Concerns of the ETH Board regarding the Federal Law to Promote Research and Innovation (LPRI)

1. No de-emphasis of basic research

The draft of the LPRI no longer refers to “basic research” or “application-oriented research” but rather to “scientific research” and “scientific-based innovation.” The ETH Board demands that basic research be explicitly mentioned in the law and that its promotion be put on an equal footing with that of applied research.

2. Equal authority at the international level for the CTI and SNSF

International research projects and cross-border cooperative efforts are becoming ever more important for research and innovation in Switzerland. The Confederation’s innovation promotion agency (CTI) must therefore receive the same authority with regard to promoting international innovation as does the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) in promoting research. The coordination of international cooperative efforts is to be governed precisely in the LPRI.

3. Clear rules for financing research facilities

Research institutions “of national importance” must not be put in a worse position in terms of financing as a result of the new law. Their financing through federal contributions and thirdparty funding must therefore be defined clearly and unambiguously in the LPRI. The law must also make it clear how the research institutes of the ETH Domain are affected by the LPRI.

4. Respecting interrelations between the LPRI, HFKG and the ETH Law

The Federal Law on Financial Aid to Universities and Cooperation in Matters Relating to Universities in Switzerland (HFKG) and the LPRI must be made clearly compatible with one another. It is important for the ETH Board that the LPRI and HFKG do not modify any essential facts that are already laid down in the Federal Law on the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (“the ETH Law”).