E T H B O A R D

2002

DOES A NOBEL PRIZE HAVE A KNOCK-ON EFFECT?

Prof. Francis Waldvogel (1) has beenPresident of the ETH Board since1995. He has been campaigning forseveral years to ensure that the meteoric developments in biotech-nology and the life sciences are givenmaximum attention in Switzerland.

Prof. Olaf Kübler (2) has been Presi-dent of ETH Zurich since 1 December1997. He is convinced that good basicconditions, an inspirational environ-ment and sufficient funding are allimportant fundamental requirementsto guarantee the future sustainabilityof an academic institution.

Prof. Kurt Wüthrich (3) has been Professor of Biophysics at ETH Zurichsince 1972. His specialist field is theuse of NMR to study the structure ofbiological macromolecules, a tech-nology which he played a major partin developing. He received the NobelPrize for Chemistry in 2002.

The biophysicist Kurt Wüthrich, a professor at ETH Zurich, receivedthe 2002 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Does the awarding of this prizemark the highpoint of a research career? Does it also have reper-cussions for Switzerland as a centre of research?

What prerequisites need to be in place to win a Nobel Prize? From aresearch standpoint? And also from the point of view of universitypolicy? The manner in which research is promoted at a universityitself is not the only decisive factor; the prevalent social and econo-mic conditions in a country also play their part. And the top-levelresearch carried out at national level must have been able to hold itsown in a competitive international environment for some considerabletime. Winning a Nobel Prize is one thing; the consequences arisingfrom this are something else. Will the Nobel Prize provide positivestimuli for Switzerland as a business location? Is there even a directcausality between the awarding of the Prize and the economicdevelopment of a country? It is also conceivable that the FederalGovernment and private industry might invest more in research as aresult of the Nobel Prize. Is it possible to detect such a knock-oneffect?

These questions are answered on the following pages by Nobel Prizewinner Prof. Kurt Wüthrich; by Prof. Francis Waldvogel, President ofthe ETH Board; and also by Prof. Olaf Kübler, President of ETH Zurich.

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What would you still like to achieve?Research is still a source of great fascination for me. As researchers,we try to answer questions that we have previously set ourselves.Every new result raises new questions. It’s an extremely excitingcycle. There are still a lot of unanswered and interesting questions inmy area of research. For example, I would like to find out more aboutthe precise role of the prion protein in prion diseases. The field ofproteomics is also a very exciting one for me. Now, it is no longer theindividual protein that is analysed; instead, all of the proteins are thefocus of interest. Proteomics thus enables us to make functionalstatements about proteins and about their crucial contribution to lifeprocesses. This is a new type of research in which the NMR techniquedeveloped at ETH Zurich and other new working methods will fullycome to fruition.

In 2002, Professor Kurt Wüthrich received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.He was awarded half the prize, while theother half went to John B. Fenn (UnitedStates) and Koichi Tanaka (Japan). The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences chose Professor Wüthrich for the NobelPrize in recognition of his research into the further development of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy(NMR). Through his work in the early1980s, Kurt Wüthrich made it possible toapply NMR to proteins. He developed a general method for systematically determining certain fixed points in pro-tein molecules and also a principle formeasuring the distances between atoms.Using these distances, he was able to the three-dimensional structure of

proteins. The advantage of NMR is thatproteins can be studied in solution, i.e. an environment similar to that in the living cell. In 2002, Prof. Kurth Wüthrichwas able to determine the structure ofboth the human and bovine prion protein,a breakthrough which is of particular significance in elucidating “mad cow disease” (BSE). After his retirement, hewill continue with the main focus of hiswork at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, USA, but he will also devoteone third of his time to his research activities at ETH Zurich.

Professor Kurt Wüthrich was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chem-istry after decades of research work. But no Nobel Prize can be wonon hard work alone. Much more is required.

Were you surprised to be awarded the Nobel Prize?Yes, very. I really didn’t expect it at all. I received the news during aseminar with students. I think it’s really remarkable that ProfessorRichard Ernst and I both received the Nobel Prize in the same area ofresearch. This underscores ETH Zurich’s important role and signifi-cance in the field of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy.

What prerequisites need to be in place to enable someone to win a Nobel Prize?There is no universal formula. Ultimately, various factors areresponsible. If we take a closer look at the history of Nobel Prizeawards, we can see that former PhD students and postdocs of prize-winners have often gone on to win the Prize themselves. I didn’t havethis advantage to fall back on, as I’m working in a new area ofresearch that is still in the process of evolving. So there were nofootsteps for me to follow in. But there’s no doubt that the conditionsunder which research can be carried out and the research environ-ment itself are very important factors. And I find both of these to myfull satisfaction at ETH Zurich. Luck is also an element that cannot beunderestimated. Numerous extremely well qualified researchers areshortlisted for selection every year. And finally it’s also a question ofpersonal style. Although people laugh at the Bernese because we goabout things in a slow and deliberate manner, we do things thor-oughly.

Is research done differently in the United States from how it’s done in Switzerland? What is striking are the differences in infrastructure. In Switzerland,universities and similar institutions are generous with the basicequipment that they provide for researchers. The particular advan-tage of this is that long-term projects can be conducted without anyfinancial uncertainties. In the United States, on the other hand, theresearch funding available to institutions is normally either verylimited or non-existent. Employment conditions are, however, gener-ally more flexible, as are pension rules. On this point, I’m pleased thatETH Zurich was able to make an exception and relax the rigidretirement rule in my own case. This is a step in the right direction.Bearing in mind the situation in the United States, I’m convinced thatSwitzerland cannot afford to persist long-term with a rigid age-dependent retirement system for its professors.

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“THE ENVIRONMENT HAS TO BE RIGHT”

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Prof. Francis Waldvogel, President of the ETH Board, and Prof. OlafKübler, President of ETH Zurich, are convinced that the awarding ofa Nobel Prize says a lot about a country and its ability to translatevisions into pioneering research results.

What significance does another Nobel Prize have for Switzerland as a centre of research?

Prof. Francis Waldvogel: I see two fundamental points here. Theawarding of a Nobel Prize is a hallmark for outstanding achieve-ments. It adds to the attractiveness of our universities and of the ETHdomain in scientific and educational terms, and also increases theirstanding worldwide. At the same time, this award sends out a posi-tive signal to companies that are seeking to gain a foothold in an en-vironment that is favourably disposed towards a knowledge economyand knowledge society. The second point is that the awarding of theprize promotes confidence at national level. And this at a time whenour society has doubts about the importance of science and findsitself in an difficult economical situation.

Prof. Olaf Kübler: In addition, this third Nobel Prize to be awarded toETH Zurich within the last 30 years demonstrates the special positionthat the institution occupies in the Swiss and European universitylandscape.

Human capital is the most valuablecapital we have. And this is where our main investment lies: our youngresearchers.Prof. Francis Waldvogel

THE NOBEL PRIZE AS REFLECTED BY RESEARCH POLICY

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Prof. Olaf Kübler: Yes, if it has been involved in the development of aresearch field in a full and focussed manner from a very early stage.We have the brains and the resources for that. The best people in theworld are all in contact with each other, and thus there is a lot of giveand take between them. As a result, these people find out about newdiscoveries and developments while they are still at the embryonicstage. The crucial thing then is to gather the required information in-telligently, to assess the situation conscientiously and realisticallyand then to mobilize the necessary resources rapidly. I don’t think it’sa good idea to run around trying to catch up once the train has pulledaway and when the groundwork technology is missing.

It is a good strategy to start from your strengths and then to build on these.Prof. Olaf Kübler

Can the awarding of a Nobel Prize influence Swiss research policy?

Prof. Francis Waldvogel: Although this particular prize is the remu-neration for a novel intellectual achievement, it is generally a rewardfor research work that has been carried out over a number of years.Consequently, it is certainly not advisable to fix the main emphasis forareas of research at national level for the future on those areas thathave produced a Nobel Prize in the past. Nevertheless, as a result ofthe experience gained, the increased knowledge acquired and thenetwork of connections built up, Nobel Prizes do provide an impor-tant aid in determining leading-edge pioneering research areas andin establishing principles for research policy. The capacity to createvisions for future activities is not extinguished by the awarding of aNobel Prize.

Prof. Olaf Kübler: Key scientific topics and problems will continue toprovide surprises and breakthroughs for a remarkably long time. It isa good strategy to start from your strengths and then to build onthese. After Richard Ernst received the Nobel Prize in 1991, ETHZurich decided to continue to invest in research into NMR spectro-scopy – and this has proved successful. Research policy demands thecourage to have staying power and stamina. Exceptional researchersare not those who run after the discoveries and innovations of others,but those who create them themselves.

Is Switzerland still in a position to make its mark in new technologies research?

Prof. Francis Waldvogel: Switzerland does have a strong appeal incomparison with other countries, not only because of the ongoingsuccess of its integration process towards an “information society”,but also because of the stable, pleasant and advantageous livingconditions in the country. So the answer is yes. But three conditionshave to be fulfilled: To have sufficient funding, spread out over severalyears and uniformly distributed, as well as a willingness on the partof institutions to fix clear selection criteria and to push ahead withtechnology transfer. These conditions were, incidentally, part of therecommendations of an international team of experts that carried outan evaluation of the ETH domain in summer 2002.

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The ability to carry out the very bestresearch and the determination to doso must permeate the institution’svery spirit.Prof. Olaf Kübler

Does the awarding of a Nobel Prize bring certain features of academic institutions to the fore?

Prof. Francis Waldvogel: It does highlight the dynamic process oftheir research and the excellent working atmosphere. The awardingof the prize also testifies to the ability of this institution to hold on toits best researchers and to allow them to work over a number of yearswithout burdening them with administrative obstacles. Those tech-nological universities which are strengthening the basic sciences andwhich have recently developed the natural sciences and biomedicineare maximizing the chances of their research groups winning a NobelPrize.

Prof. Olaf Kübler: Definitely. Especially when there is a series ofNobel Prizes and not just one isolated occurrence. The ability to carryout the very best research and the determination to do so mustpermeate the institution’s very spirit. This is done by nurturing andchallenging the rising generation, by making bold and decisiveappointments, by making infrastructure and resources available, byshowing trust and, to a large extent, by creating a peer atmospherethat promotes encouragement and enthusiasm. Added to this equa-tion are students and, above all, talented PhD students who have afeel for their subject matter and great creative power.

Is top-level research dependent on the amount of funding made available for it?

Prof. Francis Waldvogel: In leading-edge research, particularly whenthe sciences are geared to new technologies, substantial fundingallocated on a regular basis is certainly a key factor. These arenecessary conditions. But they are not sufficient on their own. Humancapital is the most valuable capital we have. And this is where ourprincipal investment lies: our young researchers.

Prof. Olaf Kübler: This is true in many areas of modern science andtechnology; an example of this is Kurth Wüthrich’s NMR spectroscopy.But there are important areas that do not depend on expensive in-struments, or only to a limited extent. A prime example of this ismathematics.

Does it make sense for Switzerland to have introduced an age limit for the retirement of professors?

Prof. Francis Waldvogel: Our country lies at the heart of Europe,where there is a standard age limit for staff to be pensioned off. It isalso important to give young researchers the opportunity to enjoy anacademic career at our universities. If they are barred from doing this,they will leave our country. So there are two answers to this question:On the one hand we have to create incentives for young academics.But we also have to ensure that exceptionally capable people remainlinked to the institutions. The provision contained in the draft of thenew law governing the federal institutes of technology, which allowsparticularly successful researchers to continue their work beyond theofficial retirement age, is a good solution to what is a sensitive pro-blem in socio-political terms. In addition, the ETH Board has alreadymade it possible for certain researchers to continue their activitiesbeyond retirement age in the past.

Prof. Olaf Kübler: In an ideal world, it would be possible to fix the mo-ment of retirement according to whether the person is still enjoyinghis/her work or if his/her abilities and performance no longer meetthe demands of the job. But reality is rarely this straight-forward; in-stead, events are marked by slow-moving and almost imperceptibleprocesses. The fixed age limit is therefore merely a symbolic substi-tute for a more sensible solution, but one that would nonetheless bedifficult to implement. One approach would be to make continuingresearch activity dependent on funding being raised in a competitiveenvironment. This obviously presupposes a willingness to face up tocompetition and to take rational heed of the consequences.

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How can we prevent the best researchers from going abroad to do their research there?

Prof. Francis Waldvogel: The best researchers are attracted by in-tellectual conditions that are conducive to creativity, co-operationand innovation. Above all, they look for an environment that will havea stimulating effect on their intellectual performance and which givesthem academic freedom as well. If these conditions are in place, it ispossible to recruit and to hold onto very promising scientists. How-ever, as it is necessary for anyone pursuing an academic career tohave had experiences with other universities, mobility among youngresearchers is not a handicap – in fact it is just the opposite. Ulti-mately, though, the fact that some of our brilliant minds are opting tocome back to their country of origin is an indicator of how attractivethis country is.

Prof. Olaf Kübler: Science has always been a global phenomenon andhas thrived on the free exchange, the thirst for knowledge and the“wanderlust” of researchers. Nevertheless, the number of comingsand goings must be balanced, or there must be more high-qualitypeople coming to enable a country to be at the forefront in science. Upuntil now, the portents have been favourable for Switzerland. As longas we can maintain freedom of conditions, structures that work,sensible funding and the right intellectual atmosphere, I don’t see anycause to worry even more.

Those technological universitieswhich are strengthening the basicsciences and which have recently developed the natural sciences andbiomedicine are maximizing the chances of their research groups winning a Nobel Prize.Prof. Francis Waldvogel

On the trail of the brain's building blocks (cover image)

Research scientists working with Prof. Henry Markram in the "Brain Mind Institute" atEPF Lausanne want to find out more about the functional unit from which the neocortex ofthe brain is composed. This micronetwork is exceptionally dense: 70,000 human nervecells would fit into the head of a pin. The scientists are trying to simulate this network inorder to carry out research from within the individual circuits that regulate it. To do this,they attach electrodes inside several nerve cells in order to record information on theelectrical activity. In the next stage they record the ways in which the cells affect each other. Then the fluid in the cells is extracted so that the activity of well over 30 genesfound in it can be determined. And finally, a dye is injected that penetrates right into thefinest branches of the nerve cell. This allows the shape of the neuron and, more impor-tantly, its anatomical connections to be visualized under the microscope. So far, the re-search group has discovered that the interaction between the individual cells controls andregulates electrical activity in the microcircuit. 80 percent of the cells have an excitatoryeffect, 20 percent an inhibitory effect. In the next three to five years the scientists hope tosimulate the functioning of a micronetwork of 10,000 nerve cells with the help of super-computers. These neurons work together as a group to carry out a specific task.

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CONTENTS

Executive Summary 10

Foreword 12

ArenaThe national arena 14

The international arena 16

ProjectsMaintaining a leading position 18

Basel a practical laboratory for a lasting future 20

Advancing towards the original building blocks of the universe 25

The ETH domainETH Zurich 30

EPF Lausanne 32

PSI 36

WSL 37

EMPA 38

EAWAG 39

ReportingFinances 40

Buildings and information technology 62

Real estate service 64

Indicators and Statistics 66

People 70

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In 2002 the ETH Board determined the strategic planning for the ETH domain for the period 2004 – 2007. This makes it clear that the ETH domain is seekingto build on its position at the cutting edge of international science.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

With a view to the preparation of the performance mandate for 2004– 2007, an international panel of experts carried out an interimevaluation of the performance mandate for the years 2000 – 2003 inthe year under review. This evaluation acknowledged the internatio-nal quality level of research and teaching. It also endorsed the policyinitiated by the Federal Government of maintaining the autonomy ofthe ETH domain. The need for sufficient, regular and transparentfinancing was deemed mandatory. Concerning measures that need tobe taken, it calls, among other things, for the consolidation andextension of the reforms aimed at increasing the flexibility of edu-cation and teaching.

In 2002 the ETH Board determined the strategic planning for the ETHdomain for the period 2004 – 2007. This makes it clear that the ETHdomain is seeking to build on its position at the cutting edge of inter-national science. The prerequisites for this are research-orientedgraduate schools of world standing and research institutes that carryout research on an international level and provide services on aninternational level. The planning is based on a 4% per annum increasein the Federal Government’s financial contribution. This growth willfacilitate the execution of projects such as the “Science, Vie, Société”,where the restructuring of EPF Lausanne into faculties, introduced in2002, is a key factor.

In September 2002 the ETH Board decided to participate in the set-ting up of the Swiss Institute for Particle and Astroparticle Physics.The Institute will guarantees involvement in major longer-termparticle-physics projects, coordinates the main focal points of re-search emphasis and ensures an efficient use of resources.

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Professor Kurt Wüthrich (right) of ETH Zurich wasawarded the 2002 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.

Professor Kurt Wüthrich of ETH Zurich was awarded the 2002 NobelPrize for Chemistry for his research work into the three-dimensionalstructure of biomolecules. This award represents a success forSwitzerland as a scientific hub.

Total revenues for the ETH domain amount to CHF 2171 million, upCHF 54 million from the previous year. Total expenses were alsohigher at CHF 1920 million (+CHF 101 million).

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Statement 2001

Statement 2002

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The growing importance of the knowledge economy and the knowledge societyprovide clear evidence that the acquisition and dissemination of information have become a new driving force in our society.

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The globalization of the economy coupled with advances in scienceand technology demand that regular attention is paid to the basic con-ditions and guidelines of university teaching and research. The four-year performance mandates issued by the Federal Council to the ETHBoard are one of the instruments with which the “six ships” of the ETHdomain can systematically navigate towards excellence.

A radical change in external conditions will call for more than a simplechange of sails, even if the “six ships” are maintaining a true course.Switzerland and the ETH domain find themselves operating in a en-vironment characterized by far-reaching changes. The growing im-portance of the knowledge economy and the knowledge societyprovide clear evidence that the acquisition and dissemination ofinformation have become a new driving force in our society.

The implementation of effect-oriented administrative management –this assigns the ETH domain to the third circle of the Federal Admin-istration’s Four Circle Model – and the introduction of a new form ofgood governance at the institutions and the ETH Board allow thedesired increase in autonomy. The basis for this was the short-termelaboration and implementation of a multitude of complex projectswithin the ETH domain at the instigation of the ETH Board.

In the spring of 2000 the Federal Department of Home Affairs, to-gether with the ETH Board and the ETH domain, compiled the text forthe partial revision of the ETH Law. In the year under review the Coun-cil of States approved this partial revision, with certain modifications;among the things it enshrines in law are management by perfor-mance mandate and global budget. It will pass through the NationalCouncil at the beginning of 2003.The revised Law will come into forceon 1 January 2004.

THE ETH DOMAIN MAINTAINS ITS COURSE

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A rough wind: Although the ETH domain is following a true course, it will require more than a simple change of sails. External conditions are changing radically.

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Defining the responsibilities of the ETH Board and the institutions ofthe ETH domain constitutes one of the main objectives of this revisionof the ETH Law, which is making the ETH Board into a strategic body.One of its main tasks will be an even stronger international orien-tation, involving in-depth analysis of the changes and realignmenttaking place in international research and educational policy. Europe,the United States and Asia have launched themselves into a scientificand technological revolution the like of which has never been seenbefore. They are doing their utmost to ensure that they remain in thecircle of nationally independent and financially attractive countries.

The Presidents of the two federal institutes of technology and aDirector of the research institutes will have a seat on the ETH Boardand will thus be contributing their experience and specialist know-ledge in science, technology and organization to the decision-makingprocess at an early stage. The fact that Parliament ultimately choseto give itself overall supervisory responsibility for the financing andmanagement of the ETH domain is an indication of the strategicimportance of the ETH domain to our country.

Shored up by these innovations and equipped with the strategicplanning of the ETH Board for 2004–2007, the “six ships” of the ETHdomain are, despite some turbulence, well placed to maintain theircourse in the knowledge economy, and with every chance of success.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who havemade this possible.

Professor Francis Waldvogel Dr. Stephan Bieri

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At the end of November 2002 the Federal Council issued a message to the Federal Councillors to promote education, research and technology in the years2004 – 2007. It calls for a clear increase in funding for the politically sensitive areas of education, research and technology (ERT).

THE NATIONAL ARENA

Investing in Switzerland as an academic hub

Two topics shaped Switzerland’s university and scientific policyduring 2002, namely discussions on future structures and the allo-cation of financial resources for the forthcoming planning period.

Swiss educational and scientific policy is the result of different po-litical bodies acting in combination. The recent revision of the ETHLaw sparked off a discussion on delineating the lines of authority ofthe political protagonists – Parliament and Government – on the onehand, and the bodies responsible for scientific policy and universitieson the other. Added to this problem of structure are the question offederalism (the Federal Law on the Promotion of Universities) and thequestion of the integration of the universities of applied science.Preliminary results have been achieved within the ETH domain on thedelineation of responsibility between politics and science. The Fede-ral Government is the sole source of funding and grants a carefullyconstructed autonomy. This is enshrined in the partially revised ETHLaw and in the Federal Council’s performance mandate.

The desire for a greater general overview in Swiss university andscientific policy has already been expressed several times and is thesubject of ongoing discussions. Due consideration has to be given tothe goal that the ETH domain, with the Federal Government as its backer, will be able to continue to maintain a more specific and detailed relationship than a more developed Federal Government subsidy concept aimed at the cantonal universities can provide for.

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As a result of the Federal Government’s difficult situation as regards financial policy, the planningperiod 2000 – 2003 has been characterized by anominal zero growth rate for the ETH domain.

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The ETH Board’s planning for the period 2004 – 2007 is based on an annual

growth rate of 4%.

More funding planned

At the end of November 2002 the Federal Council issued a messageto the Federal Councillors to promote education, research and tech-nology in the years 2004 – 2007. It calls for a clear increase in fundingfor the politically sensitive areas of education, research and techno-logy (ERT) following a period of stagnation. According to the requestsfrom the Federal Council, the ERT domain should receive around CHF17.3 billion in the period 2004 – 2007. In comparison with the 2003budget, this represents an average annual increase in investments of6 %, of which 1 % – and 1.5 % in 2005 – is still blocked. The FederalCouncil has specified four main areas in which these resources are tobe used: the modernization of teaching, the strengthening of re-search, the promotion of innovation and the reinforcement of natio-nal and international cooperation.

Predicted growth of four percent

As a result of the Federal Government’s difficult situation as regardsfinancial policy, the planning period 2000 – 2003 has been character-ized by a nominal zero growth rate for the ETH domain. The growthfrom the period 1996 – 1999 to the period 2000 – 2003 can essential-ly be attributed to the transfer of existing credits from the FederalAdministration into the ETH domain. The ETH Board’s planning for theperiod 2004 – 2007 is based on an annual growth rate of 4 %. Underthis scenario, the financial contribution for 2004 would be the 2003financial contribution plus a growth rate of 4 percent in real terms.The assumed growth in the Federal Government’s financial contri-bution will only partially permit the setting up of Graduate Schoolsand the differentiated establishment and expansion of new, strategi-cally important areas. In light of this, portfolio optimization and inter-nal realignment are imperative.

THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA

The race in the international knowledge economy

The trend in numerous industrialized states around the world istowards a substantial increase in investment in education andresearch. A bright future has been predicted for the knowledge andinformation society.

The ETH domain and its affiliated institutions discharge their inter-national mandate in a complex and competitive environment. To anyresearcher seeking academic recognition, the United States is an im-portant country. It leads the world in both basic and applied research,and its private universities have substantial capital resources at theirdisposal. Moreover, generously funded state programmes also helpto increase the dynamism of research.

Research takes priority

September 11, 2001 also left its mark on research policy. The USDefense Ministry’s 2003 budget provides for a huge increase in re-search and development contributions to three percent of the Penta-gon’s total budget. The additional funds have been largely allocatedto proposed research in mathematics, engineering sciences andinformation technology. They reinforce the already considerableendeavours of the Americans in recent years. Part of the funding is tobe invested in preventative measures, such as the security of com-munication technologies. Given the growing sensitization to biologicalrisks, further impetus may be expected in other areas of research, forexample, in the development of new drugs and vaccines or in thediscovery of more pain-relieving drugs.

The ETH domain and its affiliated institutions discharge their international mandate in a complex and competitive environment.

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Into this complex situation has come the realization that the tenserelationship between national values and academic freedom at theresearch universities has been further strained. This in turn hassparked off discussions of a mostly ethical nature in the US researchmilieu. All of this resulted in debates with the political authorities.What remains undisputed, however, is that research in the UnitedStates enjoys a high priority.

Japan increases its investment in research

Meanwhile Asia continues to edge itself more and more into thelimelight. Thanks to their meteoric academic development, bothChina and India have emerged as important partners. But Japan, theeconomic powerhouse that has slipped slightly into the background,has also been extremely active. Since 1998 the country has increasedits investment in research by 38 %. Despite the unfavourable econo-mic climate, this now represents 2.9% of the gross domestic product.In addition Japan is investing in nanotechnologies. The “Top Nano 21”programme, in which the ETH Board is heavily involved, has the samemain emphasis. As is the case in Switzerland, science and technologyhave been elevated to the forefront of public interest. Evidence of thiscan be seen in the various efforts being made by Parliament to reformthe educational and research sector.

Strengthening links to research

In autumn 2002 Switzerland sent a delegation to Paris. This dele-gation was entrusted with the task of explaining to the EducationalCommittee of the OECD how the universities of applied science areorganized, drawing particular attention to the importance of the dualuniversity system operating in our country. They discussed in parti-cular how the Bologna Declaration could be implemented withoutstandardizing the two study channels. Differentiation is facilitated bythe ETH Board’s strategic planning for 2004 – 2007, which places theemphasis on step-by-step training with increased involvement inresearch at the same time. Most of the students targeted by this edu-cational model at Bachelor level are Swiss; but it will reach an inter-national audience at Master’s level, as well as in doctoral and post-graduate programmes.

Greater liberty and appropriate funding

Education and research also have a specifically European dimension.In 2000 in Lisbon, the Council of Europe had set an ambitious goal: by2010 Europe should become the world’s most competitive knowledgeeconomy and create a common research platform. Integrated re-search programmes form part of the measures that were decidedupon at that time. Parallel to this, individual states are making addi-tional investments in their own research programmes. For example,France is in the process of realigning and is now backing autonomyfor its own research institutes. Germany has shown similar commit-ment. As a further example, in 2002 the Max Planck Society movedinto two new building complexes: in Magdeburg the building of theResearch Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems; inStuttgart the Institute for Material Research. In his address on 14June 2002, the President of the Max Planck Society, Professor PeterGruss, pointed out two essential prerequisites for creative research:freedom to operate and appropriate and regular financial support.

Similar recommendations were also made by the international panelof experts which, in June 2002, carried out an interim evaluation of theperformance mandate issued by the Federal Council to the ETH Boardfor the years 2000 – 2003. The direction followed by the ETH domainand the reforms which are currently in progress form part of thesame dynamic of global transformations. At the same time they alsotake into account the limited resources available in Switzerland,which has to adapt itself to a restriction in the quantity of future-oriented research directions. For Switzerland as a centre of researchit is therefore imperative that the ETH domain’s budget for 2004 – 2007be increased significantly to permit maximum security of planning.

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With leading-edge research and by training scientists capable of competing in the global arena, the ETH domain equips Swiss business andsociety to meet and overcome the growing demands of the future.

PROJECTS

Maintaining a leading position

The ETH domain is strengthening its position at the cutting edge ofinternational science and is thus making its contribution to science,commerce and society in Switzerland. The basis for this is the stra-tegic planning for the period 2004 – 2007, as defined by the ETHBoard in 2002.

On the one hand, the strategic planning forms the basis for the in-stitutions’ multi-year plans, while on the other it supports the Fede-ral Council in the formulation of its performance mandate and mes-sage on research policy for 2004 – 2007. The strategic planning isgeared to the mechanisms of the existing ETH Law, as well as to thepartially revised ETH Law. It takes into consideration the results of theinterim 2000 – 2003 evaluation of the performance mandate and hasbeen conceived as a basis for the allocation of resources, the appoint-ment of professors and the creation and dissolution of teaching andresearch units. It provides guidelines for course curricula and for thesetting of general goals in the tertiary education policy sector.Reporting based on key figures and indicators allows subsequentevaluation. At its meeting on 14 November 2002 the ETH Board adop-ted the strategic planning for 2004 – 2007.

International quality level recognized

With regard to the preparation of the performance mandate for theyears 2004 – 2007, but also to continuing improvements, an interimevaluation of the performance mandate for 2000 – 2003 was under-taken in June 2002. An international panel of experts undertook thisexercise on behalf of the Federal Council. The self-evaluation drawnup by the ETH Board (Interim Report 2000 – 2001) provided theframework for this evaluation.

The panel of experts made some important recommendations, someof which have already been included in the draft revision of the ETHLaw. They have also been taken into account in the message on thepromotion of education, research and technology 2004 – 2007. Thepanel of experts acknowledged the international quality level ofresearch and teaching at the institutions of the ETH domain It alsoendorsed the policy initiated by the Federal Government of givingautonomy to the ETH domain and its institutions. The need for suffi-cient, regular and transparent financing was deemed essential. Italso proposed rethinking the organization of the research insti-tutions of the ETH domain.

As far as the measures to be taken are concerned, the panel ofexperts favoured the consolidation and expansion of the reformsalready underway in order to bring about more flexibility in the edu-cational and research sectors by simultaneously promoting the doc-toral and further educational programmes. It also recommended theexpansion of Life Sciences and a closer co-operation with medicalresearch. The experts considered it important to encourage inter-disciplinarity and transdisciplinarity between the research areas.One measure which they also proposed was for researchers from theETH domain to fall back increasingly on funding from the SwissNational Science Foundation, the Commission for Technology andInnovation and the EU programmes. Finally they advocated an in-crease in technology transfer and company start-ups.Contact: Dr. Susy Wagnières; wagnieres@ethrat.ch

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World-leading tertiary education and research system

With leading-edge research and by training scientists capable of com-peting in the global arena, the ETH domain equips Swiss business andsociety to meet and overcome the growing demands of the future.These fundamental international conditions play a decisive role inturning this vision into a reality. Both business and scientific sectorsare operating on a worldwide scale. The globalization of sciencedemands the recruitment of top-class people from all over the world.The aim is to create graduate schools with a distinctive internationalatmosphere and to guarantee cutting-edge research. An importantintermediate goal is to raise the profile of the four research insti-tutions. One significant project for the period 2004 – 2007 is to in-crease the autonomy of the institutions of the ETH domain. Measuresin the pipeline include making training more flexible, increasing thenumber of professorships at the research institutes and optimizingstructures. A criteria-based model for the allocation of financialresources will be introduced. Resource allocation will become moretransparent and will take into account aspects of performance, strategy and competition. It is based on a four-year time frame in eachcase, thereby creating security of planning for the institutions.

Financing only just sufficient

Following a period of stagnation, the ETH Board anticipates a fourpercent annual increase in state funding for the entire ETH domain,while funding for the education sector will grow by a larger amountoverall. However, four percent growth is still not sufficient to success-fully meet all strategic goals. The ETH domain is also required tocreate additional space for the further development of the sector bymeans of portfolio optimization and internal realignment.Contact: Dr. Christoph Grolimund; grolimund@ethrat.ch

The globalization of science demands the recruitmentof top-class people from all over the world.

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Basel as practical laboratory for a lasting future

The sustainability of technological development is one of the pri-mary concerns of the research carried out in the ETH domain. Thecross-institution platform “novatlantis – sustainability in the ETHdomain” promotes knowledge transfer between the research andreal-life environments in this area. In the pilot region of Basel,researchers are using four urban development programmes as apractical laboratory for sustainable projects.

In 1997, against a backdrop of globalization and the structural changefrom traditional industries to new service industries, the ETH Boardinitiated its “Strategy Sustainability” project, the aim of which was touse an ecologically innovative thrust to take positive advantage of theincreasingly rapid changes occurring in business and society. Since2002, the platform “novatlantis – sustainability in the ETH domain”has been continuing this work. The cross-institutional platform isinitiating and providing start-up financing for research projects which,in a visionary way, are using processes and technologies that are notyet competitive, but have the potential to meet the goal of sustain-ability. When selecting a project, attention is taken to ensure that atleast one applicant comes from the ETH domain. In 2002 the availablebudget for project contributions stood at a total of CHF 1.5 million.

Goal: 2000 watt society

One long-term goal of “novatlantis” is the 2000 watt society. Thismeans that today’s requirement of 6000 watts per inhabitant shouldbe reduced by a factor of three. Of these 2000 watts – the currentworldwide average energy requirement – only 500 watts should bederived from non-renewable resources. In contrast, the much largerrest should come from renewable energy sources. This vision will onlybecome a reality if the various elements making up the three cornersof the ecology, economy and society triangle make their contributions.

Exemplary urban development

In August 2001, the ETH domain and the canton of Basel-Stadt set upthe “2000 watt society pilot region Basel” project in four districts ofthe city. The project steering committee includes representatives ofthe cantonal administration, the Basel University of Applied Science,the University of Basel and “novatlantis”. The aim is to initiate, pro-mote and institutionalize scientifically sound contributions solving

On the road towards quantum information processing

One day, “quantum computers” should be able to solve certain problems infinitely more quickly than conventional classic computers. The chips of the future will no longerwork on the basis that electrons are particles, but rather by using their wave properties.Semiconductor nanostructures are of great importance for the production of such chips,which consist of millions of identical components. Physicists in Professor Klaus Ensslin’sgroup at ETH Zurich are trying to develop the basic building block of “quantum comput-ers” using artificial atoms, namely a quantum bit. Using a specially stabilized atomicforce microscope, they are writing the nanostructures directly into the thin conducting

layer of gallium arsenide semiconductors. A voltage applied to the probe tip of the micro-scope results in the local oxidization of the surface. The raised oxide lines act as barriersto the electrons, which move parallel to the semiconductor surface. To determine thequantum effects in such structures, the resistance has to be measured at temperaturesapproaching absolute zero (-273°C). The FIRST Lab at ETH Zurich, which was opened in2002, provides an excellent base for the technological manufacturing of these structures.Researchers at this first-class research centre for microtechnology and nanotechnologyare, for example, developing methods to enable the controlled manufacture of ultra-small transistors.

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specific problems within the region. Energy efficiency will be a toppriority in all projects. In addition to the projects on mobility, theother aspects to be addressed include town planning, renewableenergy resources, innovative building technologies, economic incen-tive models and sustainable resource management.

Sustainable mobility in the spotlight

Closely bound to the project “2000 watt society pilot region Basel” isthe framework project “Fuel and vehicles for the 2000 watt society”.This is addressing real ways of creating an environmentally friendlyand innovative fleet of vehicles and fuel infrastructure for tomorrow.The framework project is designed to link the ETH domain’s strongtechnological and scientific competencies in the area of vehicle drivetrain development and the production of renewable fuels. Among theimportant results in 2002 are the successful setting up of a networkof interest groups from business, administration and science; thepreparation of key information on sustainable mobility and thedrawing up an overview on the state of low-emission vehicle propul-sion technologies. The “Ecogas” project also produced its first find-ings. PSI, ETH Zurich and EMPA are investigating how natural gas canbe utilized in energy-efficient gas-powered vehicles. In future, fossilfuels will be replaced by methane derived from local wood andbiomass waste. Contact: Monika V. Zumbühl, lic. phil.; zumbuehl@ethrat.chwww.novatlantis.ch

One long-term goal of “novatlantis” is the 2000watt society. This means that today’s requirementof 6000 watts per inhabitant should be reduced by a factor of three.

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Advancing towards the original building blocks of the universe

In September 2002, the ETH Board decided to collaborate in theestablishment of the Swiss Institute for Particle and AstroparticlePhysics (Swiss Institute). The fundamental decision represents animportant advance in terms of research and tertiary educationalpolicy. The Swiss Institute will safeguard participation in major par-ticle physics projects over the long-term, coordinates the focalareas of research and ensures an efficient allocation of resources.

What is the Earth made of? What are the basic building blocks ofmatter? What is holding the Earth together at its core? Which forcesare acting between the elementary particles? The exploration of thesefundamental questions of the microcosmos and macrocosmos is con-stantly leading scientists into uncharted technological territory.Atoms, with their electrons, neutrons and protons, have long beenousted from their position as the smallest components of elementarybuilding blocks. And yet crucial pieces still have to been found beforethe puzzle can be pieced together into an extensive theory of matter.And no one knows if these really are the last unsplittable blocks innature’s building kit. The huge advances in experimental particlephysics over the last four decades have been based on the use of largeaccelerating and measuring apparatus employing immensely com-plex physics and technology. However, this could only be achievedthrough the worldwide coordination of human and financial resour-ces from a multitude of universities and research establishments.

Planning security is a must

In Switzerland, close relationships have always existed betweenvarious universities in joint research groups for particle physics ex-periments at CERN in Geneva and on other large installations. Colla-boration has even extended to the use of workshop facilities, as wellas the holding of teaching events. In the past, these major efforts didnot take place in a formalized structure. The major projects in ele-mentary particle physics, which sometimes take years to set up, canonly be successfully implemented if planning is secure. Because ofthis, most countries have, over time, created national organizations.These allocate capital resources to individual projects over extendedperiods of time. Until now Switzerland has held back from such acoordination process. Funding is granted through the mechanisms ofthe Swiss National Science Foundation or from federal finances, andfor a period of only one year in advance.

Delving into the innermost realms of matter

The Swiss universities, ETH Zurich and PSI have decided to colla-borate in three different research projects (ATLAS, CMS and LHCb)involving the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) particle accelerator cur-rently being constructed at CERN. Using this gigantic machine, thephysicists intend to delve deeper than ever into the innermost realmsof matter. They want to be able to feel their way towards states suchas those which prevailed at the time the universe came into being.Given the outstanding importance of this fundamental research, thefunds already invested and Switzerland’s international responsibilityas host-nation to CERN, it is, as far as the ETH Board is concerned,imperative to secure the LHC experiments. It is in the common inter-est of all participating scientists for all three research projects at theLHC to come to successful fruition.

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Advancing together at the national level

In September 2002 the ETH Board decided that the ETH domain wo-uld participate in the setting up of the Swiss Institute for Particle andAstroparticle Physics. In addition to all the active particle physicsgroups of the cantonal universities, the centre of excellence coversETH Zurich, EPF Lausanne and the PSI. The structures and proces-ses of the Swiss Institute take account of the federal universitysystem. The task of coordination consists in reaching agreements onareas of research focus and guaranteeing the allocation of resources.Additional tasks include ensuring the availability of computers to ana-lyse and evaluate the three LHC experiments, the teaching of ele-mentary particle physics at all universities, as well as PR work. Thefinancing of the Swiss Institute is primarily safeguarded by theproject-specific contributions provided for in the Federal Law on thepromotion of universities, and specifically within the framework of themessage on the promotion of education, research and technology for2004 – 2007. The Institute is expected to be up and running at thebeginning of 2004. Contact: Albert Fritschi, lic. oec. publ.; fritschi@ethrat.ch

Research scientists are investigating fundamentalaspects of the microcosm and macrocosm. This work is enabling them to move into unchartedtechnological territory all the time.

A successful lesson in transdisciplinary collaboration

The victory of the "Alinghi" team in the 2003 America's Cup has made history. EPF Lausanne played a part in this success as the team's official scientific advisor. Four laboratories, three faculties and countless engineers and students accepted the challenge and gave their best to this major transdisciplinary project. EPF Lausanne worked closely with the "Alinghi" team, offering its vast breadth of research expertise in an undertaking whose pivotal point was the interplay of man, technology and science. Within a short time, innovations and technologies were put to the test in tough real-life conditions and came through with flying colours.

The "Laboratoire de technologie des composites et polymères" (LTC-STI) was one of the laboratories that grasped the challenge. All the teams involved in the America'sCup were keen to use the latest composite materials, for example to construct the keel of the ship or the mast. LTC-STI and the "Alinghi" team developed parts and equipment for the boat. The research scientists looked for ways of improving the properties of the latest-generation composite materials; they did this by optimizing the life-cycle of the materials, for example, and they also developed new methods for monitoring quality and performance.

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Switzerland and the ETH domain find themselves operating in a environmentcharacterized by far-reaching changes.

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ETHZ: Men have different iron in their blood than women

Researchers at the Laboratory for Human Nutrition at ETH Zurichand the Laboratory for Isotope Geology at the University of Bernehave identified differences in the composition of the iron found inthe human body. Studies indicate a selective absorption of light ironisotopes in the small intestine. The medical and scientific commu-nity hope that this will lead to further discoveries with which tocombat anaemia caused by lack of iron.

Iron is essential for human beings. Specifically, it has to be ingestedalong with food. Once in the body it is used to transport and storeoxygen. If iron intake is insufficient, the body has the capacity tomodify the absorption of iron from food. However, the efficacy of thisprocess in different people remains rather unclear. For example,studies aimed at establishing a genetic predisposition to inadequateiron absorption and anaemia are hampered by methodological limits.

Like most chemical elements, iron is made up of different istopes.Even when all isotopes of a particular element have the same basicchemical properties, the transportation processes and chemicalreactions can still distinguish between isotopes and adjust the ratiosin the mixture. Until quite recently it was considered impossible to

ETH Zurich inaugurated three large research infra-structures in 2002

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measure these minimal shifts for iron. However, this extremely pre-cise measuring process has now been successfully carried out for thefirst time at the University of Berne. Iron isotope ratios were deter-mined to an accuracy of one hundredth of a percent – even when onlya few micrograms were available. If we took the analogy of the areaof a football field, this would mean the accuracy to measure onematch-length.

The study, which was presented in the 15 March 2002 edition of themagazine “Science”, showed that higher organisms prefer to absorbthe lighter isotopes from food. Furthermore, the human body sortsthe isotopes and stores them in various places around the body. Thehighest concentration of light isotopes is found in the hair. In theblood, the body’s largest reservoir of iron, each person has his or ownindividual isotope ratio. This being so, the blood of a male is, on aver-age, richer in light isotopes than that of a female. The crucial factorin this is that women lose iron through menstrual bleeding. In manycases this leads to anaemia, and the female body responds by in-creasing the amount of iron absorbed from food. If the isotope com-position of blood iron is linked to iron absorption, the blood of a maleshould be different to the blood of a female. This is exactly what wasobserved in the tests.

Since iron is present in food only in very small quantities and cannotbe easily absorbed by the human body, the body tries to minimize ironlosses. It takes several years to completely replace all the iron in thebody with new iron. Because of this, the isotope composition remainsabsolutely constant, and could, therefore, be used to measure theaverage iron absorption over a period of years. Until now, this mea-surement has not been quantifiable. Further studies will show theextent to which shifts in iron isotope ratios could be used to identifypeople who utilize iron well and people who utilize it poorly, and tounderstand the causes of the phenomenon. This is of interest formedicine and nutritional science, since some 600 to 700 million peo-ple around the world are afflicted by anaemia and this deficiencysymptom could also quite conceivably be caused by an absorptiondisorder.

Curriculum reform in progress: with five moreBachelor’s programs have been introduced atETH Zurich.

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The advantages of MEMS are numerous: Miniaturization of compo-nents that were hitherto available in macroformat only, integration ofmicroelectronic and micromechanic components on a single chip,cost savings and new functions at a reduced volume. MEMS will beused in future in aviation electronics, space technology or, for ex-ample, in telecommunications. They are, however, also suitable foruse as intelligent components of buildings.

As part of these activities, Professor Adrian Ionescu from ProfessorDeclerq’s Laboratoire d’Electronique Générale has, with his group ofPhD students, developed a remarkable innovation which will doubt-less receive international attention: the concept of RF MEMS (RadioFrequency MEMS ) production technology, which has already beenprotected by a first patent application. Macroformat components arenormally used to process radio frequency signals. Now, thanks to RFMEMS, it is possible to series-produce millimetre-sized oscillators,filters, mixers, and radio frequency power amplifiers. This discoverywill have a lasting effect not only on mobile telephony, but also on therealization of smart pills for use in non-invasive diagnostics. OtherMEMS components can assume the form of micro-switch elementsthat allow a circuit to reconfigure itself or even to produce severalcomplementary functions which are at present still have to be pro-duced with several different matrices.

Professor Ionescu is also playing a significant integrating role in thathe is bringing his influence to bear at the hub of science and techno-logies by combining knowledge of dynamic microsystems with that ofintegrated circuits and electronics. He has succeeded in determiningthe conditions for making current CMOS circuit (microchip) pro-duction techniques compatible with MEMS production techniques.The assistance of two laboratories at EPF Lausanne has been securedfor this project, and at the same time Professor Ionescu is workingtogether with important European research institutions as part of theEuropean IST (Information Society Technology) project. The choice ofAdrian Ionescu, an Assistant Professor on the “Tenure Track” pro-gramme, can be seen as a successful example of the new policy tofoster up-and-coming scientists by ETH Zurich, EPF Lausanne andthe ETH Board.

EPFL: Electronics and mechanics meet at the level of the micron

Electronic microchips with integrated, microscopically small,mechanical components represent a technological challenge. Theyopen up spectacular perspectives in the areas of mobile telephony,medicine and miniaturized sensor systems. In 2002, the researchgroup led Professor Adrian Ionescu achieved a significant successat the federal institute of technology in Lausanne (EPF Lausanne).

Microelectronics is well suited to particularly innovative researchassignments. There is potential above all in the field of miniaturizingdynamic components, so-called Micro Electro Mechanical Systems(MEMS). Micro-mirrors, micro-acceleration meters and micro-equip-ment for fluid measurement systems are typical examples of MEMSthat have been developed by EPF Lausanne.

MEMS production is essentially based on the principles of integratedcircuit manufacturing, in which coatings are applied to a siliconsubstrate. In addition, a special technology comes into play here: theproduction of multi-coated matrices, at least one layer of which isused at the end of the production process. After this process, dyna-mic mechanical elements appear three dimensional in their micro-scopic form. The moveable parts are therefore free to take up theirfunction.

Microelectronics is well suited to particularly innovative research assignments. There is potential above all in the field of miniaturizingdynamic components, so-called Micro ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS).

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Rigorous test passed on the Simplon

Fuel cells convert hydrogen directly into electrical energy. In so doing, they not onlyachieve a much greater degree of efficiency than petrol or diesel engines, but they alsoemit no pollutants at local level. This highly promising technology is currently undergoingfurther development in around 10 different interdisciplinary projects, ranging from basicresearch into catalytic converters, to the development of membranes, and on to the development of prototypes for vehicle propulsion systems. The researchers are inter-ested in materials and processes that reduce costs, increase power density and reducecomplexity. The aim is to make fuel cells that are suitable for everyday use, for examplefor car motors or portable power plants.

To enable the researchers to learn more about the way fuel cells work, the cells are run on test beds at the PSI under precisely defined conditions. An understanding of theprocesses helps to ensure constant improvement of the materials and components. For example, a milestone was achieved in one major project in 2002: a car developed bythe PSI and various partners with fuel-cell/supercondensator drive passed a rigoroustest on the Simplon. Among the components of the fuel cells used are special bipolar plates that connect the individual cells electrically in stacks. This special bipolar plate is the result of a dissertation produced through collaboration between the PSI and ETH Zurich.

PSI: Working together to shed light on the structures of proteins

The pharmaceutical companies Novartis and Roche, together withthe Max Planck Society, are investing jointly in a new SynchrotronBeamline at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI). The three partnerswant to use this electromagnetic radiation for protein crystallo-graphy – a forward-looking area of research for drug development.

In autumn 2002, the Max Planck Society, Roche and Novartis decidedto jointly build and use another beamline for protein crystallography(PX) at the PSI. The Max Planck Society paid half towards the costs,while the two Basel pharmaceutical groups contributed 25 % each.The cost of building and operating the beamline for 10 years isapproximately CHF 20 million.

The important stakeholders from the international research commu-nity and private sector are extremely interested in using the powerfulSwiss Light Source. This joint investment will benefit the PSI as a userlaboratory, since it will be able to make best use of its experts. Buil-ding and operating a beamline is a challenging task. However, it alsostrengthens Switzerland as a centre of research in which an inno-vative field of research is being expanded. The new beamline is ex-pected to be fully operational by the start of 2005.

Using increasingly sophisticated methods, researchers are seeking tofind out more about the finest structures of living matter. Con-sequently, they are using protein crystallography (PX) to unravel thearchitecture of proteins. Proteins are giant organic molecules thatconsist of complex-structured, folded chains of thousands of atoms.In the PX method, the proteins are crystallized and irradiated withsynchrotron light (in the wavelength range of less than 1 nanometer).The resulting diffraction pattern allows conclusions to be drawn aboutthe structure of the protein molecules.

The pharmaceutical industry in particular is interested in the bio-molecules. Their structure is an aid in producing tailor-made activeingredients and medicines. PX is thus a forward-looking method thatwill allow researchers to advance drug development. It also permitseffective automation of experiments. Different series of proteincrystals can be investigated within a short space of time.

The SLS, which has been in operation since 2001, is a gigantic x-raytube and a huge microscope in one. The circular light source has acircumference of 288 metres. The synchrotron light is used to re-search novel materials, biomolecules, surfaces, microstructures andnanostructures. Understanding microscopic properties enables realprogress to be made, for example in semiconductor technology, in thefield of high-temperature supra-conducting, as well as in the de-velopment of drugs and of basic materials for energy technology.Synchrotron light is sharply focussed electromagnetic radiation; ithas wavelengths varying from ultra violet to hard X-rays and is emit-ted by extremely fast-moving electrons.

The SLS at the PSI is one of the most world’s brightest light sources.When we talk of high brightness or luminance, we mean that theradiation is both particularly intensive and also sharply focussed.Four beamlines are currently in operation at the Swiss Light Source,and there is enough space for more than 30 in total. The SLS isattracting enormous interest among researchers at home andabroad. It was fully booked in 2002. The enormous demand allows thePSI, as a user laboratory, to select the best projects in terms of qualityand also the most innovative ones.

The SLS is attracting enormous interest among researchers at home and abroad. It was fully booked in 2002.

The PSI held an open day on 20 October. Numerous experiments on the subject of “Surfaces – familiar and unknown boundaries”were on display.

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WSL: Neither forest nor field – both at once

Pastured woodlands are, as the name suggests, a special blend ofwoods and grazing pasture. How can they be successfully managedto ensure their long-term survival? The Swiss Federal Institute forForest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) is looking for theanswers.

For centuries, agriculture and forestry in the Jura have succeeded inmaintaining a balance between woods and pastures. However, it is notonly the farmers with their cattle and horses who have shaped thepastured woodlands. Hunters and joggers, farmers and cyclists,foresters and families out for a day trip – all of them have an influenceon this complex ecosystem.

Up until now, everything has been fine. Some of the above gave thepastured woodlands their special character and ensured that thebalance was maintained, while the others treated the expansivelandscapes with respect. A successful example of the harmoniousinteraction between humans and nature. Indeed, this is precisely whatmakes these areas attractive for tourism.

But the pastured woodlands are in danger. There were initial attemptsto clearly separate woodland from pastureland in order to ensureefficient working. And then came the structural change in agriculture.It has meant that the wood is able to spread: where there are no cattle,the pastureland is disappearing too. But when the pastured wood-lands become just woods, the landscape is impoverished too – interms of biodiversity as well as in other areas.

How intensive can use of pastureland or forestation be if we are topreserve the pastured woodlands? It is rather like a child’s swing.Everything is fine up to a certain point with the swinging to and fro,but the upset happens if the pendulum movements become toopowerful. So how is it possible to ensure a dynamic balance such asthis in the long term – without the cost becoming astronomical? Thisis where WSL’s research comes in.

Pasturing experiments are currently being carried out to examine theinfluence of cattle on reforestation and the weed layer. At the sametime, researchers are developing models on which the various in-fluences on wooded pasture ecosystems can be simulated, with theaim of illustrating just how intensive land husbandry has to be in orderto prevent landscape impoverishment. Furthermore, a method hasalready been developed that makes it possible to track precisely thedynamics of afforestation.

The results of the research could attract interest from abroad as well,since pastured woodlands and wooded pastures – and therefore thedouble use of the land for forestry and agricultural purposes – arewidespread in Mediterranean and tropical areas. Indeed, an Internetsearch will throw up countless entries for “agroforestry”.

Research results are one thing, but putting them into practice isanother: How can we persuade landowners to continue to use theirpastured woodland in a sensible manner? Will these pastured wood-land areas have a place in land use planning in the future? And do weneed to take special protective measures? It is therefore imperativethat researchers, forestry officials, nature conservationists, farmers,authorities and tourism experts work together to find solutions. WSL’sAntenne Romande is committed to ensuring this happens, and it isdeveloping new and also economically viable land husbandry modelsto ensure that the pastured woodlands will remain intact for a longtime to come.

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WSL has excavated the bed of a stream that up to now has been

drained. With the help of insect traps,they are now investigating how

long it will take for nature to renconquer this new habitat.

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EMPA: Don’t throw out electronic components – repair them!

The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research(EMPA) has developed tools and methods to support the semi-conductor industry in the recycling and reuse of electronic com-ponents. Eureka, the European research initiative, honoured theproject, entitledcCare Electronics Materials and Ageing”, by awar-ding it the “Lillehammer Award” in June 2002.

The lifetime of electronic consumer goods is generally significantlylonger than the period for which they are actually used. Televisions,for example, are replaced on average every six years, even thoughthey could easily remain in service for 15 years. When an appliancestops working, it is usually thrown away – even though the problemoften lies with just a single defective component. This is why newconcepts are required for the design, production, use and reuse ofelectronic products. The German-Austrian-Swiss project “Care Elec-tronics Materials and Ageing”, led by EMPA, investigated reuse andrecycling concepts for used electronic products. It emerged from thisthat reusing components is ecologically and economically much morebeneficial than traditional recycling. The reason for this is the long-evity and the reliability of the components.

To ensure that manufacturers are willing to use components again,however, it must be possible to produce reliable data about thequality, functional efficiency and expected lifetime of the components.A project team from the “Electronics/Metrology” section, led by Dr.Urs Sennhauser, has therefore been looking into the residual lifetimeof products and components. The researchers have developedmethods to determine the lifetime of electronic components. Possiblemethods of estimating the lifetime of electronic components rangefrom simple visual inspection to techniques in which the temperatureof power components or the leakage current in CMOS semiconduc-tors is measured. The project team also put forward criteria for esti-mating the remaining lifetime of components and suggested appro-priate repair strategies for such products. The results of the researchare an important prerequisite for ensuring the needs-based main-tenance and reuse of valuable electronic components. The knowledgegained from EMPA's work is being disseminated in workshops orga-nized under the auspices of the Eureka Care Umbrella programmesor the EMPA Academy.

The Eureka research initiative, which now numbers 31 memberstates, is a permanent feature of European and Swiss research andtechnology policy. Every year Eureka presents the “Eureka Lilleham-mer Award” to a project that demonstrates how financially attractiveand ecologically sustainable solutions can be achieved using new pro-cesses. The projects are judged by a panel of internationally respec-ted environmental experts. EMPA received the international award in2002 for its project “Care Electronics Materials and Ageing”. The prizeencourages EMPA to continue its research work in this area. Theultimate aim is to persuade companies in the electronics industry toturn increasingly to ecologically sound design concepts. For example,products should be brought onto the market that have been designedin such a way that their individual components can be reinstalled inother products.

The specialist symposium staged in November bythe EMPA Academy and the Swiss Solar Society

SSES brought a wide range of insights into various aspects of working with renewable ener-

gies. In her speech Member of the parliamentRegine Aeppli called for a rethink in Switzerland

and for the internationalization of external costs.

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EAWAG: Arsenic – a new challenge for water experts

Arsenic is one of the world’s most prevalent chemical pollutants inthe groundwater. The Swiss Federal Institute for EnvironmentalScience and Technology (EAWAG) is conducting various projects toinvestigate how arsenic can be detected and eliminated. In 2002, aresearch team developed a method for identifying arsenic in water.The test could be particularly relevant in Bangladesh, where mil-lions of people are drinking arsenic-contaminated groundwater.

In many countries, arsenic is one of the most significant inorganiccontaminants in both groundwater and drinking water. Some of this iscaused by human activities, for example the mining of ore or the use ofherbicides In most cases, however, arsenic is naturally present under-ground, dissolved in water-bearing sediments and from there seepinginto the groundwater. The situation in Bangladesh is particularly alarm-ing: for some time now, 35 million people have been ingesting arsenic-contaminated water. One million people are already suffering fromchronic arsenic poisoning. In Vietnam, too, EAWAG has discoveredanother arsenic-contaminated area: the 11,000 square kilometre RedRiver delta, which contains the capital city, Hanoi. In the most extremecases, contamination in this region is up to 300 times higher than the10 micrograms per litre recommended by the World Health Organi-zation (WHO).

EAWAG is active in researching and implementing solutions at variouslevels. As part of the project “Sustainable water management inarsenic-contaminated areas of Asia” the options for water treatmentin households, the provision of water to communities and the hydro-logy of groundwater conduits are being examined. In this projectEAWAG is working together with research groups from the Massa-chussetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Tokyo (UT),and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).Two years ago EAWAG developed the SORAS (“Solar Oxidation andRemoval of Arsenic from Drinking Water”) method for reducing thearsenic content of drinking water. This simple and virtually cost-freemethod is intended to treat small quantities of water with naturallyoccurring concentrations of iron of at least 5mg/L in private house-holds. Contaminated water is mixed in plastic bottles with five to tendrops of lemon juice and left out in the sun. Through photooxidationand precipitation with the iron hydroxides, between 50 % and 80 % ofthe arsenic can be filtered off and removed. SORAS can be employedas an emergency solution until better processes or arsenic-free waterbecomes available. EAWAG is now working on the development offurther processes to remove the arsenic from groundwater with smallamounts of iron and high concentrations of phosphates and silicate.

Since the arsenic concentrations in groundwater are subject to heavyfluctuations, streams with a high arsenic content can be found in theimmediate vicinity of streams with low arsenic contents. Because ofthis, millions of streams would have to be examined individually. Thiscan only be achieved by means of a cheap, field-expedient and at thesame time sensitive and reliable detection method. With this aim inmind, a new biosensor for arsenic has been developed by an EAWAGresearch team. The paper-strip test uses genetically modified bac-teria that cause a colour change even when only small concentrationsof arsenic are present. However, certain hurdles have still to benegotiated before the test can be introduced on a large scale. Forexample, the test’s reliability in the climactic conditions prevailing inVietnam or Bangladesh has to be proven. Furthermore, currentlegislation on the release of genetically modified organisms pre-cludes field tests. Nevertheless, the test could, at some stage in thefuture, give millions of people access to clean drinking water.

The subject of this year’s EAWAG information days was “Alpine Watercourses – a fragile biodiversity in peril.” Various experts put their findings up for discussion.

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The ETH domain has pushed ahead with the establishment and implementationof an extended cost accounting system.

FINANCES

2002 financial statements: Expenses and revenues higher than budgeted

Total revenues for the ETH domain amount to CHF 2171 million, upCHF 54 million from the previous year. Total expenses were alsohigher at CHF 1920 million (+CHF 101 million).

The ETH domain’s financial statements comprise the income state-ment, the investment statement, the cash flow statement, the balancesheet and the notes to the accounts. The income statement showsrevenues and expenses for the ETH domain. The investment state-ment shows expenditures for acquisition of furnishings and IT equip-ment and for facilities under construction. The latter are technicallyfederal property, but are managed de facto by the ETH domain. Thefederal contribution thus includes financing of ongoing investment inconstruction projects. Once completed, however, the buildings areultimately capitalized on the balance sheet of the federal government.

Income statement: higher volume of operations

The tasks laid down in the ETH domain’s mandate are primarilyfinanced through the contribution of the federal government. Asecond important source of financing is proceeds for services pro-vided to third parties; these funds are generally tied to specific pro-jects. Both the federal contribution and third-party service revenuesrose in fiscal 2002.

Total revenues came to CHF 2171 million, an increase of CHF 54 mil-lion (+2.5%) over the previous year. Ordinary expenditures amountedto CHF 1870 million, an increase of CHF 129 million (7.4%) over 2001.The surplus of revenue over expenses (Result 1) was CHF 75 millionbelow the previous year’s at CHF 301 million. Result 1 was partiallyoffset by lower extraordinary expenses (CHF 51 million; previous year:

6

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CHF 78 million). Result 2 was CHF 251 million (previous year: CHF 299million). The overall surplus of CHF 258 million (previous year: CHF306 million) consists of Result 2 plus net financial income (CHF 7 mil-lion). The total surplus on the income statement does not representa profit, but rather serves to finance investments.

The federal contribution of CHF 1756 million includes CHF 44 millionfor innovation and cooperation projects. Third-party revenues amoun-ted to CHF 415 million, representing growth of CHF 26 million or6.6 % in comparison with the previous year. This category consists primarily of remuneration from third-party income (+CHF 22 million)as well as miscellaneous other revenues (+CHF 4 million). The re-maining changes are negligible and practically cancel one anotherout. Remuneration from third-party income (CHF 330 million) is most-ly project-specific. It includes contributions from domestic and inter-national research organizations, federal agencies, cantonal agenciesand private-sector companies and organizations that conduct andfinance joint research projects in cooperation with the federal insti-tutes of technology and the research institutions. Third-party incomein the ETH domain is broken down as follows:

Third-party income

Research subsidies

Departmental research with federal agencies

Business-oriented research

European Research Programmes

Special Fund

Total

Remuneration 2001

CHF million

117.7

68.6

88.9

28.5

4.1

307.8

% of total

39

22

29

9

1

100

Remuneration 2002

CHF million

120.9

68.1

97.3

40.3

3.0

329.6

% of total

37

21

29

12

1

100

The growth of European Research Programmes had the greatest im-pact. The other categories remained steady at a high level. Grantingand disbursement of funds is distributed over the duration of a pro-ject. The figures in the table represent effective cash inflows for therelevant period.

Other third-party revenues showed no significant changes against theprevious year. These include fees and service revenues (CHF 38 mil-lion), other revenues (CHF 37 million, comprising tuition fees, rentalincome and administrative revenues) and proceeds from disposals, ITservices and reimbursements (CHF 10 million).

The CHF 415 million is broken down over the federal institutes oftechnology and the research institutions in the ETH domain as fol-lows: ETH Zurich CHF 162 million (39 %); EPF Lausanne CHF 145 mil-lion (35 %); PSI CHF 49 million (12 %); WSL CHF 13 million (3 %); EMPA CHF 37 million (9 %); EAWAG CHF 9 million (2 %). EPF Lausan-ne’s third-party revenues increased substantially.

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Total revenues were CHF 63 million (+3 %) over the budgeted figure ofCHF 2108 million. The variance is attributable to remuneration fromthird parties (+CHF 60 million), fees and services (+CHF 9 million) andother revenues (including revenues from IT services and reimburse-ments, +CHF 7 million). Proceeds from disposals were overestimatedin the budget (-CHF 13 million).

Total expenses were CHF 101 million (+6 %) above the 2001 figure ofCHF 1819 million. Ordinary expenses grew by CHF 129 million whileextraordinary expenses declined by CHF 28 million. The greatest in-creases were in payroll (+CHF 70 million), depreciation (+CHF 30 mil-lion), general overheads (+CHF 12 million) and changes in third-par-ty funding (+CHF 12 million). The payroll increase is attributable to ahigher volume of innovation and cooperation projects and researchprojects funded by third parties as well as cost-of-living adjustments.In the case of depreciation, an additional annual charge took effect(due to capitalization of movable property and IT equipment since2000).

The decline in extraordinary expenses is in consequence of lowerchanges in provisions. (Relatively large provisions were made for thefirst time in 2001.)

Total expenses of CHF 1920 million comprise payroll (CHF 1373 mil-lion), cost of materials (CHF 74 million), general overheads (CHF 187million), infrastructure expenditures (CHF 122 million), depreciation(CHF 71 million), change in third-party funding (CHF 43 million) andcontributions, transfers and changes in provisions (CHF 51 million).

The CHF 1920 million is broken down over the institutions of the ETHdomain as follows: ETH Zurich CHF 951 million (50 %); EPF Lausan-ne CHF 508 million (26 %); PSI CHF 228 million (12 %); WSL CHF 57million (3 %); EMPA CHF 113 million (6 %); EAWAG CHF 51 million (2 %); ETH Board CHF 12 million (1%).

The excess of total expenses over budget (CHF 1834 million) by CHF86 million (+5 %) is attributable to variances in payroll (+CHF 36 mil-lion), overheads (+CHF 12 million), changes in third-party funding(+CHF 43 million), depreciation (+CHF 2 million) and extraordinary ex-penses (+CHF 16 million). Materials and infrastructure came in belowbudget at -CHF 11 million and -CHF 12 million respectively.

ETH domain: Summary of revenuesfrom third parties

ETHZ EPFL PSI WSL EMPA

Statement 2001

Statement 2002

180

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

EAWAG

in CHF m

Rep

ortin

g

43

Payroll (CHF 1373 million) was CHF 36 million or 3 % over budget (CHF1337 million). Wages and salaries on the one hand and employee in-surance contributions (PUBLICA) on the other were both over budgetat +CHF 25 million (2 %) and +CHF 11 million (14 %) respectively. Incontrast to the previous year, the ETH domain avoided using supple-mentary borrowing to close the budget gap for staff insurance contri-butions, making up the difference within the ETH domain.

Investment statement: a declining trend

The ETH domain’s investment expenditures amounted to CHF 353 mil-lion. Of this amount, real estate accounts for CHF 216 million (61 %),furnishings for CHF 97 million (27 %) and information technology forCHF 40 million (12 %). Some CHF 30 million of investments was fi-nanced through third-party funding.

CHF 177 million was spent on projects costing in excess of CHF 10 mil-lion, CHF 176 million for projects costing less than CHF 10 million. TheCHF 353 million is broken down as follows: ETH Zurich CHF 208 mil-lion (59 %); EPF Lausanne CHF 77 million (22 %); PSI CHF 53 million(15%); WSL CHF 2 million (1%); EMPA CHF 9 million (2%); EAWAG CHF4 million (1%).

ETH domain: Summary of expenditure by type

Personal expenditure Materials expenditure

Statement 2001

Statement 2002

1600

1400

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

0

Other expenditure

(incl. depreciation)

Provisions, contri-

butions, transfer

At CHF 353 million, the grand total of investment expenditures for ac-quisition of real estate, furnishings and IT equipment was roughly asbudgeted. The budget for items costing up to CHF 10 million (CHF 163million) was exceeded by CHF 13 million, while expenditures on pro-jects over CHF 10 million came in CHF 13 million under budget (CHF190 million). Expenditures for real estate were CHF 32 million underbudget at CHF 216 million; spending on furnishings was CHF 28 mil-lion over budget at CHF 97 million. Information technology spending(CHF 41 million) was CHF 5 million over budget.

Investment expenditures declined by CHF 32 million (8 %) from theprevious year. Scarce funds are increasingly required to finance cur-rent spending. The percentage of spending on real estate and ITequipment remained relatively steady compared to the previous year.

in CHF m

44

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Liabilities amounted to CHF 320 million, tied fund capital to CHF 485million and equity to CHF 259 million. A sharp increase in long-termliabilities (+CHF 45 million) is apparent in consequence of greaterprovisioning needs. Tied fund capital also increased by CHF 44 mil-lion. These funds are “tied” because they are offset by a claim forservices on the part of the funding providers. Equity includes reser-ves of approximately CHF 17 million drawn from the federal financialcontribution. Equity growth was due primarily to the capitalization offurnishings acquired since 1 January 2000 (less depreciation). Ba-lance sheet consolidation is confined to the cancellation of receiv-ables and payables within the ETH domain; at roughly CHF 3 millionit is of relatively small scale.

Balance sheet: Total exceeds CHF 1 billion for the first time

The balance sheet is structured according to commercial principles.Its peculiarity is that the credit side, besides liabilities and equity, alsoincludes a “tied fund capital” line.

The balance sheet total is CHF 1064 million. The balance sheet showscurrent assets of CHF 765 million as at 31 December 2002, with fixedassets (exclusive of real estate) of CHF 299 million. Total assets usedwithin the ETH domain, however, are much higher.

ETH domain: Summary of expendi-ture by institutions

ETH Board ETHZ EPFL PSI WSL EMPA

Statement 2001

Statement 2002

1000

900

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

EAWAG

in CHF m

45

Rep

ortin

g

in CHF m

Assets(lines 2 + 9)

Current assets

(lines 3 to 8)

Liquidity and securities

Account receivable

Financial resources

Third-party resources

Inventories

Prepaid expenses

Fixed assets

(lines 10 to 12)

Tangible assets

Financial assets

Intangible assets

Liabilities(lines 14 +23 + 24)

Borrowings

(lines 15 + 19)

Short-term borrowings

(lines 16 to 18)

Financial liabilities

Other liabilities

Deferred receivables

Long-term borrowings

(lines 20 to 22)

Financial liabilities

Other liabilities

Provisions

Tied fund capital

Equity

(lines 25 + 26)

Capital and various reserves

Reserves, federal financial contribution

ETH DOMAIN: CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET 2002

Line-no.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

Balance sheet

2001

913.3

685.5

7.0

184.9

11.7

461.5

9.0

11.4

227.8

203.9

23.9

0.0

913.3

275.9

215.3

145.6

14.1

55.6

60.6

2.0

0.0

58.6

441.3

196.1

184.4

11.8

Balance sheet

2002

1064.3

765.4

4.0

196.1

17.2

506.7

20.0

21.3

298.9

272.3

26.6

0.0

1064.3

320.3

214.8

138.0

26.0

50.8

105.5

2.0

0.0

103.5

484.9

259.2

242.0

17.2

Share in %

100.0

75.1

24.9

100.0

30.2

23.6

6.6

48.3

21.5

Share in %

100.0

71.9

28.1

100.0

30.1

20.2

9.9

45.6

24.4

Diff. %

16.5

11.7

31.2

16.5

16.1

-0.3

74.1

9.9

32.1

46

in CHF m

Income(lines 2 to 4)

Federal financial contribution *)

Innovations- and Coop. Projects

Income third-party resources

(lines 5 to 10)

Remuneration from third-party resources

Proceeds from sales

Fees and income from services

IT income

Income from reimbursements

Other income

Expenditure(lines 12 + 16 + 22 + 27 + 32 + 33)

Materials expenditure

(lines 13 to15)

Materials expenditure

Expenditure of goods

Furniture, machinery, vehicles

Personnel expenditure

(lines 17 to 21)

Wages and saleries

Social securities

Staff insurance

Accident and health insurance

Other personnel expenditure

Other general expenditure

(lines 23 to 26)

IT and telecommunications

Other services, fees

Other general expenditure

Bad depts

Infrastructure expenditure

(lines 28 to 31)

Expenditure on premises

Maintenance, repairs, leasing

Water, energy, operating materials

Administrative expenditure

Depreciation

Change in third-party resources

Result 1

(lines 1 minus 11)

Extraordinary expenditure/income(lines 37 to 40)

Extraordinary result

Contributions /

Non-operating result

Changes in provisions

Result 2

(lines 35 minus 36)

Interest expense

Financial income

Total result **)

(lines 41+43 minus 42)

ETH DOMAIN: INCOME STATEMENT

Line no.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

Statement

2001

2117.4

1716.8

11.5

389.1

307.8

6.5

37.9

2.4

1.7

32.9

1740.6

72.5

54.1

0.0

18.5

1302.6

1035.0

65.9

90.5

5.5

105.8

174.8

77.8

69.5

27.1

0.3

119.4

26.3

38.6

38.9

15.5

40.2

31.0

376.8

78.3

-5.8

26.7

0.0

57.5

298.5

0.1

7.2

305.6

Statement

2002

2171.1

1712.2

44.0

415.0

329.6

6.4

38.0

1.5

2.3

37.2

1869.8

74.2

62.0

0.0

12.1

1373.0

1103.6

70.0

90.8

5.7

102.8

186.8

79.7

67.3

40.1

-0.4

122.0

23.8

40.3

39.2

18.7

70.7

43.2

301.3

50.7

-0.1

27.4

-0.9

24.3

250.7

0.1

6.9

257.5

Perc.

%

100.0

81.1

0.5

18.4

14.5

0.3

1.8

0.1

0.1

1.6

82.2

3.4

61.5

8.3

5.6

1.9

1.5

17.8

3.7

14.1

14.4

Perc.

%

100.0

78.9

2.0

19.1

15.2

0.3

1.7

0.1

0.1

1.7

86.1

3.4

63.2

8.6

5.6

3.3

2.0

13.9

2.3

11.5

11.9

Change in %

S01 / S02

2.5

-0.3

-

6.6

7.1

-1.6

0.3

-38.5

31.1

13.3

7.4

2.2

5.4

6.9

2.2

76.0

39.1

-20.0

-35.3

-16.0

-15.7

Rep

ortin

g

*excluding innovation and cooperation projects

**before investment (real estate, movables, IT)

47

in CHF m

Total Investment

(lines 5 + 9)

Real estate

Furnishings

IT facilities

Proj. costing more than 10 million

(lines 6 to 8)

Real estate

Furnishings

IT facilities

Proj. costing up to 10 million

(lines 10 to 12)

Real estate

Furnishings

IT facilities

ETH DOMAIN: INVESTMENT STATEMENT 2002

Line-no.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Statement

2001

385.4

253.9

95.6

35.9

214.2

186.9

26.0

1.2

171.2

66.9

69.6

34.7

Statement

2002

353.3

215.8

96.9

40.6

177.0

163.2

13.8

0.0

176.3

52.6

83.1

40.6

Perc.

%

18.2

12.0

4.5

1.7

10.1

8.8

1.2

0.1

8.1

3.2

3.3

1.6

Perc.

%

16.3

9.9

4.5

1.7

8.2

7.5

0.6

0.0

8.1

2.4

3.8

1.9

Change in %

S01 / S02

-8.3

-15.0

1.4

13.1

-17.4

-12.7

-47.0

-

3.0

-21.4

19.5

17.0

Rep

ortin

g

Accounting principlesGrundsätze zur RechnungsleGrgungThe financial statements list all assets, capital and income in accordance with recognized commercial principles and the “true and fair view” principle.

Scope of consolidation

The scope of consolidation of the ETH domain encompasses the following entities:

Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (ETH Board) in Zurich and Lausanne

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ)

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL)

Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Villigen

Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research(WSL), Birmensdorf and Davos

Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research(EMPA), Dübendorf, St. Gallen and Thun

Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology(EAWAG), Dübendorf and Kastanienbaum

Consolidation principles

The ETH domain belongs to the Swiss Confederation. It forms part of the third circle of the so-called Four Circle Model.There is no consolidation of capital.

Foreign currencies are converted at the rate prevailing on the closing date (spot or average exchange rate in December). No currency translation differences arose.

Shareholdings in companies may be possible following amendment of the law. At present loans are granted, for example to spin-off or start-up companies.

No inter-institution profits are realized in the ETH domain.

Valuation guidelines

The valuations were performed in accordance with the guidelinesset out in the accounting manual of December 2002.

Additional information on the balance sheet

The development of the gross values for tangible fixed assets andaccumulated depreciations is reported in the individual statements.

As at 31 December 2002, the balance sheet for the ETH domain contains no goodwill or intangible assets.

Information on how capital changes were calculated can be derived from the individual statements.

The balance sheet does not include insubstantial liabilities from leases, which total approximately CHF 2 to 4 million.

Exceptional pending transactions and risks

No provisions have been formed for a shortfall in actuarial reserves in the federal staff benefit funds.

No provisions have been formed to cover any risks associated with damage claims.

Rounding rules

All figures have been calculated in accordance with commercial principles. It is therefore possible that individual sums or interim totals may show slight discrepancies.

48

Rep

ortin

g

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Pro

jekt

e

The Swiss Confederation wants to ensure that pastured woodlands of national importance are retained intact.

The Federal Government wants to ensure that the mire biotopes of national importanceare conserved in their entirety. The project entitled “Effect evaluation in mire biotopeconservation” will seek to document whether this conservation target has been achievedand, if so, to what extent. In partnership with the Swiss Agency for the Environment, Forest and Landscape, WSL is exploring the change in mire objects of nationalimportance.

A representative random sample describes the mire areas of Switzerland over time andspace. The mire areas are stereoscopically delimited on scanned and rectified infraredaerial photographs and divided into units of homogeneous colour and structure. Areas that resemble each other have similar vegetation. A list of the vascular plants andmosses that occur in a selection of these homogeneous units is being compiled. The com-bination of information from the field surveys and the aerial photographs allows state-ments to be made about the whole of the area under investigation. Any changes in the mire area and mire vegetation will be revealed when subsequent surveys are conducted.

The initial survey of 103 sample elements has been completed. The second survey, lasting from 2003 to 2006, will show whether the conservation target of preserving themire biotopes in their entirety is being achieved.

50

51

52

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Cost and product accounting refined

The ETH domain has pushed ahead with the establishment and im-plementation of an extended cost accounting system. Compared to2001, the two Swiss federal institutes of technology and fourresearch institutions have made greater efforts to include onlyactual and necessary operating costs in their accounts.

The two Swiss federal institutes of technology are tasked with imple-menting the requirements set by the ETH Board, the Swiss FederalStatistical Office (SFSO) and the Federal Office for Education andScience (BBW) for the introduction and extension of a cost accountingsystem. The process is being coordinated by a task force from theSwiss University Conference (SUC). Its aims are not only to introducea cost accounting system, but also to standardize cost accountingstructures. Ultimately costs have to be allocated to the 20 disciplinesand disclosed by the three core product groups of teaching, researchand services.

Compared to 2001, the Swiss federal institutes of technology and theresearch institutions have made greater efforts to include only actualand necessary operating costs in their accounts. This approach im-proves efficiency and makes it easier to objectively delimit theexpenditure listed in the income statement. ETH Zurich’s costs arelisted by department, EPF Lausanne’s costs are listed by faculty. Atthe research institutions, the pragmatic procedure of apportioningcosts to the priority fields and dividing them up between the productgroups teaching, research and services has not changed between2001 and 2002. The criteria for reclassifying indirect costs are alsoessentially the same as in 2001. The only refinement is with respectto expenditure on premises. Unlike the 2001 accounts, in which a uni-form expense ratio of CHF 500 per square metre was applied, the 2002calculations use differentiated cost rates for each basic type of pre-mises as per the cost accounting model of the Swiss University Con-ference. No meaningful conclusions can as yet be drawn for the twoSwiss federal institutes of technology because of the simplified pro-cedure used to reclassify indirect costs and the lack of any cost allo-cation to the product groups.

ETH Zurich’s total costs amount to CHF 1048 million (CHF 1084 mil-lion in 2001), of which CHF 639 million (61%) are direct costs and CHF409 million (39%) are indirect costs. Compared to 2001, the costbalance has thus shifted slightly towards the direct costs. This isassociated with the fact that indirect costs have fallen as a result ofthe improvement in delimitation and the refined procedure for calcu-lating expenditure on premises.

For the first time EPF Lausanne’s costs are presented by the sixfaculties. At CHF 506 million, total costs are CHF 28 million or 6percent higher than the previous year (CHF 478 million). The balanceof direct costs (CHF 327 million or 65 %) and indirect costs (CHF 179million or 35 %) has not changed substantially compared to theprevious year.

There has been no change compared to 2001 in the breakdown bypriority field at the research institutions. Furthermore, indirect costcoding and cost allocation were assigned to the product groupsteaching, research and services were done in the same way as theprevious year. The relative ratios of teaching, research and servicesremained virtually unchanged compared to 2001. Research accoun-ted for 77 % of costs, services for 16 % and teaching for 7 %.

Developing polymers with special properties

The new Functional Polymers Section at EMPA starts work on 1 January 2003. It will reinforce activities in the field of polymers and will provide an ideal complement to theexisting spectrum of interests at the EMPA by developing new polymer materials withspecific properties and laboratory-scale synthesis and process methods.

The objective is to collaborate with universities and industry in Switzerland and else-where to develop functional polymers with special electrical, optical and biologicalproperties and to enable them to be exploited technologically. These materials haveapplications in electronics and energy science, in communications and informationtechnology and, particularly, in medical technology. They are used as active elements in semiconductor technology, as light conductors and as bone cement, to name just three examples.

The microscopic image under polarized light shows a fluorescing compound at 275°C in a liquid crystal phase. This compound is used to develop polymer blends with specialoptical properties.

Rep

ortin

g

54

55

56

Rep

ortin

g

Departments

in CHF m

Mathematics

Physics

Chemistry

Biology

Humanities, social and political sciences

Architecture

Civil, environmental and geomatics engineering

Industrial management and manufactoring

Mechanical and process engineering

Information technology and electrical engineering

Computer science

Materials

Agriculture and food science

Applied biosciences

Forest sciences

Earth sciences

Environmental sciences

Interdisciplinary

Total

(lines 1 to 18)

Total

37.8

101.3

103.4

79.7

47.0

61.7

87.6

31.7

79.9

90.7

42.3

39.6

76.1

29.2

18.9

53.3

58.6

9.1

1047.8

COSTS INCURRED BY ETH ZURICH IN 2002, BY DEPARTMENT

Line-no.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Personnel

costs

22.8

49.1

48.3

36.7

25.7

33.4

45.3

17.1

39.9

46.6

23.2

20.2

36.6

13.1

10.4

29.3

31.2

2.4

531.1

Depreciation

0.1

1.4

3.7

5.6

0.2

0.4

0.9

0.3

1.9

1.7

1.1

0.9

0.4

0.4

0.0

1.7

0.6

0.8

22.2

Direct costs

Material-

and other

costs

1.0

11.2

8.0

9.7

4.7

3.4

5.2

1.4

5.0

7.7

2.1

3.2

5.5

3.0

1.1

4.5

4.2

4.7

85.6

Depreciation

11.9

25.6

25.2

19.1

13.4

17.4

23.6

8.9

20.8

24.3

12.1

10.6

19.1

6.8

5.4

15.3

16.3

1.3

277.4

expenditure on

premises

2.1

14.0

18.1

8.6

3.0

7.1

12.6

4.0

12.2

10.4

3.8

4.6

14.4

5.9

2.0

2.4

6.3

0.0

131.6

Indirect costs

(reclassification)

57

Rep

ortin

g

Faculties

in CHF m

Basics

(lines 2 to 5)

Mathematics

Physics

Chemistry

Chemical engineering

Arcitecture, Civil and Environmental engineering

(lines 7 to 9)

Civil Engineering

Architecture

Rural Engineering

Engineering Sciences and Techniques

(lines 11 to 15)

Microengineering

Electrical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Materials

Biomedical Engineering

Computer- and Communication Sciences

(lines 17 to 18)

Computer Science

Communication Systems

Life Sciences

Life Sciences

College of Humanities

Technology Management

Total

(lines 1 + 6 + 10 + 16 + 19 + 21)

Total

170.4

24.4

78.8

53.1

14.1

109.2

43.5

33.8

32.0

154.8

39.5

38.0

38.4

35.0

3.9

50.3

34.1

16.2

14.2

14.2

6.7

6.7

505.5

COSTS INCURRED BY EPF LAUSANNE IN 2002, BY FACULTY

Line-no.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

Personnel

costs

95.7

16.9

44.1

27.0

7.7

62.7

24.9

19.2

18.6

89.4

23.7

22.2

21.0

19.7

2.8

31.2

21.1

10.1

5.2

5.2

3.6

3.6

288.0

Depreciation

2.0

0.1

1.2

0.5

0.2

0.4

0.1

0.0

0.2

1.4

0.5

0.3

0.2

0.3

0.0

0.4

0.3

0.1

0.6

0.6

0.0

0.0

4.8

Material and

other costs

13.4

0.8

6.5

5.2

0.9

6.0

2.1

1.8

2.1

9.6

3.1

1.8

2.3

2.1

0.4

2.8

1.5

1.3

1.9

1.9

0.6

0.6

34.2

Overheads

26.4

4.7

12.1

7.4

2.1

17.3

6.8

5.3

5.1

24.6

6.5

6.1

5.8

5.4

0.8

8.6

5.8

2.8

1.4

1.4

1.0

1.0

79.3

Expenditure on

premises

32.9

2.0

14.8

13.0

3.1

22.9

9.6

7.4

5.9

29.8

5.7

7.5

9.1

7.5

0.0

7.2

5.3

1.9

5.0

5.0

1.5

1.5

99.3

Indirect costs

(reclassifications)

Direct costs

58

Rep

ortin

g

in CHF m

Research institutions and priority fields

PSI

(lines 2 to 7)

SLS + SINQ Synchrotron Light Source Switzerland/ Spallation Neutron Source

Particles and astrophysics

Biosciences

Solid state research/ material sciences

Nuclear energy and safety

General energy

WSL

(lines 9 to 11)

Forest

Landscape

Natural hazards

EMPA

(lines 13 to 15)

Materials

Systems

Environmental engineering

EAWAG

(lines 17 to 19)

Environmental protection

Social structures and interrelationships

Research and utilisation of the physical environment

Total for the research institutions

(lines 1 + 8 + 12 + 16)

COST / PRODUCT ACCOUNT OF THE RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS 2002

Line-no.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

Teaching

10.1

2.4

1.1

1.4

2.1

1.8

1.2

4.3

1.2

1.6

1.4

6.0

2.9

2.4

0.7

8.6

3.7

0.3

4.6

29.0

Services

10.1

2.4

1.1

1.4

2.1

1.8

1.2

10.3

4.9

1.0

4.3

33.1

16.1

11.1

5.9

10.7

6.6

0.5

3.6

64.4

Research

182.6

43.8

20.1

25.6

38.3

32.9

21.9

30.6

11.5

10.5

8.7

60.6

30.6

23.3

6.7

38.1

15.3

3.8

19.0

311.9

Total

202.9

48.7

22.3

28.4

42.6

36.5

24.3

45.2

17.6

13.1

14.5

99.7

49.6

36.8

13.3

57.5

25.7

4.6

27.1

405.3

Reading climate information from polar ice cores

Is the global warming that we are currently experiencing caused by humans, or is it a natural change in climate? A group of researchers from EAWAG has opened a climatearchive as part of an international project. Arctic ice is a veritable treasure trove. It conceals a multitude of information about temperature, solar radiation, greenhouse gases and precipitation. The group of researchers has specialized in the measurement of what are known as cosmogenic radioisotopes. In collaboration with ETH Zurich’s ion beam physics group, the scientists are measuring the isotopes on an accelerator massspectrometer at the Hönggerberg campus. Thanks to this spectrometer, the only one ofits kind in the world, it is possible to precisely determine even tiny quantities of radio-isotopes. The detection of radioisotopes in ice is comparable with locating a singleraindrop in Lake Zurich.

One of the things receiving close attention from the group of researchers is the beryllium-10 isotope. By reconstructing its rate of production and comparing it with the C-14 isotope, it has been possible to substantiate the theory that the abrupt climatedeterioration in the North Atlantic region at the end of the last Ice Age approximately12,000 years ago was connected to a reduction in warm currents flowing from the south.There is increasing evidence to suggest that the sun played an important part in the climate changes during the subsequent warm period. It is, however, highly probable thathumans are primarily responsible for the global warming observed in recent decades.

Rep

ortin

g

60

61

62

Property value and functions maintained

In the year under review, the ETH domain placed a clear emphasison appropriate maintenance provisions for its existing propertyassets. External comparisons and peer reviews confirm that a highstandard has already been achieved.

The ETH Board holds a considerable real estate portfolio, which hasbeen entrusted to it for its use by the Confederation. The ETH Boardis responsible for planning and control. This involves ensuring that thevalue and function of the existing property assets are maintained bytaking appropriate maintenance measures. In 2002 the ETH insti-tutions allocated around one third of investments to repair work (seetable “Allocation of Resources for Building Requirements).

On 14 June 2002, under the title “Message on the ETH domain’sconstruction projects and acquisition of land and property”, the SwissFederal Council asked Parliament to approve the contingent credit inthe form of a collective credit totalling CHF 78.22 million (previousyear: CHF 180.35 million) for the ETH domain’s construction projectsin the immediate future. The collective credit was restricted for pro-jects costing up to CHF 10 million (mainly frame credit) for construc-tion investments. Consequently, for the first time, the 2003 buildingprogramme does not contain any large-scale projects. On 3 Decem-ber 2002, the Federal Chambers authorized the guarantee credit.

ETH buildings statement 2002: optimized expenditure

The payment credits for 2002 allocated and approved at the variousinstitutions in the ETH domain at the beginning of the accounting yearwere based on the "2002 – 2005 investment plan for buildings andfacilities in the ETH domain". A total of CHF 251.9 million was bud-geted for buildings and facilities in 2002. This lower expenditure ofaround CHF 17.2 million francs can be explained by the transfer of“building money” to other areas, as well as by various economies andthe optimization of resources. At the end of 2002, the ETH domaincomprised a total of 475 approved contingent credits amounting tosome CHF 1.89 billion.

ETH domain

ETH Board

ETH Zurich

EPF Lausanne

PSI

WSL

EMPA

EAWAG

Total ETH domain

Budget 2002

in CHF

2 152 000

144 857 827

51 942 578

37 718 891

2 200 000

7 122 000

5 880 000

251 873 296

Statement 2002

in CHF

0

146 512 013

51 436 054

28 799 043

1 186 772

5 237 418

1 475 865

234 647 164

Statement 2002

% breakdown

–

62

22

12

1

2

1

100

Buildings and facilities of the ETH domainBudget and financial statement for 2002

Rep

ortin

g

BUILDINGS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

63

Best practices in high-performance computing

Access to high-performance computing facilities is the key to suc-cessful leading-edge research in the classic engineering disciplines,in physics and chemistry and in environmental and life sciences. Thenational high-performance computing centre, the Swiss Center forScientific Computing (SCSC) in Ticino, an institution affiliated to ETHZurich, makes this important technology and the corresponding ser-vices available to scientists. To ensure the continued improvement ofthis scientific facility, the ETH Board called foreign experts to carryout a meta-evaluation in summer 2002. The focal point of interest wascurrent developments in the field of supercomputing and the chal-lenges these pose for the SCSC, as well as organizational issues. Intheir report, which has been available since August 2002, the expertsconfirmed that the technical infrastructure of the SCSC was of a highstandard. They see considerable potential for the SCSC withinSwitzerland’s university and research landscape.

Type of work

Land and real estate

acquisition

New construction

Maintenance

Rebuilding and extension

Systematic demolition

Total

Expenditure 2002

in CHF

1 072 946

145 046 530

65 653 212

22 215 173

659 304

234 647 164

Proportion

in %

0

62

28

10

0

100

Allocation of resources by type of building work

Internal processes examined by external experts

In the spring of 2000, external experts reviewed the ETH domain’s newbuilding organization. In view of the findings of the study at that time,and also with the specific aim of monitoring property portfolio and thefacility management (operation, use and maintenance of the buil-dings), a further review by external experts has been in progresssince the autumn of 2001, involving representatives of the FederalDepartment of Finance (FDF). The ETH Board is primarily concernedwith examining the effectiveness of internal processes in comparisonwith those of other professional institutions. In each case, this reviewprocess begins with self-assessment. The results of Phase I (reviewof the four research institutions), which has already been completed,show proof of a high standard of general property management, butindicate that there is room for improvement in the area of facilitymanagement. Phase II (evaluation of ETH Zurich and EPF Lausanne)started in the autumn of 2002,

Rep

ortin

g

64

Rep

ortin

g

In parallel with the peer review, the ETH Board also carried out abenchmarking study involving four other European high-performan-ce computing centres in addition to the SCSC. The aim of this project,which was based on the European Foundation of Quality Manage-ment’s Excellence Model, was to compare equipment, portfolios andgeneral organizational frameworks. The main focus was on the ex-change of ideas and best practices. This project, the first of its kind tobe carried out in Europe, provided new insights into how various iden-tical or similar tasks can be tackled. The results of the study have al-ready been incorporated into the initial strategic discussions held bythe bodies responsible for the centres. The five computing centresagreed to continue the study on a regular basis in future, thereby en-suring that the ongoing improvement process is maintained.

REAL ESTATE SERVICE

More space for teaching and research

ETH Zurich will initially be selling off three properties in Zurich’suniversity district, either to the city authorities or to private thirdparties. In a reciprocal gesture, the city of Zurich is willing to beaccommodating towards the ETH within the scope of its powers asregards the implementation of the building and zoning code on theHönggerberg. The city is also examining the possibility of letting theGlobus Provisorium to the ETH. Thanks to “Odyssea”, a formertelecommunications centre, EPF Lausanne is to get an additional3,500 square metres of space.

ETH Zurich would initially like to sell off three properties in order tosecure additional accommodation capacity in the university district.Although both the city and university have agreed on the transfer ofthe buildings, in recent years and despite several attempts, they havebeen unable to agree on the level of compensation to be paid to ETHZurich. In addition, the negotiations have been influenced by therevision of the ETH Law, which comes into force on 1 January 2004.Although ETH domain properties will continue to belong to the SwissConfederation and not to ETH Zurich, they can be held in trust. At theend of 2002 the negotiations finally began to make significantprogress.

65

Rep

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g

Premises in a prime location

The outcome to date is that in 2005, ETH Zurich, acting on behalf ofthe Swiss Confederation, will give up three properties, in return fortheir current market value, either to the city authorities or to a pri-vate third party. Two of the three buildings are in Voltastrasse, thethird in Hochstrasse. In a reciprocal gesture, the City of Zurich has,within the scope of its powers, agreed to be accommodating towardsETH Zurich on the Hönggerberg. Thus, the city council will be imple-menting the building and zoning code for the Hönggerberg separate-ly in summer 2003. When this has been done, ETH Zurich will be ableto press ahead with planning further building projects. The city ofZurich also supports the building of student accommodation on theHönggerberg. They have agreed in principle to support any futuredesign plan which requires approval by the communal authorities ofthe city of Zurich because it deviates from the existing building regu-lations. The city has also agreed to examine the possibility of rentingout to ETH Zurich, the space currently occupied by the city authoritiesin the Globus Provisorium near the main railway station. In the 1960’s,ETH Zurich housed parts of their Department of Architecture in thisbuilding, which is ideally situated in terms of development possibili-ties. The surface area under discussion consists of approximately2,500 square metres in the top storey of the building. The rental periodwould start in 2004.

EPF Lausanne takes over former communications centre

“Odyssea” is the name of a futuristic building on the EPF Lausannecampus. The building design is based on a long central core runningfrom north to south. From the centre, an antenna soars into the sky.The western flank consists of premises for technical installations; theglazed eastern flank serves as an office area. The communicationscentre, built in the mid-1990’s by what was then Telecom, served as ahalfway house between heaven and earth. The jobs of the high-techcentre was to link landline and wireless networks. However, newtechnological advancements and diversification into other areas ledSwisscom, the successor company, to seek a buyer as early as 2000.

Rebuild according to EPFL’s special requirements

Interest in “Odyssea” was shown by EPF Lausanne, which is locatedimmediately adjacent to the Swisscom site. In November 2002, follow-ing protracted negotiations, the three negotiating partners, Swiss-com, EPF Lausanne and the ETH Board agreed on a split contract.EPF Lausanne will acquire the building for CHF 9.3 million at the endof June 2008. Until the purchase of the property is completed, the EPFwill rent the building for a fixed annual sum of CHF 513,500. Thereason for this split contract is that Swisscom has yet to completeamortization. The building was constructed at a cost of approximate-ly CHF 23 million, but a survey conducted in 2000 by the ETH Board’sReal Estate Service came to the conclusion that the capitalized valueof the useable land did not justify a purchase price of more than CHF10 to 11 million.

“Odyssea” was planned and built as a purely functional building. WhileEPF Lausanne will be able to take over the office space in the easternfacade, the western facade and the vehicle maintenance depot on theground floor will need partial renovation. Parts of the Institute ofLogistics, Economics and Technology Management (ILEMT) will behoused in the building. EPF Lausanne will therefore be investing amaximum of CHF 3.1 million, including fittings and furnishings, in2002 and 2003. The rental period starts on 1 July 2003.

66

Indi

cato

rs a

nd S

tatis

tics

Students

Diploma students

Doctoral students

Postgraduate students

Total number of students

Diplomas, doctorates and postgraduates

Diplomas

Doctorates

Postgraduates

Total number of Diplomas, doctorates and postgraduates

Personnel

Professors (SHIS*-categories I and II)**

Non-professorial academic staff (SHIS*-Kategorien III bis X)**

Administrative and technical staff

(SHIS*-Kategorien XI bis XVII)**

Total staff***

Financial resources

Own resources

Federal financial contribution**

Contribution from other federal bodies

Third-party credits

Other revenues of third-party credits and financial income**

Total revenues in CHF m

* Swiss Universities Information System

** New classification from 1 January 2000

*** Equivalent number of full-time posts

INDICATORS FOR THE ETH DOMAIN

Indicator

No.

1

2

3 + 4

15

16

17 + 18

37

40

41 + 42

1997

12693

2806

536

16035

1923

697

195

2815

1138.0

533.1

277.1

1948.1

Change in %

since 1997

10

19.6

19.4

12.0

-6.1

-3.6

73.3

0.0

5.1

19.0

11.8

2002

13968

3355

640

17963

1806

672

338

2816

527

6875

4064

11466

1756.2

329.6

92.3

2178.1

7Indicators and Statistics

67

Indi

cato

rs a

nd S

tatis

tics

Students

Diplomas

Doctorates

Postgraduate diplomas

Supervised diplomas

Supervised doctorates

Research

Patents applied for

Licensing and technology tranfer agreements

Spin-offs and start-ups

Personnel

Professors*

Assistant professors*

Scientific staff*

Administrative and technical staff*

Financial resources (CHF m)

of which federal financial contribution (incl. IKP)

of which third-party credits

of which financial income

* Equivalent number of full-time posts1) Incl. ETH Board

Total

1806

672

338

187

387

200

80

22

515

91.7

6978.5

3939.3

1) 2178.1

1756.2

415.0

6.9

INDICATORS FOR THE FEDERAL INSTITUTES OF TECHNOLOGY AND THERESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, 2002

ETHL

468

189

162

94

58

10

175

58.9

1819.5

928.3

560.0

412.6

144.8

2.7

ETHZ

1338

483

176

84

10

10

340

32.8

3759

1782

1106.5

941.3

162.3

2.8

PSI

37

172

11

9

1

584

633

266.5

216.6

48.6

1.3

WSL

75

103

0

1

0

332

77

58.6

45.2

13.3

0.2

EMPA

19

30

10

2

1

310

403

118.3

81.5

36.8

0.0

EAWAG

56

82

1

0

0

174

116

53.4

44.2

9.3

0.0

Indicator No.

15

16

17 + 18

22

21

29

30

31

37

38 + 39

40

41 + 42

68

Indi

cato

rs a

nd S

tatis

tics

ETH ZURICHSTUDENTS ENROLLED ON DIPLOMA COURSES BY DISCIPLINE 2002*

Disciplines

Civil Engineering and Geomatics

Architecture

Civil Engineering

Rural Engineering and Surveying

Environmental Engineering

Geomatics

Total

Engineering Sciences

Mechanical and Process Engineering

Information Technology and Electrical Engineering

Computer Science

Materials Sciences

Industrial Management and Manufactoring

Total

Natural Sciences

Mathematics

Computational Science and Engineering

Physics

Chemistry

Chemical Engineering

Interdisciplinary Sciences

Biology

Total

System oriented Sciences

Pharmaceutical Sciences/Pharmazie

Physical Education and Sports

Earth Sciences

Environmental Sciences

Agricultural Sciences

Food Sciences

Forest Sciences

Total

Other Sciences and Sport

Humanities, Social and Political Sciences

Professional Officer

Physical Education and Sports Teacher

Total

ETHZ Total

* including Bachelor and Master’s degree

Total

999

318

19

124

103

1563

908

862

1104

176

174

3224

357

28

548

223

21

54

737

1968

298

258

223

615

230

269

174

2067

106

642

748

9570

Men

578

268

16

85

78

1025

847

806

989

126

161

2929

257

27

482

154

17

37

389

1363

53

129

157

340

138

107

137

1061

106

330

436

6814

Women

421

50

3

39

25

538

61

56

115

50

13

295

100

1

66

69

4

17

348

605

245

129

66

275

92

162

37

1006

312

312

2756

Non-Swiss

226

27

1

9

4

267

113

86

132

12

18

361

40

5

78

54

5

9

76

267

15

12

17

53

13

26

7

143

14

14

1052

69

Indi

cato

rs a

nd S

tatis

tics

EPF LAUSANNESTUDENTS ENROLLED ON DIPLOMA COURSES BY FACULTY 2002*

Faculties

Basic Sciences (SB)

Life Sciences (SV)

Engineering Sciences and Techniques (STI)

Computer and Communication Sciences (IC)

Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC)

EPFL Total

* including Bachelor and Master’s degree

Total

777

1

1281

1221

1116

4396

Men

572

1

1140

1091

744

3548

Women

205

0

141

130

372

848

Non-Swiss

185

0

295

436

326

1242

70

PEOPLE

RetirementsMartine Brunschwig-Graf, lic. oec.The Director of Education for Geneva, Martine Brunschwig Graf, is well aware ofthe importance of a good education for business and society. As the representativeof the Federal Conference of the CantonalDirectors of Public Education, the SwissUniversity Conference, as well as the SwissCouncil of Colleges of Higher Education,she was able to contribute her wide-rangingexperience of educational policy to the ETH Board at a time when networking andthe quest for synergies were key factors for success.

Blessed with an ability to identify and analyse problems both quickly and clearly,Martine Brunschwig Graf has given the ETH domain valuable support in its effortsto become a top-level academic institution.With her strategic and integrated vision of the interplay in the Swiss educational system, she formulated the essential valuesand national goals for every teaching establishment. She also proved to be an important source of impetus in anotherarea close to her heart, namely the strengthening of cooperation with the uni-versities. She was a member of the ETH Board from 1997.

Prof. Jean-Marie Lehn, PhDProfessor Jean-Marie Lehn has served asan active member of the ETH Board sinceJanuary 2000. He holds a Chair at the Collège de France in Paris and is Director of a research laboratory at the Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg. He wasawarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1987. His particular area of specializationis supramolecular chemistry.

Jean-Marie Lehn saw the focus of his work on the ETH Board as the identificationand evaluation of research fields that have a high development potential and are interesting internationally. Furthermore, given his neutral standpoint and internatio-nal connections, he was ideally qualified to solve delicate questions pertaining to re-search policy. Jean-Marie Lehn is extremelywell acquainted with the international research community and, through his colla-boration on various scientific bodies, has a good insight into research policy-relatedquestions and solutions in numerous countries. Above all he brought his know-ledge and experience to bear in projectsand trend analyses in the biosciences, chemistry and physics. These are the stra-tegic areas within the ETH Board’s portfoliomanagement.

Prof. Iris Zschokke-Gränacher, Dr. phil.As Emeritus Professor at the University of Basel, Iris Zschokke has many years’ experience in teaching and research and iswell acquainted with the conditions at acantonal university. On the ETH Board sheadvocated the view that the ETH domain and the cantonal universities are a perfectcomplement to each other, with each onehaving a beneficial effect on the other. Linking up the institutions of the ETH do-main to the Swiss research landscape hastherefore always been something close toher heart. At the same time she never lostsight of the fact that the six institutions alsohad international assignments to fulfill.From her time as a Member of the ResearchCouncil, as President of Division IV of theSwiss National Science Foundation and asChair of the ”Coordination Committee forUniversity Matters within the Education Department of Basel-Stadt”, which was responsible for budget and structural matters, Iris Zschokke also boasts know-ledge of issues related to university policyand science policy in Switzerland.

Although she considers coordination and medium-term planning as essential toresearch, Iris Zschokke was never afraid to cut through all too rigid guidelines. Forher, the climate in which the research wastaking place was of far greater importance.Above all, she felt that the budding scien-tists, confronted by a highly competitiveinternational environment, should not exhaust their energies by getting boggeddown with too much red tape. For this reason, Iris Zschokke welcomed the effortsundertaken by the ETH to establish a real-istic career planning programme for non-professorial academic staff, with particularemphasis on the rising generation of femaleemployees. Iris Zschokke was a member of the ETH Board from 1997.

Peo

ple

8

71

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Change at the General SecretariatOn 1 January 2002 Dr. Sebastian Brändlitook over the office of Secretary Generalfrom Dr. Johannes F. Fulda. After trainingas a teacher and then working for severalyears at a Zurich secondary school, Sebastian Brändli studied at the PhilosophyDepartment at the University of Zurich. After graduating in 1985 he worked for several years as a scientific assistant at theResearch Centre for Social and EconomicHistory as well as at the History Seminar ofthe University of Zurich. he gained his PhDin 1990 with a thesis on the social history of higher education (the professionalizationof the medical profession). During his manyyears as President of the Assistants’ Asso-ciation of the University of Zurich, he gainedsubstantial experience of university policy-related issues. Following this SebastianBrändli was, for ten years, Chief of Staff inthe Department of Education of the Cantonof Aargau. He was responsible for educa-tional and cultural policy matters and looked after the dossier on the universitiesof applied science during the pioneeringphase. As a representative of the cantonswithout universities, he was a member ofcommissions belonging to the Swiss Uni-versity Conference (CUS).

Secretariat Sebastian Brändli, Dr. phil.General Secretary and Chief of StaffWalter Kemmler, Dr. oec. publ.Deputy Secretary General and Head of FinanceUrs Müller, Dr. iur.Legal ServiceChristoph Grolimund, Dr. phil.TeachingHeinrich Neukomm, Dr. phil. IIResearchAlbert Fritschi, lic. oec.ServicesAlois Lottaz, Dr. rer. nat.Planning and OrganizationMartin Sommer, dipl. Geogr.Personnel

CommunicationMichel Jaccard, Dr. sc. nat.HeadErika von TobelCommunication and Information Manager

Buildings and Information TechnologyFredy Swoboda, Dipl. Arch. ETH/SIAHeadAdrian Sommer, HWV degree in business managementInvestment Planning and Financial ManagementDominik Ulmer, Dipl. Geol.IT

Real Estate ServiceJürg Rauber, lawyerHead

Inspectorate of FinancesHans Ulrich Giezendanner, Dr. oec. publ.Head

Delegate for equal opportunitiesEva Muggli

Publishing details

Publisher:ETH BoardETH ZentrumCH-8092 Zurich

Concept and editing:Dr. Michel Jaccard, Head of CommunicationErika von Tobel, Communicationpanta rhei pr gmbh, Amriswil/Zurich

Layout and design:inform, Zurich

Printing/lithography:BuchsMedien AG, Buchs SG

Print run:German 3000, French 1000, English 700

Address for queries:ETH BoardCommunicationETH-ZentrumCH-8092 ZurichTel. +41 1 632 20 50Fax +41 1 632 12 53vontobel@ethrat.ch

© 2003 ETH Board

The Annual Report of the ETH Board is supplemented by the Annual Reports of thetwo federal institutes of technology and the four research institutions.