Highlights
The commitment of our donors and partners over the last year has shaped the development of ETH Zurich in a wide range of different areas, from support for talented students through to groundbreaking innovations in robotics and inspirational new ideas for the food industry.
Pioneering work in robotics recognised
Marco Hutter’s work on the mobility and autonomy of AI-controlled walking robots has fundamentally changed the course of robotics research and, at the same time, has helped to position ETH Zurich as a world-leading institution in the field of robotics. Marco Hutter was awarded the Rössler Prize for his pioneering scientific achievements and also for the high standard that he has reached in technology transfer, entrepreneurship and project initiatives. This is the most generous research award at ETH with a value of CHF 200,000. It is funded by a donation from ETH alumnus Dr Max Rössler.
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Andréa M. Maechler and Walter Fust honoured
ETH Zurich appointed Andréa M. Maechler and Walter Fust as Honorary Councillors. Andréa M. Maechler, Deputy General Manager of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and former member of the Governing Board of the Swiss National Bank, was appointed Honorary Councillor for her great commitment to promoting technology transfer to the economy, in particular in the field of Computer Science, and for acting as a role model for women in management positions. ETH alumnus Walter Fust, founder of Dipl. Ing. Fust AG and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the StarragTornos Group, was honoured for his pioneering spirit, his entrepreneurial achievements, his long-term commitment to students with entrepreneurial ambitions and for being a role model. Walter Fust passed away on 4 February 2025. ETH Zurich and the ETH Foundation will honour his memory.
Read moreStrengthening the healthcare system with the help of AI
Bosch Health Campus (BHC) and ETH Zurich are pooling their expertise to forge ahead with innovative AI-based solutions for the healthcare needs of tomorrow. Together, the two institutions aim to develop patient-centric solutions to make healthcare more efficient, more personalised and accessible to all. The first step towards a long-term partnership is the establishment of the BHC Fellowship Programme at the ETH AI Centre in Zurich and the Bosch Health Campus in Stuttgart.
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Support for around 200 talented young people
With substantial support from donors, foundations and companies, many talented young people at ETH are working towards achieving their ambitious goals. In 2024, 117 students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds were supported with needs-based scholarships, 58 outstanding Master’s students benefited from an Excellence Scholarship and 13 innovative young entrepreneurs were given access to infrastructure, mentoring and start-up funding via the Pioneer Fellowship programme.
Read moreSeeing-eye canes and robotic guide dogs
In 2024, 67 teams from 24 countries competed in the Cybathlon at ETH with the aim of winning the event and also introducing practical assistance technologiesthat are suitable for everyday use. The third staging of the competition for people with disabilities and experimental assistance technologies was a resounding success. Long-standing partners such as Maxon Motors AG and all the donors who support the Cybathlon, including the Swiss Re Foundation, the Stiftung NAK-Humanitas, the Federal Bureau for the Equality of People with Disabilities (FBED), the Armin & Jeannine Kurz Stiftung, the MBF Foundation, the Ursimone Wietlisbach Foundation, the Joh. Jacob Rieter Stiftung and many other dedicated foundations and individuals all made a major contribution to the success of the Cybathlon.
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Foundation enables a Life Sciences Makerspace
A generous donation from the Georg H. Endress Foundation allows ETH to add a Life Sciences Makerspace to the Student Project House. This gives students of chemistry and biosciences the opportunity to pursue their creative ideas outside the curriculum and to develop their project-related skills.
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Discovering art at the click of a mouse
The Graphische Sammlung, the prestigious and wide-ranging collection of art on paper at ETH Zurich, is gradually being catalogued and digitised. Thanks to generous support from the Ernst Göhner Foundation, the Georg and Bertha Schwyzer-Winiker Stiftung and the Stiftung Familie Fehlmann, since 2020 a digitisation team has been working exclusively on making high-profile artworks by artists ranging from Albrecht Dürer to Pablo Picasso available online.
Read moreThe combined power of three industrial partners
Nutritious foods that can be stored and transported safely are critical in ensuring that the world’s growing population can be fed. ETH is constantly making progress in this important field of research. Support is provided by the three Swiss companies Bühler, Givaudan and Nestlé in the form of start-up funding for a new professorship in food processing engineering and nutrition. The promising new holder of the professorship is Patrick Rühs, who has extensive experience in research and industry.
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