZVV.

Good scientific practice, management of ETH’s finances, setting up the new School for Continuing Education, information security, procurement, catering and the salary system for doctoral students: ETH Zurich’s Executive Board passed resolutions on all these topics during its most recent sessions. Another matter that was discussed was the annual report from the Associate Vice President for Sustainability.

ETH research findings should be as accessible as possible. Furthermore, ETH researchers should be able to publish wherever they think is most appropriate. These factors shape ETH Zurich’s Open Access policy.

Around 1,200 ETH members responded to the Executive Board’s invitation to this year’s Christmas reception. After looking back at some of the year’s highlights and getting a preview of the ETH plus initiative, the newly-launched ALEA Award was presented.

On Monday evening, ETH Vice President Ulrich Weidmann, ETH Real Estate Director Daniel Bucheli and project delegate for the university district Peter Bodmer invited the local districts to a “Dialogue with ETH”. They discussed the state of the various plans in the central district and ETH Zurich’s current building and renovation projects.

The new and completely reworked information brochure of ETH is now available.

It’s official: there will be no more attendance certificates at ETH Zurich. Instead, ETH Rector Sarah Springman wants to work with departments to refine instruments that motivate students to learn during the semester.

One idea, three minutes: that’s the challenge at the Falling Walls Lab ideas competition. The third Swiss qualifier will take place in September at ETH Zurich, with the winner earning a trip to the international final in Berlin.

Starting this autumn, refugees who have started or completed a degree in a technical or scientific field in their home country will be able to attend lectures at ETH Zurich.

ETH Zurich and the SWITCH foundation have decided to launch the Safe Exam Browser Consortium.

The study programme Science in Perspective enables students at ETH Zurich to develop new perspectives on their core subjects’ scientific and technological issues.

Katharina Poiger Ruloff will take over as ETH Zurich Secretary General from 1 October 2016. The Executive Board has announced her as the successor to the current Secretary General, Hugo Bretscher.

Since Monday, 11 April 2016, ETH Zurich’s financial and personnel data has been managed by a latest-generation SAP-HANA database. This constitutes an important milestone in the construction of the ETH’s new resources and finance platform (refine).

Ulrich Weidmann has been Vice President of Human Resources and Infrastructure since January. On a visit to the Staff Commission, he looked back on his first three months on the Executive Board.

An ETH Professor has recently taken on a key role in Swiss scientific policy: since January 2016, Gerd Folkers has been President of the Swiss Science and Innovation Council (SSIC).

ETH Zurich is launching the Career Seed Grant. Postdoctoral researchers at ETH Zurich have until 1 March 2016 to apply for grant money that will enable them to conduct their own research project.

During its most recent session in 2015, the Executive Board adopted changes to the university's organisational structure, or rather, made changes to the Organisation Ordinance. These important changes specifically affect the central bodies: the infrastructure divisions will now be called “administrative departments”, and there will be more of them. The amendment to the Organisation Ordinance will come into force on 1 January 2016.

D University Medicine Zurich is an initiative by ETH Zurich, University of Zurich and the university hospitals in Zurich. A new flagship project was launched at its annual event in late November. The aim of the University Medicine Zurich collaboration is to strengthen academic medicine. This objective is also supported by the new Balgrist Campus.

ETH Zurich takes the opportunity to recognise outstanding achievements at ETH Day, its academic holiday. The president and rector of ETH Zurich, Lino Guzzella and Sarah M. Springman, cordially invite the ETH Zurich staff to attend this year's ETH Day on Saturday, 21 November 2015.

The close proximity of the University Hospital Zurich, the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich in the Zurich city university district offers a great opportunity for research, teaching and medical care. Further information on the development of university medicine can be found on the Berthold website.

With Monday's ground-breaking ceremony in Lindau, Cantonal Councillor Markus Kägi, ETH Zurich President Lino Guzzella and University of Zurich Rector Michael Hengartner have commenced the construction work for the Agrovet-Strickhof education and research centre. Research on sustainable agriculture will be conducted at the centre from 2017.

ETH Zurich is constructing a new building for medical research – the GLC building – which will be ready by 2020. The artwork that currently stands between ETZ and the future GLC building will be preserved and integrated into the construction project.

More than four fifths of students at ETH Zurich are satisfied or very satisfied with their studies at ETH Zurich. This is the result of the 2015 Student Survey of Satisfaction. The Executive Board acknowledged the survey in July.

Rector Sarah Springman recently met with the Staff Commission (PeKo). She discussed the challenges of being responsible for teaching at ETH Zurich.