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Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences
Etablierter Dialog zwischen Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft gefährdet

Aus der heute publizierten Botschaft zur Förderung von Bildung, Forschung und Innovation (BFI) 2025 bis 2028 geht eine beträchtliche Finanzierungslücke für die Grundaufgaben der Akademien der Wissenschaften Schweiz hervor. Damit sind nicht nur die ambitionierten Ziele des Bundesrats für den Wissenschaftsstandort Schweiz in Gefahr. Darüber hinaus wird ein Netzwerk von über 100’000 ehrenamtlich engagierten Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern spürbar und nachhaltig beeinträchtigt.

Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences SATW
Innovative project ideas for a sustainable Swiss food system

This year's call for proposals to promote innovative projects in the Swiss food system met with great interest. A panel of experts selected the six most promising projects from the 30 submitted. These will now receive financial support.

Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences
Offener Brief zum Verhandlungsmandat zwischen der Schweiz und der EU

Die Akademien haben einen offenen Brief aller BFI-Partner zur Unterstützung des bundesrätlichen Mandatsentwurfs für neue bilaterale Verhandlung zwischen der Schweiz und der Europäischen Union (EU) unterzeichnet.

Swiss Young Academy
How to counter online misinformation and conspiracy theories: Recommendations from scholars and practitioners

What challenges exist when addressing online misinformation and conspiracy theories? And what strategies can be used to best meet these challenges? These questions were posed to experts in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic by researchers from the Swiss Young Academy and the University of Zurich, who now present recommendations for decision-makers in journalism, politics, and academia.

Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences
Stellungnahme zur Vernehmlassung zur Teilrevision der Radio- und Fernsehverordnung

Es ist unbestritten, dass leistungsfähige Medien für eine gesunde Demokratie eine hohe Bedeutung haben. Weil die aktuelle Entwicklung in der Medienlandschaft der Schweiz Anlass zur Sorge gibt, möchten die Akademien der Wissenschaften unterstreichen, wie wichtig auch für Bildung, Forschung und Innovation die qualitativ hochstehende, vertrauenswürdige und verlässliche journalistische Arbeit ist.

Open Research Data
Transparency triumphs: Adriano Rutz wins the first National Open Research Data Prize

The Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences have honoured the pioneers of open research for the first time with the National Open Research Data Prize – an award for researchers at all career levels. The prize was awarded to innovative projects in the field of re-use of research data. The winners are making scientific data more accessible via open databases in their fields. And it’s an ongoing process: planning for the next award ceremony is already under way.

Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences
Yves Flückiger is our new President
As planned, Yves Flückiger takes up his office as President of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences (a+) in January 2024. He succeeds Marcel Tanner, who is stepping down after four years in office, and to whom we express our deep gratitude for his commitment to education, research and innovation and for his decisive contributions to make the Swiss Academies performant.   Yves Flückiger will remain Rector of the University of Geneva until March 2024, when he will be succeeded by Audrey Leuba. He graduated in political economy and sociology, and did his doctorate in political economy. In 1992, after research stays in the United States...
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Scientific policy advice in crises

The institutions in the fields of education, research and innovation (ERI) welcome the implementation proposal for the involvement of scientific advisory bodies in crises, which the Federal Council has approved. With this, instruments were created that will enable scientific expertise to be incorporated into the management of future crises as quickly as possible. Processes and a clear division of roles between science and politics were predefined.

Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences
More effective Academies following a re-organization

The Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences (a+) have repositioned themselves in an organizational development process.Organized as a federal union and endowed with bodies that work effectively, the Swiss Academies build bridges between science and politics, society and business. At its meeting today, the Federal Council approved the corresponding partial revision of the a+ Statutes.

Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences
Adriano Rutz wins the Swiss National ORD Prize

Dr. Adriano Rutz, a Postdoc at ETH Zurich, wins the first National Prize for Open Research Data (ORD) for “The LOTUS Initiative” project. LOTUS explores new ways of promoting the re-use of data in the fields of biology and chemistry and thus of sharing knowledge in natural products research.

Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences
Marcel Tanner is awarded the 2023 Brandenberger Prize

The Dr. J.E. Brandenberger Foundation has awarded this year’s Brandenberger Prize to Marcel Tanner, President of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences. With the award, it acknowledges Marcel Tanner’s valuable contribution to fostering the dialogue between science and politics.

Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences
How iodine got into salt: the 2023 Prix Média is awarded to Jonah Goodman

They solved a major problem in our country – and yet they were probably unknown to most people until now: 100 years ago, three country doctors delivered Switzerland from goitre by adding iodine to table salt. Journalist Jonah Goodman delved into the archives to bring this unknown chapter of Swiss history to light and wins this year’s Prix Média for his reportage in “Das Magazin”. It is endowed with CHF 10,000.

Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences
Prix de Quervain 2023: 37,000 ice cliffs and their influence on glacier melt in the Himalayas

More than ever before – Marin Kneib has employed the latest satellite technology and camera systems to measure over 37,000 ice cliffs. The researcher will be awarded the Prix de Quervain 2023 by the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences for an extremely comprehensive doctoral dissertation at the ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL.

Swiss Academy of Sciences SCNAT
Prix Museum 2023 geht an den Botanischen Garten Neuenburg

Die Akademie der Naturwissenschaften Schweiz (SCNAT) verleiht dem Botanischen Garten Neuenburg den Prix Museum 2023. Damit zeichnet sie die qualitativ hochstehende langjährige Arbeit der Institution aus. Ausstellungen und Forschung sind Teil der Mission dieses aussergewöhnlichen Gartens. Der in einer kleinen Talmulde auf der Südseite eines Jura-Faltenscheitels gelegene Garten ermöglicht ein einzigartiges Besuchserlebnis.

Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences
Solidarity with sister academy in Sudan

By supporting the statement of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences stand in solidarity with the Sudanese National Academy of Sciences (SNAS) and the Sudanese people. The on-going conflict in Sudan has caused tremendous damage to human life, academic institutions, hospitals and other vital services to the community.

Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences
Swiss Academies call for secure funding for their core tasks

The Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences emphatically demand, in their statement on the ERI Dispatch 2025-2028, that the financing of their core tasks be secured in the upcoming funding period as well. The Federal Council’s ambitious goals, which are set out in the ERI Dispatch, can hardly be achieved with the Academies’ proposed funding.

Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences
Eine wirkungsvolle internationale Zusammenarbeit braucht Forschungspartnerschaften mit Entwicklungsländern

Die Schweiz kann mit ihrer internationalen Zusammenarbeit mehr bewirken, wenn sie wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse stärker miteinbezieht. In der Botschaft Internationale Zusammenarbeit 2025-28 fehle eine Strategie für die Zusammenarbeit mit der Wissenschaft zur Nutzung und Förderung wissenschaftlicher Erkenntnisse, kritisieren Expertinnen und Experten der Kommission für Forschungspartnerschaften mit Entwicklungsländern in ihrer Stellungnahme.

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Research infrastructures: OECD report co-chaired by Switzerland

Delegated by the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, astrophysicist Willy Benz of the University of Bern co-chaired an OECD expert group.

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Research Integrity: European codex revised

The new Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, revised by ALLEA (All European Academies), reflects Open Science and research assessment developments, changes in in data management practices and in technology.

Open Research Data
Announcement: National Open Research Data Prize 2023
The Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences are launching the National Prize for Open Research Data (ORD Prize). The National ORD Prize is part of the National Action Plan "Open Research Data," which the Academies are implementing as part of the National Strategy for Open Research Data. This new prize aims to recognize researchers for innovative practices in the field of Open Research Data (ORD) and aims to promote the transition to open research practices.   Open research data promote transparency, reproducibility, and collaboration within the scientific community, and enable society to benefit from scientific knowledge. The National ORD...
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