FIT for the Future: Shared roof for the research institutes
The four research institutes of the ETH Domain are to collaborate even more closely under a shared roof. They will strengthen the way they coordinate and collaborate on overarching strategic research programmes and will gradually merge their support services. Their own well-established areas of focus and their names will be retained. The ETH Board decided to go ahead with this further development and strengthening of the ETH Domain at its meeting on 23/24 September.
New challenges and changing conditions require the ETH Domain, with its two Federal Institutes of Technology (ETH Zurich and EPFL) and the four research institutes (PSI, Empa, Eawag and WSL), to pool its energies more effectively and use the available resources even more efficiently. A new organisational structure is intended to strengthen cooperation, exploit synergies and remove administrative obstacles.
Under one roof, the research institutes will form a strong third pillar of the ETH Domain alongside ETH Zurich and EPFL. This should raise the profile of the ETH Domain and its achievements in politics, business and society. To this end, the ETH Board and the institutions developed two options for the future organisation of the ETH Domain. A consultation on the two options was held within the ETH Domain between March and June.
Based on the feedback from the consultation, the ETH Board decided in favour of the option with the working title “Swiss National Labs” (SNLs). The great majority of the institutions supported this option. As part of the four research institutes’ grouping, “SNLs” should lead to greater coordination and collaboration between the institutions as they participate in overarching strategic research programmes. In addition, the gradual merger of the support services is intended to capitalise on synergies and position these services for the future. The well-established focus areas and strengths of the research institutes will be retained. They will each keep their legal personality, name and sites, and will continue to organise their research activities autonomously.
The full report on the results of the consultation is available on the ETH Board website (in German).