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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.

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.

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.

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.

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 November 2021, the President of ETH Zurich, Joel Mesot, and the Vice President for Personnel Development and Leadership, Julia Dannath, appointed seven professors to investigate the current situation of women faculty at ETH Zurich. The aim is to gain an insight into how things stand today.

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’s organisational development project is entering a new phase. The solutions developed in the various working groups are now to be implemented. The project managers explained at the “rETHink Switch” event what now awaits us.

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.

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.

ETH Zurich consumed less fossil energy for heating purposes in December 2022 than in previous years. Alongside the savings measures, this was also due to the temperatures. The switch from natural gas to heating oil has succeeded.

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.

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.

ETH Zurich has launched a first round of measures to reduce its gas and energy consumption and avoid an energy shortage. These measures concern the room temperature in the buildings, the hot water and the lighting.

Would you like to contribute to the prevention of an energy shortage in Zurich? Do you have an idea that you want to develop quickly and effectively? Sign up for "Energy Now! - An Impact Accelerator by ETH Zurich"! This ETH initiative aims to enable innovative solutions for more energy security in Zurich before Christmas.

Should there be an energy shortage in Switzerland next winter, ETH Zurich will prioritise operations within its teaching and research infrastructure. A group of specialists at ETH has developed an action plan to ensure that core tasks are maintained at the University, even in the event of a crisis.

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 role of the academic departments at ETH Zurich is to be strengthened. Workstream 4 of the rETHink project has analysed what this means for the organisation of these decentralised units. Concrete proposals have since been drawn up. Mirian Berrocal, Coordinator for D-BIOL, and Giovanni Salemme, Coordinator for D-HEST, offer an initial assessment.

ETH’s growth presents a number of challenges to its central administrative services and processes. Increased use of digital technologies should provide some relief. A digitalisation strategy has therefore been drawn up for the administration of ETH Zurich in the context of the rETHink project. In this interview, members of the working group explain what this strategy involves.

rETHink seems to have quieted down in recent months – but appearances can be deceiving. The project’s six workstreams have been hard at work fleshing out solutions for the future of the university. Smaller projects have already been implemented, and decisions have been made regarding the trajectory of bigger changes, says President Joël Mesot.

No evidence of dereliction of duty or wilful misconduct; potential for improvement in existing rules. This is the conclusion of the independent report commissioned by the ETH Board concerning the preliminary evaluations of suspected scientific misconduct at ETH Zurich.

On Friday, 3 June 2022, Sarah Springman will be giving her farewell lecture. Before the lecture, people who have worked closely with her will also be expressing their appreciation for her work at ETH, including ETH President Joël Mesot. The event is open to the public. Advance registration is requested.

In recent weeks ETH Zurich has extended the range of support it offers to students and researchers affected by the war in Ukraine. Here is an overview of the most important recent developments.

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.

The opening of the development and laboratory building on the Gloriarank (GLC) site has been delayed once again. According to the current planning status, the professorships will be able to start moving in from autumn 2022, and the building will open for the 2023 spring semester. Both teaching and research at ETH are affected significantly by the delay.

Since the first of February, Günther Dissertori is the new Rector of ETH Zurich. In an interview we asked him a few “this or that” questions: lecture or seminar? Cooking or washing up? Valais or Grisons? Dumplings or gnocchi?

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.

The Executive Board of ETH Zurich has issued new guidelines on scientific integrity. These rest upon the four principles of reliability, honesty, respect and responsibility and apply from 1 January 2022 to all those involved in teaching and research at ETH Zurich.

On Wednesday, 19 January, the town hall meeting took place, where members of the Executive Board reviewed the past year and looked ahead to 2022. The recording of the Zoom event is now available.

Members of the ETH community who need a fast, secure and reliable internet connection for their data now have an alternative: SCION network technology, invented at ETH Zurich, is now also available to any ETH lecturers, researchers or employees with special security, performance or reliability requirements.

As of Monday, all ETH employees will be required to work from home again. Most buildings will only be accessible using an ETH card and will now only be open for academic events. In-person teaching and examination sessions for the Autumn Semester can finish as planned.

The traditional Christmas event was held virtually for the second time due to the pandemic. One of the highlights was the farewell to Rector Sarah Springman, with an almost magical atmosphere as the baton was handed over to her successor Günther Dissertori.

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 domain of the Vice Presidency for Personnel Development and Leadership (VPPL) will have a new organisational structure as of 1 January 2022. How did this come about, what are the goals of the new VPPL organisation and how will the domain be reorganised?

The ETH Executive Board has decided to continue the Critical Thinking initiative at ETH Zurich. It will be part of a larger platform encompassing courses and projects that are designed to convey interdisciplinary skills.

On Friday 1 October, around 100 ETH members, including the ETH Executive Board, attended a rETHink assembly to discuss the status of the project to develop the university’s organisation, and initial implementation ideas. In this interview Katharina Poiger, Secretary General of ETH Zurich, sets out the project’s current status and future direction.

Around 1000 interested people followed the Townhall on the introduction of compulsory COVID certificates. The main focus was on the questions posed by ETH members. The answers can be found in the recording.

ETH Zurich is evolving: the coming years will see not only the construction of new buildings, but also the transformation of interior space and office concepts. A townhall has been held to inform ETH members about architectural developments at ETH Zurich.

The Executive Board is recommending employees to return to their in-person workplaces for one or two days per week. The new coronavirus master plan, which enters into force on 6 September, includes new regulations on certificate and mask requirement.

More than 600 ETH employees participated in the analysis phase of rETHink, the project focusing on the development of ETH’s organisational structure. Now those responsible for the workstreams together with the Executive Board have presented the results of this analysis. Those who missed the virtual Townhall can watch the recording.

The results of the employee survey are now available. All in all, more than 5,000 employees took part, with 88 percent indicating that they are very or mostly satisfied with their working situation.

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.

The last of our town hall series “Well-being in challenging times” focused on emotions and health. It was an occasion not to be missed: as well as presenting the results from the second survey on working from home, the event included an exciting update on the coronavirus situation.  

Following the latest decisions by the Federal Council, the requirement for ETH employees to work remotely from home is being cautiously relaxed. The university’s own testing programme launched back in April has made this possible.

With its new building on the Gloriarank site (GLC), ETH Zurich is creating a modern development and laboratory building for Health Sciences and Technology at its Zentrum campus. The site will house 13 professorships from the HEST and ITET departments. But with building works delayed, they will have to wait a little longer. ETH expects operations to begin there in 2022.

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.

The ETH community may now use the Zoom videoconferencing application indefinitely for their work. ETH Zurich has negotiated a solution that incorporates the Canton of Zurich’s data protection recommendations and expands the usage options for ETH students, researchers and staff.

The ETH Executive Board has approved a new coronavirus master plan, effective Monday 26 April. It includes more face-to-face options for students and also allows certain events to be held at the university. The Main Building will now be open at weekends as well.

A week ago, the Federal Council announced numerous easing measures. What these mean for ETH Zurich was explained by members of the Executive Board and the ETH Covid 19 Taskforce at the virtual Townhall. Now the recording of the event is available.

Julia Dannath-Schuh has been serving as Vice President for Personnel Development and Leadership (VPPL) since November 2020 and has headed up the VPPL staff unit since its creation one month later. We inquired about how the set-up phase is going.

Following the latest easing of restrictions by the Federal Council, ETH Zurich is preparing a new master plan, due to come into effect on Monday 26 April. The ETH Executive Board will provide details of the new arrangements next week.

Professors at ETH Zurich are proposing Günther Dissertori, professor of physics, as successor to our current Rector, Sarah Springman. He won an absolute majority in the first round of voting at the Professors’ Conference, with 233 of the 439 votes.

About 300 ETH members have taken part in the “Taking our pulse” survey on the values of ETH. Their responses will now provide food for thought in the forthcoming rETHink culture and values discussion.  

The next edition of the employee survey will run from 23 March to 23 April 2021. The survey gives you, the employees of ETH Zurich, the opportunity to express your opinion and share feedback about your working situation at the university. In doing so, you can help shape the university’s development.

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.

Sprint or marathon? Perfectionism or speed? Lab or meeting room? Vanessa Wood is the new ETH Vice President for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations. Find out more about her in this video interview.

New rules will apply to those starting their doctoral studies at ETH in the autumn. After two extensive consultation rounds, the ETH Executive Board passed the revised version of the Ordinance on Doctoral Studies on 26 January 2021. The new guidelines make it compulsory for doctoral students to have a second supervisor and stipulate more precise rules for collaboration between professors and doctoral students.

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.

ETH Zurich will not complete a major expansion and renovation project of the canteen and multi-purpose building, which includes the Polyterrasse (“Renovation MM”). The MM building and Polyterrasse will remain in their current state and will not be expanded. However, in an initial phase, mandatory technical refurbishments will be completed.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was not possible to celebrate the Christmas reception on site this year. However, the Executive Board was keen to see out this year together with the ETH members to say thank you, if only in a virtual setting.

ETH Zurich has expanded its Executive Board from five to seven domains. life presents a profile of the two new vice presidents.

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.

By 2030, the Zurich City university district is set to undergo major changes. ETH will renovate its canteen and multi-purpose building under the Polyterrasse as well as the main building and forecourt. USZ and UZH will build a new hospital as well as an education and research centre. The streets, cycle paths and green spaces will be redesigned.

While this year’s ETH Day on Saturday, 21 November will have to take place with almost no guests, the approximately one-hour Academic Celebration will be broadcast live from the Semper Aula.

3150 ETH members followed the Executive Board's town hall on the new Master Plan live. If you missed the town hall you can now watch the recording.

The ETH Zurich Executive Board has approved a new master plan outlining measures designed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The most important changes concern teaching, the compulsory wearing of face masks and university events.

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 new ETH AI Center will officially open its doors on 20 October 2020. It has been headed by Executive Director Alexander Ilic since 1 October. What motivated the co-founder of ETH spin-off Dacuda and holder of two Entrepreneur of the Year awards to return to ETH Zurich?

The Executive Board tasked an investigative committee with reviewing allegations of scientific misconduct against a professor at the beginning of 2019. The results of the investigation and the decision of the Executive Board are now available.

We now know who will head the two new Executive Board domains. ETH Zurich President Joël Mesot explains what this move means for professors, staff and the Executive Board.

In the townhall on September 3, the two members of the Executive Board, Ueli Weidmann and Sarah Springman, answered questions from ETH members about the recently enacted regulations.

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. 

Monday, 31 August sees the start of the next stage of the ETH Master Plan for restart, which mainly concerns the Autumn Semester 2020 and will last up to the end of the year. To keep the risk of coronavirus spreading as low as possible, everyone will be required to wear a facemask as soon as they enter any ETH building. This measure already applies from 24 August.

With every passing week, new coronavirus infections are reaching record highs around the world. However, ETH's master plan is allowing for more restrictions to be relaxed in the next stage of reopening. Starting in early August, ETH employees will once again have access to all buildings at the university.

To bolster the coronavirus master plan already in place, the ETH Zurich Executive Board has approved a plan B containing additional measures in case a second wave of the virus strikes.

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.

The rules for remote working at home will be relaxed as of 8 June. In addition, the ETH Library will be open, student workplaces will be available once again on both campuses, and the ASVZ is opening its sports centres. Finally, catering facilities will also be stepped up to cope with increasing demand.

The first-ever survey of professors at ETH shows that they are generally satisfied with their working situation – but with some room for improvement.

In certain exceptional cases, ETH employees can return to their workplaces from 11 May onwards. They may be able to do so on request, but require their supervisor's approval and must observe the rules on physical distancing and hygiene. Measures to ease restrictions have also been brought forward for doctoral examinations.

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.  

In a week’s time, the Executive Board of ETH Zurich will set out the plan for the university’s phasing out of emergency operations and will hold a townhall meeting to explain the details.

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.

On 17 March ETH announced a switch to emergency operations. Since then, classroom teaching has been suspended and on-site research activity reduced to a minimum. We sat down with ETH Vice President and crisis team leader Ulrich Weidmann to learn more about how ETH stays up and running in emergency mode.

ETH Zurich is doing everything in its power to contain the coronavirus epidemic. For ETH, switching to emergency operations has been an enormous feat. The ETH Executive Board held a virtual town hall meeting to answer the ETH community’s questions about this extraordinary situation.

Since Friday, 20 March, all ETH Zurich buildings are closed. Until further notice, they can only be opened using a key or an ETH employee card and the corresponding access code.

Until 26 March 2020, an exhibition at the Campus Info on the Hönggerberg campus will show how the excellent anergy grid works.

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.

ETH Zurich has launched a university-wide project to reduce CO₂ emissions from business air travel. At an event held by the university, more than 200 participants discussed the ways in which individuals and ETH as a whole can change their behaviour.

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 third week of January, Prof. Ulrich Weidmann, Vice-President for Human Resources and Infrastructure, and Daniel Bucheli, Director of the Real Estate Management Department, informed ETH members about the structural development of ETH Zurich.

Dr. Hermann Lehner is appointed new head of the Academic Services. He takes over from Dr. Dieter Wüest on July 1, 2020, who has served in this important position for 15 years and has provided invaluable service to ETH Zurich.

ETH Zurich promotes a culture of empowerment. This only works if everyone adheres to high ethical and moral standards and performs their duties strictly within the defined rules. A bespoke e-learning programme now allows you to familiarise yourself with these rules by means of case studies.

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.

Diversity, referring to the variety that exists within a group, abounds wherever many different people come together. ETH itself is very much an example of a cultural melting pot. But what does “diverse” actually mean, and how do people at ETH deal with it?

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.