News from the Executive Board 2023/4
At its last meetings, the Executive Board adjusted the rhythm of the departmental evaluations, approved the regulations for a new CAS programme on sustainability and regeneration, and increased ETH Zurich's operating contributions to the kihz Foundation.
Departmental evaluations: Revised timetable for 2024–2032
ETH Zurich regularly audits the quality of its teaching, research and services, thus ensuring long-term quality assurance and enhancement. One way the university does this is through departmental evaluations. In the past, these were generally carried out every seven years. However, several dates have had to be postponed in recent years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
To reduce the administrative and financial burden this places on the departments and central administrative units, the established evaluation cycle will now been extended from seven to eight years. In addition, the evaluations will be evenly distributed within each cycle so that the default is two evaluations per year. This means that all 16 departments will be evaluated once every eight years, thus maintaining regular quality control. To implement these proposals, no departmental evaluations will take place in 2024.
ETH strengthens the quality of childcare
In March 2023, the Executive Board decided that it will continue to pay ETH Zurich’s operating contributions to the external pagekihz Foundation, which provides childcare in the Zurich university area. Previously, ETH contributions amounted to 317,500 Swiss francs per year (the same amount as the University of Zurich). In addition, ETH paid 650,000 Swiss francs to support parents. Together with subsidies from the city of Zurich and fees paid by parents, these ETH subsidies cover the costs of childcare.
In October 2022, the city of Zurich adopted a raft of measures for daycare centres. Consequently, the city’s contributions to kihz have increased effective 1 January 2023. At the same time, those of ETH Zurich were reduced by 80,000 Swiss francs. The measures also included a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment for kihz employees. Because the corresponding additional costs for kihz would push the foundation into operating at a loss, the Executive Board decided to transfer the saved subsidies into its operating contribution. This means that the university will now pay 397,500 Swiss francs per year towards kihz’s operations. ETH’s decision matches one taken by the University of Zurich. Balancing family and career is an important concern for ETH Zurich, which it addresses with a broad and flexible range of services.
New CAS programme on sustainability and regeneration
The Executive Board has approved the 2023 regulations for the new continuing education programme, Certificate of Advanced Studies ETH in Regenerative Systems: Sustainability to Regeneration (D-BAUG). The regulations will go into effect on 1 April 2023.
The CAS programme builds on the content of the four-part MOOC series launched last year, Designing Resilient Regenerative Systems (DRRS), which looks at ways to approach the complex and unforeseen challenges of today.
The continuing education programme introduces the critical global challenges and highlights in a practical way how transformations via sustainability towards regeneration become possible. This is an important step away from a pure sustainability discussion and towards a discourse on regenerative cultures. Students learn about tools for dealing with complex problems, with nature serving as a model. A core of the programme is the combination of science, design and transformative practice in real-world labs. The offer is hybrid, the general course virtual with a ten-day practical part at the MonViso Institute in the Italian Alps.
The new CAS programme will launch on 4 September 2023. Its director is Tobis Luthe (D-BAUG). More information about the CAS programme.
ETH joins Adra
ETH Zurich is becoming a member of the external pageAI, Data and Robotics Association, or Adra, which is headquartered in Schaerbeek (near Brussels). The association aims to promote research, development and innovation in the fields of AI, data and robotics in Europe and to encourage a positive perception of these fields. To this end, Adra brings together major players in R&D and innovation in the aforementioned fields and cultivates innovative ideas. Among other things, Adra acts as an interface to the European Commission and plays a role in the 2025–2027 work programme of Horizon Europe.
This membership will enable ETH and the ETH AI Center to help shape Europe’s largest research initiative in the fields of AI, data and robotics and to actively maintain dialogue at the European level.
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