Why does research need to be independent?
In the Polybahn-Pitch, Detlef Günther, Vice President Research and Corporate Relations, answers this question in one minute.
Science in a nutshell: during a ride on the Polybahn from Central to ETH, ETH employees have about 100 seconds to excite their audience for their activities. In the latest Polybahn-Pitch, Vice President Detlef Günther speaks about the independence of research. The video is in german.
The autonomy of research is particularly important for the university in order to drive gains in knowledge without commercial interests. Only by being autonomous is diversity possible, says Günther in the video.
However, science is committed to serve society and politics. ETH Zurich needs to prove its sense of responsibility on a daily basis. "We should think ahead for the challenges of the future in order to then find the corresponding answers of tomorrow and the day after tomorrow and to also offer solutions."
Since the beginning of the year, Polybahn-Pitches with the members of the Executive Board are being published at irregular intervals. The films of ETH President external page Lino Guzzella, Rector external page Sarah Springman and external page Roman Boutellier, Vice President Human Resources and Infrastructure, are already online.