Editorial

Dear donors,
dear friends of ETH,

The term “community” is rather overused nowadays, but the researchers and students at ETH Zurich, together with their donors, can rightly be described as such. This is because together they form a vibrant community with many shared interests and values. At ETH Foundation events, we witness the lively exchanging of ideas and the sharing of inspiration among members of this community and we hear about this in many anecdotes and success stories throughout the year as well.

Yet you, our highly valued donors, are very different personalities: you may be young, aspiring start-up founders or prominent, well-established businesspeople. You may be former Excellence Scholars, who are now young professors, or retired professors who still play an active role in the academic world. There is even an Olympic gold medallist among you. Take a look at the portraits in the report if you want to find out who this is. What brings you, our more than 7,000 donors and partners, together, despite your age differences and varying interests, is your understanding of the importance of science and research, your belief in our talented people and your commitment to them.

We count ourselves lucky to have you as members of our community. You make it possible for us to achieve more in our research and teaching at ETH: more support for outstanding, talented people, a more strategic perspective and, finally, more stellar moments in science. Like ETH Zurich, you are putting yourselves at the service of society. For this, you deserve our heartfelt thanks.

We hope you enjoy reading the report.