“A terrific opportunity for ETH”

You mentioned 20 new professorships. Could you quantify DSF’s commitment in terms of Swiss francs?

At the present time, we’re unable to put a figure on the overall commitment. What we have is a signed letter of intent, which provides for the development of our partnership in four stages. Each stage will be governed by a separate contract. The annual costs of a professorship are generally known. Over the entire 30 years, the commitment will add up to a very high sum – provided everything goes according to plan.

It sounds like you’re still being somewhat cautious. Is the donation not yet done and dusted?

What’s certain is that both partners want this to work out. We’ve signed the letter of intent and finalised stage one. Thanks to the DSF grants, ETH will be able to create two additional professorships in Zurich and further develop the Zurich Information Security and Privacy Center (ZISC). Now we have to hammer out the details of the partnership and draw up the individual donation contracts. The next stage will take place in 2024, when we start to set up the teaching and research centre in Heilbronn. It will take some time to complete the evaluation of the ETH branch in Heilbronn. There are structural issues to resolve, both in Switzerland and in Germany. But there are also questions regarding what subject areas we want this centre to address and how we ought to structure the interactions between Zurich and Heilbronn. Once we’ve resolved these issues, we can move on to gradually establishing professorships at the two locations.

Is adding a site in Germany even in line with our strategy?

Absolutely, and in two different ways. First, as I mentioned earlier, the donation means we can raise our strategic action area of “responsible digital transformation” to a whole new level – including in Zurich. Second, now more than ever, it’s essential for ETH to connect and collaborate across borders and on a global scale. We’ve already established a host of partnerships in Germany. Take for example the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems, or our collaboration in medical systems biology with the Max Planck Campus in Tübingen. Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria are the two German states with which our professors have the most research contact. So there’s plenty of things that connect us with Germany. Taking the next step in our plan will allow us to intensify this collaboration. At the same time, this is an affirmation of the importance we attach to collaborating with our European neighbours. 

In contrast to the ETH branch in Singapore, Heilbronn is to offer courses of study. It is really ETH Zurich’s job to train specialists in other countries?

Teaching activities in Heilbronn will start with continuing education programmes and one Master’s programme. Where our future students will hail from and where they will end up is something we can only speculate about. What we know is that the labour market is becoming increasingly global. And we know that the vast majority of ETH graduates – including those from abroad – work in Switzerland for two years after finishing their course.

Are there any more benefits for Switzerland?

A large portion of the grants will flow directly into research and teaching, but also into infrastructure here in Zurich. This means we will be able to expand the courses we offer in Switzerland, and do so in high-demand specialisms such as cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. Both ETH Zurich and Switzerland stand to benefit directly. In return, we will also train specialists in Heilbronn. What’s exciting about this initial situation is that it gives us a blank slate for trying out new teaching concepts, which in turn could inform how we do things in Zurich. It’s a win-win situation.

The first of the new professorships will be attached to the Department of Computer Science. Are other departments also set to benefit from this kind of expansion?

We’ve yet to decide which departments the incoming professorships will be attached to. As the areas of responsible digital transformation and data science call for a high level of interdisciplinary collaboration, many departments are in the running. It’s a very similar situation to what we’re already doing at the ETH AI Center, where all 16 departments and more than 120 professorships are involved. Incidentally, many of them are members of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS). This Europe-wide network of excellence examines all aspects of artificial intelligence – from basic research to technical innovation to social impact.

If, after the feasibility study, ETH receives all the planned grants, will that mark the end of the university’s financial worries?

No. We mustn’t get these topics mixed up. The impact of the Swiss federal government’s economy drive is separate from this donation. In light of the steady growth in student numbers and the increasing number of tasks we’re being set, this kind of donation does help us grow in one core area. But it doesn’t change the fact that we will still rely on government funding in the future. It’s the decades of government investments in our basic research and teaching activities that are ultimately responsible for ETH Zurich’s excellent track record. And it’s this track record that motivated the Dieter Schwarz Foundation to enter into a partnership on this scale with us. Moreover, the donation is the result of outstanding work by the ETH Foundation.

Are there restrictions for third-party funding on this scale? Or, to put it another way, would ETH consider any partnership provided the partner’s wallet was big enough?

Such partnerships are not only about money. It’s just as important to us that potential partners share our values and pursue the same vision. This is 100 percent the case with the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, as became clear in our very first meeting. That ETH and DSF are essentially on the same page is evidenced not least by the fact that the grants are earmarked not just for new professorships but also for the infrastructure expansion this will require. And at no point have our teaching and research freedoms been called into question. Heilbronn is located in a country with which we share bonds of friendship and that has very similar values. But to answer the question: No, we are very selective when it comes to choosing our partners, and we will reject any offer that doesn’t match the needs of ETH Zurich and, by extension, those of Switzerland.