Technology
We are less sceptical of genetic engineering than assumed
Politics
ETH Zurich
We often hear that Swiss consumers want their agriculture to be free from genetic engineering. But consumer acceptance of genetically modified crops is likely to be higher than the media leads us to believe, Angela Bearth says.
Sprint – From dismantling to re-use as fast as possible
TechTransfer
Empa
Sprint sets new standards for circular construction: In only ten months, flexible and COVID-19-compliant office spaces were built at NEST, the research and innovation platform of Empa and Eawag, using mostly reused materials and components. The new NEST unit demonstrates: The stock of reusable materials and the re-use potential in the construction industry are huge and just need to be picked up and utilized.
“LéXPLORE brings together researchers from different disciplines – that’s fantastic”
Research
Eawag
There has been a floating laboratory on Lake Geneva called LéXPLORE since 2019. Natacha Tofield-Pasche, limnologist at EPFL and project leader of LéXPLORE, and Damien Bouffard, researcher at Eawag and member of the LéXPLORE steering committee, tell us what is being studied there and why this research platform is unique.
Helping engineers better predict clay landslides
Research
EPFL
Norway experiences dangerous landslides due to its clay-rich soil. For her Master’s thesis in civil engineering at EPFL, Mathilde Metral outlined steps that the country’s geotechnical engineers can take to improve the predictive computer model they’re currently developing. 
Rheon Medical is revolutionizing the surgical treatment of glaucoma
TechTransfer
EPFL
EPFL spin-off Rheon Medical has developed the world’s first adjustable glaucoma drainage system, which has already been used successfully in over 250 patients in Europe. The company, based at EPFL Innovation Park, closed a CHF 5.6 million Series C funding round in December 2020 and just received the U.S. FDA’s Breakthrough Device Designation for its technology.
“Jump in and go for it”
Research
ETH Zurich
ETH Fellow Nadia Shardt is researching how water droplets in clouds freeze to form ice, and the role played by particles in this process. She has developed an innovative apparatus specifically for this purpose. She hopes that her findings will enable climate models to produce more accurate forecasts.
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