Strategic Areas for the ETH Domain

The concept of human health can be divided into two main areas: prevention and treatment. Both of these areas are undergoing constant transformation due to rapid advances in diverse fields, including (but not limited to) medical technology and engineering, pharmaceutical sciences, molecular biology, epidemiology, neuroscience, and digitalisation.

Advances in human health require an understanding of the mechanisms underlying health and/or disease. Due to the rapid transformation in society, accelerating the implementation of research results and technology into practice and policy is necessary. It requires transdisciplinary approaches and harmonised digital solutions within the Swiss healthcare system, to fill the knowledge gaps existing between researchers and stakeholders (such as patients, health care providers and regulators) to promote individual- and population-level acceptance.

In the context of this Strategic Area, the ETH Domain institutions shall build on their expertise in the fields of epidemiology, personalised health, molecular biology, neurosciences, environmental and agricultural sciences, information sciences, etc. to address aspects and develop knowledge linked to prevention and treatment.

As scientifically demonstrated, climates change and environmental degradation are resulting from the unsustainable use of fossil resources, inefficient energy systems and industry processes, inappropriate land use, intensive agriculture and non-circular use of materials. This in turn impacts on the environment, the biosphere and humankind.

With this Strategic Area, the ETH Domain aims to address the challenges associated with energy transition, climate change and the impact of anthropogenic resource and energy consumption on the environment. The ETH Domain institutions intend to focus their efforts along three axes: energy transition, net zero emissions, and biodiversity, climate change, and sustainable construction, mobility and land use. Activities in this Strategic Area cover the entire spectrum of ETH Domain competencies – from education and basic research to technology-specific development work, including pilot and demonstration projects.

The challenges linked to energy, climate change and environmental degradation call for fast-acting solutions, but also continuous investigation in fundamental research. Applicable solutions rely heavily on knowledge collected in fundamental discovery science, which therefore need to remain central to efforts aimed at energy savings and transition, halting of climate change and preservation of the environment.

Digital technologies have an enormous potential for – but also a great impact on – society. Key challenges related to digitalisation are the excessive use of resources and energy, and lack of alignment with societal expectations in terms of transparency, accessibility, integration into political structures, reliability and availability, safety and security, as well as widening global digital inequality. Equitable access to and trust in developed and deployed technologies are prerequisites for societal acceptance and application.

The Strategic Area “Responsible Digital Transformation” aims to respond to those challenges. Using digital information is part of our daily lives, and “responsible digital transformation” refers to the fair, secure, and ethical use of such information. This covers many aspects of data management, including trust, security, resource preservation, user needs and acceptance by both the public and professional practitioners. It also encompasses the hardware and protocols used for digital transformation.

It includes research, technology transfer and educational activities, and seeks to put technological advances linked to digitalisation into a broader context. Specific examples are energy and transportation, the building and infrastructure sector, manufacturing, agriculture, environmental monitoring and health.

The widespread availability of information and energy-efficient and rapid data transmission are essential for satisfying demand in these areas. Responsible Digital Transformation thus closely links its technological activities to societal expectations on the one hand and to sustainability on the other. This Strategic Area aims to strengthen the collaboration between the ETH Domain institutions themselves, and with Swiss universities, industry, society and governmental institutions in the relevant areas of digital transformation.

The development of advanced materials or technologies based on sustainable production and technological breakthroughs are necessary for providing solutions for today’s global challenges, such as climate change, global poverty and inequality, dwindling resources, demographic development, renewable energy and digitalisation. The development of advanced manufacturing technologies is also a prerequisite for the eventual success of modern-day materials science. New materials, material combinations or materials with novel, previously unknown properties are in high demand for various applications.

Materials science and key technologies development address the entire life cycle of materials: from extraction or production, through all phases of conversion and usage, to the manufacture of goods and products and, finally, to recycling or disposal. It spans and integrates very broad and highly interdisciplinary fields, including natural sciences (such as physics, chemistry and biology) as well as the highly diverse engineering sciences, from mechanics and civil engineering all the way to computer and data science. It can thus be considered fundamental to other research activities, too.

The ETH Domain aims to foster a proactive and open dialogue with society. This ensures  transparency, provides context for scientific insights, and supports the formation of cooperative partnerships with societal actors. Such dialogue helps to translate research into concrete solutions and policies, promote science and research, and attract the younger generation into STEM fields.

The scientific community bears responsibility for making scientific findings accessible to the public, countering misinformation on local, national and global scales, and addressing mistrust in science and research, even though this may only affect a minority of the population. In particular, the way in which scientific knowledge evolves with time must be better communicated to avoid the misapprehension that scientists are contradicting themselves when new research results and data become available.

Scientists share their fascination for science and research with the public, especially to attract the younger generation into STEM fields. They also convey the importance of fundamental discovery science as a source of knowledge for societal benefit to the general public. For this, students should be enabled to develop the skills required to be understood by all when sharing scientific and research discoveries and facts.

Members of the ETH Domain cultivate dialogue with their fellow members of Swiss society and appreciate the importance of the national languages as a key route to broader understanding. Scientists recognise their moral and social responsibility when they engage with the public. They take into account the societal and political context, as well as the different roles of the scientific community, political bodies and media in the processes that lead to decision making.