ERI Dispatch and Strategic Objectives for the ETH Domain
The Federal Council uses an important management tool, the Dispatch on the Promotion of Education, Research and Innovation (ERI Dispatch), to shape its policy in the field of education, research and innovation.
The ERI Dispatch is drafted by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and submitted to the Swiss parliament every four years. When drafting the section on the ETH Domain, SERI refers to the Strategic Plan of the ETH Board for the ETH Domain, among other sources. The ETH Board undertakes one of its central tasks, i.e. the strategic planning for the ETH Domain, in this context. The Strategic Plan and the Intermediate Evaluation of the ETH Domain also provide essential information used in preparing the Federal Council’s Strategic Objectives for the ETH Domain for the relevant period.
The Strategic Plan and the Strategic Objectives are two management tools intended to ensure the coherence and promotion of research, education and innovation within the ETH Domain in compliance with the national and international priorities defined in the ERI Dispatch.
The ERI Dispatch: a compass for the Swiss education, research and innovation landscape
The ERI Dispatch is the Swiss Confederation’s most important instrument for managing the ERI stakeholders that it (co-)finances. In addition to the ETH Domain, these include the SNSF, Innosuisse, the cantonal universities and universities of applied sciences, and the vocational education and continuing education bodies.
The ERI Dispatch sets out the guidelines, objectives and planned measures for the promotion of education, research and innovation, as well as the intended financial framework for the relevant time frame.
As federal entities, the institutions of the ETH Domain are primarily funded by the federal government. For the period 2025–2028, the share of resources allocated to the ETH Domain amounts to just under CHF 11 billion, out of a total budget of around CHF 29 billion. The ETH Domain is therefore a key player in this system.
The Federal Council’s Strategic Objectives for the ETH Domain
Based on the Strategic Plan of the ETH Board and the Intermediate Evaluation of the ETH Domain, the Federal Council sets out the Strategic Objectives for the ETH Domain every four years. In terms of timetable and content, these are consistent with the funding approved by the Federal Assembly.
The Strategic Objectives 2025–2028 approved on 21 March 2025 aim to define the tasks of the ETH Domain in relation to fulfilling its main duties, particularly:
- maintain its international leading position in research and offering attractive teaching that strives for excellence,
- operating and further developing research infrastructures,
- strengthening its collaboration with all stakeholders in the education and research system and with private research partners,
- promoting entrepreneurial activity and the transfer of knowledge and technology,
- fostering cooperation and networking with the world’s leading institutions and maintaining its international attractiveness,
- continuing to pursue its strategic areas in order to meet the challenges currently faced by Switzerland.
Strategic Areas for the ETH Domain
Human Health • Energy, Climate and Environmental Sustainability • Responsible Digital Transformation • Advanced Materials and Key Technologies • Engagement and Dialogue with Society
The owner also expects the ETH Domain to achieve the objectives defined in the areas of financial resources, real estate management, human resources policy and pension provision.
The ETH Board ensures the coordinated implementation of these objectives by the institutions of the ETH Domain through target agreements, which it concludes with each individual institution. These agreements reconcile the federal government’s requirements and the ETH Board’s expectations with the objectives defined in the development plans of the institutions.
Who does what at a glance
- SERI is commissioned by the Federal Council to draft the ERI Dispatch. This document sets forth the Confederation’s priorities and the financial framework for federal expenditure on the promotion of education, research and innovation.
- The Federal Council approves the ERI Dispatch for submission to parliament. It draws on the Strategic Plan and the Intermediate Evaluation, to define the Strategic Objectives for the ETH Domain for the next four years.
- The ETH Board drafts the Strategic Plan for the ETH Domain and concludes target agreements with its institutions (ETH Zurich, EPFL, PSI, WSL, Empa and Eawag); these comply with the Strategic Objectives of the Federal Council.
- The institutions of the ETH Domain implement the objectives set out in the target agreements in line with their own development plans.
