News from the Executive Board 2022 / 1

New member of ETH Zurich’s ombuds office

The ETH Zurich ombuds office offers advice to members of the ETH community who are having difficulties or conflicts in the workplace or during studies, and handles reports of suspected illegal actions. At least three ombudspersons must be appointed to this office. As a rule, they are elected for a term of four years.

The ombuds office is now to be strengthened by an additional person with psychological expertise. The University Assembly advertised the position last year and appointed a selection committee. It found what it was looking for in Martin Hohmann, who has now been elected by the Executive Board. Currently a department head of the Child and Adult Protection Authority (KESB) of the city of Zurich and formerly a forensic scientist at the University Psychiatric Clinics Basel, Hohmann will take up his new role on 1 March 2022. His psychological expertise will complement and complete the ombuds office team, which is currently made up of:

-        Prof. em. Gerhard Tröster

-        Dr. Margrit Leuthold

-        Dr. Peter M. Frischknecht

-        Kathrin Teuscher, lawyer

The ombudspersons will be newly elected or re-elected in the course of 2022.

Competence Center for Materials Research focuses on sustainability

The Competence Center for Materials and Processes (MaP) was founded in 2013 to strengthen the impact of materials science and manufacturing technologies and to promote interdisciplinary collaboration between ETH researchers and external partners. Today, MaP comprises 80 research groups from eleven ETH departments. The focus of their research ranges from health and energy to communications and construction. Core topics include additive, robotic and hybrid manufacturing technologies such as biofabrication, 4D printing and multi-material printing; sustainable and bio-inspired materials systems; advanced techniques for living materials; metamaterials; computational methods for understanding materials integrity and performance; micro- and nanosystems; and soft robotics.

In view of MaP’s excellent performance in teaching, research and technology transfer, the Executive Board has again extended MaP’s accreditation for another four years, having already done so once in 2017. This means that from 1 April 2022 until 2026, MaP will continue to have the status of an ETH Competence Center.

As a competitive strength of MaP, the Executive Board acknowledges the networking of researchers between ETH departments, with institutions of the ETH Domain, and with the materials and manufacturing industry, as well as various bottom-up initiatives and new formats. These innovations include the MaP Doctoral School, additivETH and the CAS in Advanced Materials and Processes.

The doctoral programme was launched in June 2021 to train experts, leaders and decision-makers in materials and processes. Doctoral students from 44 groups and 7 departments are already part of the initiative. additivETH serves to promote scientific exchange on additive technologies, 3D printing, the realisation of customised parts in personalised medical technology, and soft robotics. The CAS is a research-based continuing education programme for specialists. Since 2018, industry experts have been able to take an “ETH Sabbatical” and participate in this practical programme.

From 2022 to 2026, MaP will focus on sustainability. Appropriate interdisciplinary research projects and initiatives will explore topics such as carbon-negative material systems, clean energy generation and storage, recycling, and other sustainable technologies.

ETH Foundation: Tightened application process for project funding

Since 2003, the external page ETH Foundation has been promoting research, teaching and knowledge transfer at ETH Zurich thanks to donations from companies, foundations and private individuals. The ETH Foundation acts as a “matchmaker” between the donors and ETH Zurich with the double aim of finding projects that match donors’ wishes and of finding suitable donors for ETH Zurich projects. Now this “matchmaking” process is to be tightened and clearly defined.

In accordance with its mission, the ETH Foundation focuses on supporting projects of strategic importance to ETH. These might be new professorships or larger, mostly interdisciplinary initiatives and projects. As a secondary activity, it proposes projects of lesser strategic importance to donors or seeks individual solutions.

The goal is first and foremost to propose major projects and initiatives to the ETH Foundation, and so the Executive Board is establishing a simple and transparent process. To this end, it has formed a committee of members from the various staff units and departments, chaired by the Office of the President. The committee coordinates project preparation, serves as the first point of contact for ETH employees and, if necessary, also assists the ETH Foundation in finding projects that match the individual wishes of donors.

New SSHE training concept

The Executive Board has approved a new training concept for the Safety, Security, Health and Environment department (SSHE). This concept lays the foundation for all members of the ETH community to be aware of the safety and security basics at ETH and to act accordingly.

Starting in 2022, new members of the ETH community will have to complete a basic training module including a knowledge test. What’s more, a refresher module will be mandatory for all ETH employees every five years. Certain groups will also have to attend additional courses (e.g. a fire safety course).

This training concept and its implementation closes an existing gap at ETH and marks the first step towards a sustainable safety culture. SSHE will implement the programme over the next four years, after which it will periodically review and expand where necessary.

The action plan provides for a gradual rollout of the online modules in 2022 for all target groups (professors, managers, employees, students) in German and English. The relevant groups will be informed in due course.