News

At its meeting of 15/16 July 2026 and upon application of the President of ETH Zurich, Professor Joël Mesot, and the President of EPFL, Professor Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, the ETH Board appointed a total of seven women and three men as professors and awarded the title of professor to one individual and the title of Professor of Practice to one individual. It also took note of the resignation of one professor and thanked him for his services. In the last 12 months, the ETH Board has made a total of 21 new appointments for women and 26 for men; the proportion of women among these new appointments thus amounts to 45%.

Plug-in hybrids often consume more than officially stated. An Empa study now shows the reasons for this: Whether the vehicles can actually exploit their environmental advantage in everyday use depends heavily on usage, ambient temperatures, and vehicle design. Regular charging, individual driving behavior, and vehicle characteristics such as weight play a decisive role.

Airborne particulate matter from the deserts of North Africa is reaching Europe in ever-increasing quantities. This has implications for health and for solar energy installations. A comprehensive study led by the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI published in Nature shows that this type of pollution is on the rise – a trend that could be further exacerbated by climate change.

Researchers at Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have developed the world’s first achromatic lens for neutron imaging. The lens overcomes a longstanding obstacle in the field: focusing neutrons of different wavelengths well enough to form a sharp, magnified image. With the lens, researchers can now image thick samples and follow processes inside bulky equipment such as furnaces, cryostats or pressure cells.

National Armaments Director Urs Loher visited Israel on 13–14 July 2026 for official meetings with representatives of the Israeli Ministry of Defence's Directorate for International Defence Cooperation (SIBAT) and the defence industry

A new notification of cessation of the investigation (railways) is available on the website of the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB).

The Producer and Import Price Index fell in June 2026 by 0.3% compared with the previous month, reaching 99.8 points (December 2025 = 100). In particular, petroleum products as well as petroleum and natural gas saw falling prices. Compared with June 2025, the price level of the whole range of domestic and imported products fell by 2.1%. These are the results of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

The Secretariat of the Competition Commission (COMCO) has opened a preliminary investigation to examine Google’s removal of the “Choice Screen” feature on Android devices in Switzerland.

At their meeting in Bern on 13 July, President of the Swiss Confederation Guy Parmelin and the UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Peter Kyle, announced that negotiations had concluded on a modernised free trade agreement between Switzerland and the United Kingdom (UK).

At this year’s High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), taking place from 7 to 16 July 2026 at the UN headquarters in New York, Switzerland will present its fourth voluntary national review (VNR) on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Local authorities can provide good examples of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) being pursued with a focus on impact. For this reason, the cities of Basel, Bern and Geneva will also be represented at a high level in the Swiss HLPF delegation.

Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis will travel to Qatar on 13 and 14 July 2026 to attend the official funeral of the former emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. As head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and Vice-President of the Swiss Confederation, Mr Cassis will represent Switzerland at the condolence ceremony in the presence of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on Tuesday in Doha.

The Federal Tax Administration has updated the course listings and bonus shares 2024, 2025 and 2026.