Politics

Digitalization and the proliferation of service platforms are permeating all areas of our society, and the public service is not immune to this evolution. A policy paper from the EPFL Center for Digital Trust offers recommendations to maintain the quality of the Swiss public service.

The war in Ukraine is also a war for soil. Sebastian Dötterl, Professor for Soil Resources at ETH Zurich explains what makes Ukrainian soil so valuable and why it will become even more geopolitically significant.

From devising forecasting models for the Federal Finance Administration and describing the latest trends in civil protection, ETH researchers routinely supply vital support to the Swiss state and help drive innovation.

ETH’s outstanding reputation attracts top-flight researchers from all over the world. This pool of talent makes Zurich a major draw for global companies such as Microsoft.

The federal government has plans to tax electric vehicles to secure funding for road infrastructure. However, a new levy could delay the switch to electromobility. Alessio Levis explains how this dilemma could be resolved.

In future, doctors at Aargau hospitals can apply for research time via the "Association for Medical Research and Innovation in the Canton of Aargau". For 6 to 24 months, they will then be able to carry out research alongside their work with teams at ETH Zurich, Empa or the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI.

Solar energy, which is both abundant and free, is poised to become the world’s leading power source by 2050. That’s thanks largely to technological advances and the unbridled manufacturing of solar cells, which bodes well for a successful energy transition.

Two international conferences are currently being held at Eawag in Dübendorf: the Global WASH Cluster Meeting and the Emergency Environmental Health Forum. Both are aimed at strengthening and focusing collaboration and international efforts on the topics of water, sanitation and hygiene in a humanitarian context.

Dirk Helbing expects future digital technologies to penetrate the human body even more in the future. However, he believes that society is not prepared for the risks involved. He puts forward a new legal framework to protect our most intimate data from misuse.

To achieve a decarbonized world, clean energy sources will have to be widely adopted – yet there’s a range of obstacles in the way. A number of EPFL researchers are studying these obstacles and mapping out strategies for getting past them. Here’s a look at some of their findings.

Eawag and the Ecotox Centre welcome a total revision of the Plant Protection Products Ordinance (PPPO). However, the two institutes are calling for improvements on important points, such as the adoption of EU authorisations or the precautionary principle. The ordinance must ensure that other regulations such as the Water Protection or the Environmental Protection Act are not undermined.

What do you do after having the most important job in the field of space research? After many years heading up research at NASA, Thomas Zurbuchen chose to come to ETH Zurich. But this career step is not as illogical as it might seem, as ETH Zurich aims to become Europe’s leading space research institution.

What role can the construction industry play in combating ever-worsening climate change? Peter Richner thinks it can be a game changer. We speak to the Deputy Director of Empa and Co-Head of the Sustainable Construction research focus area.
 

Hans Gersbach and Martin Wörter explain why Switzerland should not join the emerging international subsidy race. Sticking with the proven “Swiss way” is much more promising.

Exploring the climate crisis with Jérôme Chappellaz, environmental scientist and academic director of ALPOLE at EPFL.