Stabilisation programme jeopardises top position in education and research
Berne/Zurich, 04.12.2015 - The cost-cutting programme announced by the Confederation jeopardises the high quality of education and research in Switzerland. The ETH Board regards it as incomprehensible that education, research and innovation are intended to be affected disproportionately strongly – with over half a billion francs – in the “2017–2019 stabilisation programme”. This, in particular, since the most recent favourable evaluations of EPFL and ETH Zurich by external auditing bodies dovetail with numerous other positive assessments in the past which confirmed the excellent performance of the institutions of the ETH Domain in the service of Switzerland as a centre of thought and creative activity.
In its capacity as the strategic management and supervisory body of ETH Zurich and EPFL and the four research institutes PSI, WSL, Empa and Eawag, the ETH Board primarily dealt with issues of strategic controlling, real estate management and financial planning at its final meeting of the year. In addition, it made various appointments in its capacity as an employer.
Incomprehension at the 555 million cut in education and research
In the 2017–2019 stabilisation programme, the Federal Council intends to cut the budget for education, research and innovation by more than half a billion francs. Together with international cooperation, education and research are by far the most strongly affected by the planned cost-cutting measures. With 555m CHF, education and research will have to bear a disproportionately high share of the cost-cutting burden, namely almost 20% of the cost-cutting programme, although this area only accounts for 11% of the Confederation’s overall expenditure.
Owing to the strength of the franc and the uncertainties concerning the free movement of persons, research cooperation and the bilateral agreements with the EU, Switzerland is facing big challenges. In order to master these challenges, the country will have to become even more innovative and even more competitive. The ETH Board is therefore unable to understand why precisely that area is being hit excessively by the cuts which is crucial to an excellent education of Swiss professionals and the country’s competitiveness and innovative power.
The ETH Board regards it as beyond any doubt that such cuts will jeopardise the high quality of education and research, but also the intensive knowledge and technology transfer from the universities and research institutes into the economy. Instead, Switzerland will require additional investments in education, research and innovation, and the ETH Board will campaign for this accordingly in the context of the consultation process and the coming budget discussions.
Positive evaluations of the universities
In the context of its strategic controlling functions, the ETH Board specified the concept and the guidelines for the ETH Board’s agreements on objectives with the institutions for the new performance period of 2017–2020. Furthermore, the ETH Board noted with satisfaction the favourable evaluations of the quality assurance systems of the two Federal Institutes of Technology by the Swiss Agency of Accreditation and Quality Assurance (AAQ). EPFL had an additional programme accreditation conducted by the French Commission des Titres d’Ingénieur. All the evaluated Master’s programmes in the engineering sciences achieved positive results and have been accredited for another 3–6 years. ETH Zurich on its part also successfully subjected itself to an AAQ evaluation – voluntarily, like EPFL. According to the external experts’ judgement, the quality assurance systems are well established in the universities and have been implemented at all levels. The evaluation reports have been published on the AAQ website.
2016 pay: Confederation’s cost-cutting targets do not allow for general pay rises
Furthermore, the ETH Board took note of the results of the salary negotiations with the social partners. Contrary to preceding years, the financial environment will not allow for a general increase in nominal salaries for employees in the ETH Domain’s salary system in 2016.The primary reason for this is the Confederation’s cost-cutting programme, which already affects the ETH Domain today. In view of the forecast negative inflation rate of the current year, there will not be any inflation adjustment, either. At an individual level, salaries will be adjusted to a limited extent according to the principle of performance- and experience-related management. The ETH Board is convinced that in view of the Confederation’s tight financial situation and with the services provided by the employer in areas such as childcare, equal opportunities and further education, an appropriate and fair overall solution has been worked out jointly with the social partners.
New member of the PSI Directorate; appointment of the ETH Appeals Commission
On application of the Director of PSI, Professor Joël Mesot, the ETH Board appointed Professor Gabriel Aeppli (born in 1956) as a new member of the Directorate. Gabriel Aeppli has worked for PSI as Department Head of Synchrotron Radiation and Nanotechnology since April 2014. Moreover, the prize-winning solid state physicist holds a chair at ETH Zurich and EPFL. From 2002 onwards within a very short period of time, he established a leading science and technology centre, namely the London Centre for Nanotechnology, and in 2007 was a co-founder of a consultancy firm in the field of biomedicine and nanotechnology. In the last few years, he has extended his interest into the field of quantum information, where he focuses his research on the realisation of quantum bits in doped silicon.
With a view to the new term of office of 2016–2019, the ETH Board also appointed the ETH Appeals Commission. The ETH Appeals Commission is a special administrative court of the first instance which makes rulings concerning appeals against decisions made by organs of the ETH Domain's institutions. Besides the current chairman, Professor Hansjörg Peter (Lausanne), four current members and two new members, namely the biologist Dr sc. nat. Dieter Ramseier, as well as ETH Zurich student Jonas Philippe were appointed to the Commission. The ETH Board would like to thank the resigning members Astrid Forster and Jannick Griner for their valuable services.
Members of the ETH Appeals Commission (as from 1 January 2016)
- Prof. Hansjörg Peter, Chair (incumbent)
- Beatrice Susanne Vogt, Vice-Chair (incumbent)
- Consuelo Antille (incumbent)
- Jonas Philippe (new), student, ETH Zurich
- Dr sc. nat. Dieter Ramseier (new)
- Prof. em. Rodolphe Schlaepfer (incumbent)
- Yolanda Schärli, Director, ex officio (incumbent)
Address for enquiries
Alex Biscaro
Head of Communication of the ETH Board
CH-8092 Zürich
alex.biscaro@ethrat.ch
+41 44 632 20 03
Publisher
Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology
https://www.ethrat.ch/en
