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The City of Zurich intends to take over ETH’s district heating system in the Zentrum area. With the sale, ETH is strengthening its focus and is drawing a line under a situation that has developed over time.

Remote working, lifelong learning and digital transformation: for some ETH employees, this is already a reality. Others have had little contact with these developments to date. Thanks to a new position paper and a range of support offers, all ETH employees should now be able to engage more closely with the future of work.

The ETH Foundation celebrated its twentieth anniversary last year. But why does the Foundation exist and how does it work?

ETH Zurich has published its annual report 2023 today. It provides an update on the university’s financial situation and describes how the 2025-2028 ERI Dispatch is forcing it to consider drastic measures. Stefan Spiegel, Vice President for Finance and Controlling, and ETH President Joël Mesot explain what this means for the ETH community.

The concept for the major teaching reform has been drawn up. The consultation period will run until 14 June.

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.

To promote the development and implementation of new methods for refining, reducing or even replacing animal experiments (known as the 3Rs), ETH Zurich’s Vice President for Research launched the 3R Hub. He has also expanded the university’s Animal Welfare and 3R office. In this way, ETH is affirming its position that animal experiments are necessary in many areas of basic research.

How are our scientific staff doing? To be able to answer this question better, ETH Zurich has conducted surveys among its doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers and established researchers in the last three years. The results of the 2023 surveys are now available and are pleasing.

At the end of 2023, the Executive Board decided to incorporate and further develop the role of Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) within IT Services in a new section. The position has therefore been filled anew. The new CISO Johannes Hadodo has been heading the section since 1 April 2024.

Four projects in the “Barrier-Free at ETH Zurich” program were successfully completed at the end of 2023. The quarterly reporting provides a comprehensive overview of all ongoing activities and results achieved in the 14 sub-projects. All projects have the common goal of making ETH Zurich's infrastructure accessible in accordance with the "Design for all" principle.

What will it feel like to research, teach, study and work at a climate-neutral ETH Zurich? With the launch of the "ETH net zero" programme, all ETH members are on a major expedition together towards an ambitious goal. The message: "All for zero 2030".

In 2024, ETH Zurich will be implementing a new appraisal interview format called “Dialog” for all employees. The idea is to foster ongoing discussion and mutual feedback exchange between employees and supervisors. The format was tested and evaluated as part of a pilot project in autumn 2023.

Since the beginning of March, members of ETH Zurich have been able to take advantage of the Respect programme to deepen their skills in respectful collaboration. The first live event is dedicated to the topic of emotion regulation. Nadia Dörflinger-Khashman, Head of Diversity and Cooperation, explains how we all benefit from the input lecture.

New guidelines for policy engagement and science-based policy advice have been in force at ETH Zurich since February. They offer guidance for ETH members wishing to participate in the dialogue between science and policy. Benedikt Knüsel, Head of the Science-Policy Interface unit, explains the key issues in this obvious field of tension.

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.

“Respect – Reflect – Respond”: Starting today, you’ll come across this slogan at various places at ETH Zurich. It’s part of the new Respect programme aimed at all members of the university community. These three words summarise how we should treat each other at ETH: on equal terms, willing to reflect on our own thoughts and actions, and responding appropriately in a variety of contexts.

As part of the Disability Rights Action Days, ETH Zurich is presenting the "Design for all" campaign and organizing various events: learn sign language in the "Café des Signes", change your perspective in the newly designed awareness workshop or explore the ETH buildings with the new accessible navigation app "PolyMaps".

Budgeting and financial planning at ETH Zurich is to be simplified. The Executive Board has approved a proposal by the Vice President for Finance and Controlling to optimise financial planning processes.

A new teaching space in the centre offers a flexible environment for project-based education: not only can innovative teaching methods be tried out in the PBLabs RZ, but resources are also available on-site for inspiration, support, and advice.

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 start of the year, Gisbert Schneider handed over management of the Singapore-ETH Centre (SEC) to Manu Kapur. The outgoing SEC Director looks back in an interview at his three years in office and explains why he is keeping one foot in Singapore.

Hannes Pichler has been Director of the Real Estate Management Department at ETH Zurich since 2023. This means that he is responsible for the timely provision of rooms and buildings at ETH. In this interview, he explains what the savings requirements in his department mean for teaching and research and how he came to ETH.

It has already become a tradition: at the beginning of each year, the Executive Board looks back on the past year at a town hall meeting and gives employees an outlook for the next twelve months. The recording of the Zoom event is now available.

The rETHink project officially concluded at the end of 2023 with the dissolution of the project organisation. We sat down with ETH President Joël Mesot, the initiator of rETHink, and Secretary General Katharina Poiger, who acted as the project leader, to learn about rETHink’s achievements and the future of organisational development at ETH.

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.

Open, diverse and inclusive science thrives on the involvement of the public and citizen participation - in other words, on Citizen Science. In order to promote such participatory research, Citizen Science Zurich awards Seed Grants once a year for the development or implementation of Citizen Science projects. ETH researchers can currently apply for funding.

In order to fulfil the savings targets, Corporate Communications has had internal news articles machine-translated since the beginning of 2024. In addition, internal communication is to be further strengthened via a personalised newsletter.

2023 was a busy year for the Vice Presidency for Personnel Development and Leadership (VPPL), with a number of initiatives launched. Julia Dannath, Vice President for Personnel Development and Leadership, looks back on them and explains both what has pleased her and what has troubled her in recent months.

The pilot test for the Leadership Feedback Process has proved positive. From 2024, all full professors will systematically obtain and address feedback on their leadership role at regular intervals. Alongside individual reflection on potential blind spots, this process will enable ETH to specifically gear and tailor the support it offers for professors.

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.  

Grants from the Dieter Schwarz Foundation will make it possible for ETH Zurich to create around 20 new professorships. At the same time, ETH plans to establish a teaching and research centre in Heilbronn, Germany. ETH President Joël Mesot explains why this is the opening line in a success story for both ETH Zurich and Heilbronn, and what particularly pleases him about this undertaking.

The Annual Academic Achievements process (AAA) has been open in ETHIS since the start of November. AAA is the academic reporting from professorships, departments and study programmes at ETH Zurich. Reports may be submitted until the end of January 2024.

The third edition of the ETH Sustainability Summit, organized by ETH Sustainability and the Student Sustainability Committee, brought together over 70 engaged individuals from more than 30 initiatives. They met to get to know each other, network and celebrate successes in the Dozentenfoyer above the city rooftops.

Good news for doctoral students: the Executive Board is lifting the present linking of their salaries to those of the Swiss National Science Foundation. Doctoral students, postdocs and scientific assistants I and II are therefore to receive the cost-of-living adjustment defined by the ETH Board for 2024. Moreover, the standard rate for doctoral students is rising by a total of 5%.

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.

ETH Zurich cut its energy consumption by around 7 percent over the winter of 2022/23. As of 1 October, energy-saving measures relating to room temperature and lighting are again being implemented for the winter of 2023/24. All members of the ETH Zurich community are requested to help reduce energy consumption.

Julia Bogdan has been President of the VSETH student representative body since September. In this interview, she tells us why she is enthusiastic about university politics and what she wants to campaign for in the coming year.

At the end of September, the consultation process for the draft roadmap "ETH Net Zero" came to an end. ETH Sustainability draws a positive conclusion with over 250 participations and around 500 constructive comments and remarks.

The new laboratory and research building in Basel has been awarded the "Iconic Awrad 2023" in the category "Innovative Architecture - Public / Culture / Education".

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

Autumn 2023 is marked by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, not only in New York due to the SDG Summit but also in Zurich because of the grand and visible open your eyes photo festival. Until October 15th, hundreds of photographs on the topic of sustainable development can be admired in the city center of Zurich. Simultaneously, projects and innovations by ETH scientists are being presented.

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.

Retiring Vice Rectors Andreas Vaterlaus and Lorenz Hurni explain in an interview the trends they are observing and where in their view changes are needed.

smart moves is the campaign for sustainable mobility behaviour at ETH Zurich 2023, and the nationwide mobility challenge comes at just the right time. From 28.8. to 8.10.2023, it invites you to reduce your personal mobility footprint to less than 9.5 kg CO2 per day: Register now, take part - and win!

ETH Zurich is to rent additional space at Innovation Park Zurich as part of a phased plan, starting from this year. The move highlights Zurich’s role as an innovation hub and will strengthen research and collaboration with industry.

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.

The draft roadmap "ETH Net Zero" is available. For the first time, it formulates the system boundaries and target values of ETH Zurich on its way to becoming a climate-friendly university. We invite the ETH members to comment on the roadmap and to help shape and support the path towards net zero: Every contribution counts!

Green light for Enhance’s plans: thanks to the promise of funding from the European Union, studying at other European universities is set to become easier.

The area around the ETH main building is changing: a new university hospital, the FORUM UZH and a café will be built by the end of the decade. In addition, Rämistrasse and Gloriasstrasse will be completely redesigned, landscaped and traffic will be reorganised. In addition, ETH has initiated the final phase of its new building project GLC.

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.

An anonymous reporting form has been available to ETH members since 1 April 2023 if they experience or witness inappropriate behaviour at the university. The online form is another way in which staff and students can report anyone who has overstepped boundaries.

Rector Günther Dissertori explains how ETH Zurich plans to change its rules on admission and why numerus clausus restrictions are currently not on the table. The Executive Board approved a new admissions strategy in March.

ETH alumnus Frank Floessel is co-founder of the student consultancy ETH Juniors and serial entrepreneur. He took over the position of Head of the ETH Entrepreneurship group on the staff of Vice-President Vanessa Wood on 1 June.

The new course (which is being held in German) is entitled “Creating accessible websites with AEM components”. It provides a 30-minute overview of how to increase the accessibility of websites in AEM. We focus on existing components and how to use them correctly in everyday web design.

Both the Vice Presidency for Finance and Controlling and other departments of VPPL and VPIN are moving to the Octavo Building in Zurich-Oerlikon at the start of 2024. One of the aims of bundling the three Executive Board domains at the same location is to intensify collaboration.

In winter 2022/23, ETH Zurich reduced its energy consumption by around 7 percent compared to the previous winter and met the federal government’s gas savings target. As there is still some uncertainty surrounding energy supplies, it plans on reintroducing its energy-saving measures next winter. Specific measures for research are currently being worked on.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) calls for an inclusive education system – including at higher education level. At a panel discussion on 20 April, affected students, teaching staff and persons with expertise in the field of teaching talked about the possibilities and limitations of accessibility in education.

ETH Zurich has set itself the goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2030. Since the procurement and use of laboratory equipment have a significant environmental impact, employees are critically reviewing their laboratory practices. For a “Green Labs” pilot project to promote resource-saving laboratory operations, ETH Zurich is looking for committed employees and working groups.

After a hiatus of roughly two years due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, air travel ramped up again in 2022 - also at ETH Zurich. This can be observed - among other exciting results on flight behavior at ETH - on the new air travel emissions dashboard on the updated air travel website.

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.

Stefan Spiegel took office as Vice President for Finance and Controlling on the first of April. In an interview we asked him a few “this or that” questions.

Language models like ChatGPT will change a lot more than just assessments at ETH Zurich. In this interview, education experts Gerd Kortemeyer and Manuel Sudau discuss the consequences of the language model for teaching staff and students.

ETH Zurich does not yet offer a fully accessible environment. The university is therefore launching a new campaign in mid-April as part of its “Barrier-free at ETH Zurich” programme. The “Design for all” campaign includes clear goals such as “Make architecture accessible to all!” and “Break down the barriers to accessible teaching!”

Although the openness and international orientation of Swiss universities and research institutes are positive attributes, they unfortunately leave them vulnerable to the threat of spying by foreign intelligence agencies. ETH Zurich has a specialist body tasked with preventing the illegal transfer of intellectual property, know-how and technologies.

What are the opportunities and challenges of AI for our teaching?

The ALEA – the Art of Leadership Award – has been conferred by ETH Zurich since 2017 in recognition of leaders who facilitate modern and innovative working conditions and who actively encourage and support the reconciliation of work, family, and part-time commitments. This time the award was for the first time jointly presented at an independent event by AVETH (Academic Association of Scientific Staff at ETH Zurich) and VPPL.

In April and May, interested ETH members will have the chance to navigate the ETH campus in a wheelchair or with a white cane to gain a different perspective. This is one of the various events offered as part of the “Design for all” awareness campaign. ETH has now also published an accessibility statement.

Vocational training for adolescents and young adults is firmly rooted at ETH Zurich. In order to ensure that this remains the case – and to guarantee that the training meets the demands of the future labour market – the university is adopting a new strategy for 2023–2026.

Degree programmes change. But how exactly does this happen? And who decides what is taught and learned?

Women also continue to earn less than men in Switzerland. Salary differences exist from the start of a career and are particularly pronounced among highly qualified women. ETH Zurich offers workshops on the topic.

“Acting responsibly”, “Driving innovation”, “Building bridges”, “Nurturing well-being”, “Living inclusivity”, “Enabling people”: The new social and leadership competencies have been in place since the start of this year. But how can we integrate these competencies into our everyday life?

The ETH Zurich Executive Board has approved a cost-of-living adjustment of 2.5 percent for doctoral students and scientific assistants I. While this conclusively resolves the question of salary adjustments for these members of the ETH community, the discussion surrounding the salary model for ETH doctoral students continues.

The Executive Board created the Digital Transformation Steering Committee to manage the university’s digitalisation strategy for administrative processes. The committee has begun its work and launched its first two digitalisation projects.

There is a wide variety of initiatives dedicated to selected sustainability topics at ETH Zurich. ETH Sustainability makes these visible and has created a new offer for encounter and exchange with the biweekly Open Office Hours.

On 6 February, an earthquake shook Turkey and Syria. An overview of fundraising appeals in aid of earthquake victims, and where affected members of the ETH community can find psychological support.

Lab or office? Fundamentals or application? Trust or control? Christian Wolfrum has been Vice President for Research at ETH since January 2023. We ask him a series of either-or questions.

Since October 2022, biochemist Dorota Pfizenmaier and chemical engineer Charles Ledoux have been Vice-President and President of the Academic Association of Scientific Staff at ETH Zurich (AVETH). In an interview with Internal news they describe what it was like coming to ETH Zurich during the lockdown and which university policy challenges they intend to address.

Good news for doctoral students at ETH Zurich: the Swiss National Science Foundation will pay a cost-of-living adjustment as of 1 March 2023. Accordingly, ETH doctoral students are also set to receive a salary increase of 2.5 percent – with one proviso: the ETH Executive Board has yet to confirm this adjustment.

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.

Ulrike Lohmann is taking over the position from Manfred Sigrist, who drove forward the implementation of the new Ordinance on the Doctorate.

ETH Zurich wants to lower its total energy consumption this year in response to the sharp increase in energy costs. The university will emphasise saving electricity, which will require the joint effort of all technical, administrative and scientific units.

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.

“Acting responsibly”, “Driving innovation”, “Building bridges”, “Nurturing well-being”, “Living inclusivity”, “Enabling people”: these are the new social and leadership competencies that will be part of ETH employees’ university work from now on. Read on to find out how this came about, why competencies are important and how they differ from the new ETH values.

At the town hall meeting on Tuesday, 17 January, members of the Executive Board reviewed the past year and took a look ahead to 2023. The recording of the Zoom event is now available.

In future there will be six key values describing the way members of ETH Zurich research, teach, work and study together. The new integrated approach encompasses the university’s vision and mission – as well as referencing the contributions made by its employees – and thus unites all the factors that shape the university’s culture.

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.

Sonia Seneviratne is the new associate vice president for sustainability of the Executive Board. As of 1 January 2023, she will take over this function from Reto Knutti, who has worked meritoriously for the thematic focus for eight years.

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.

In contrast to other ETH Zurich employees, it is still unclear for doctoral students whether and when they will receive a cost-of-living adjustment and how this will be financed. The Executive Board is unhappy with this situation. A working group will seek a solution in early 2023.

For the past five years, exemplary leadership at ETH Zurich has been honoured with the ALEA award. Now the award is being upgraded. AVETH and VPPL are jointly taking over the presentation of the award as well as linking it with an adequate understanding of leadership.

The teaching and research performance of professors is subject to continuous assessment. But what about their leadership qualities? Workstream 3 in the rETHink project has addressed this issue and proposed a differentiated solution that takes into consideration the specific features of the scientific setting and the university.

Every year, ETH Zurich appoints some 35 new professors. But what does the appointment process look like? An outline.

At least once a year, ETH Diversity publishes its Equality Monitoring report on gender equality and diversity at ETH Zurich. The figures for 2021 are now available.

ETH Zurich has joined the Energy Saving Alliance. The Energy Saving Alliance brings together over 290 organisations that have committed to using energy more efficiently and sparingly, thus helping to ensure security of supply over the coming winter.

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.  

Emir İşman is the new President of the student association VSETH after taking over from Nils Jensen at the start of the semester. Together with 11 Executive Board members, he will spend the next 12 months representing students’ concerns and implementing the association’s activities.

Daniel Bucheli, Director of the Real Estate Management department, is leaving ETH Zurich at the end of October to pursue a career outside of the university. He will be succeeded in February 2023 by Hannes Pichler, the current head of Real Estate Management at Empa.

ETH Zurich wants to achieve Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. In order to reach this ambitious goal, an action plan for Net Zero is now being developed in a broad process.

The switch to working from home and online teaching have caused a huge drop in the demand for food at ETH. ETH CFO Robert Perich and Marcel Zurbuchen, who is responsible for partner catering providers, explain the situation with catering facilities and tell us what we can expect at the start of the semester.