Swiss universities seek to stem tech espionage after Iranian scandal

Günther Dissertori, rector of ETH Zurich, says universities around the world are targets for intelligence services and other government agencies. Keystone / Michael Buholzer

Swiss research institutes may tighten the screening of foreign academics as the current patchwork system of controls contends with growing threats of spying by China, Russia and others targeting commercial and military capabilities.

Swiss universities plan to beef up their vetting of researchers and students to curb high-tech spying by hostile countries a year after an academic from Iran was arrested for allegedly supplying navigation systems for drones and missiles to the Islamic republic.

Mohammad Abedini, who was detained in Italy on behalf of the USExternal link, worked for yearsExternal link at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). In what some viewed as a quid pro quo, he was returned to Iran days after the Middle Eastern country released an Italian journalist it had jailed following Abedini’s arrest.

Now a review by the umbrella group for Swiss universities is proposing a national strategy to try to prevent critical knowledge from being stolen or used by military adversaries. Sensitive areas include artificial intelligence, quantum computing and biotech.

“Universities around the world are targets for intelligence services and other government agencies, especially where cutting-edge technology is a key element of research,” said Günther Dissertori, Rector of the federal technology institute ETH Zurich and head of the swissuniversities’ working group which drew up the proposals. “Switzerland is not an island, after all,” Dissertori added.

China and Russia present the greatest espionage threat in Europe, according to a 2025 report by the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service (FIS). In Switzerland, both countries have built up networks of undercover personnel targeting organisations including “colleges, universities and other research institutions”, the FIS wroteExternal link.

To counter such threats, the proposals would introduce knowledge-security units in every Swiss university. They would assess dangers when researchers seek to work with or exchange information with partners from high-risk states. They would also advise on matters like limiting access to sensitive data or setting terms for technology sharing.

Visiting researchers might also be limited in which systems, labs or data they could access.

A coordination centre would offer consistent guidance and rapidly share information, such as the FIS detecting increased cyberattacks targeting biotech labs. Criteria for admissions, recruitment, visiting academics and international collaboration would be unified, and dossiers on high-risk applications would be shared between universities.

The aim is to stop candidates submitting duplicate applications to exploit differences in vetting abilities across institutions and thus gaining access to the Swiss academic system. An applicant rejected by one body would be barred from applying to others.

Effects of security reviews on applications

The publication of the working group strategy comes a year after ETH Zurich, the highest-ranked university in continental Europe, unveiled revised security screening procedures.

The measures by the institution, a sister organisation of the EPFL, aimed to prevent sensitive technology or knowledge that could be used for both civilian and military purposes from reaching internationally sanctioned or high-risk countries including Russia, Iran, Syria and China. Applications from such regions, or in fields like AI, nanotechnology, GPS and communications were already subject to scrutiny and possible rejection, it said.

ETH Zurich has since reviewed some 1,250 applications under the vetting mechanism and rejected more than 80 applicants, the NZZ am SonntagExternal link newspaper reported in October. Meanwhile, the EPFL has turned down 48 applicationsExternal link this year.

From fragmented approaches to unified coordination

Practices to vet overseas students across Switzerland remain fragmented. Many educational and research institutions were unable to provide details of security measures or only “vague” information, according to the NZZ am Sonntag.

The University of Bern told Swissinfo that it changed its policies in July to account for the risk of technology leaks, with new hires and guest researchers from overseas subject to a review to check compliance with sanctions, embargoes and export control rules. This is a change from previous policies. Last year, it toldExternal link a local newspaper that it only considered language ability and education.

The swissuniversities working group proposes unifying policies across the sector.

It recommends adopting a Dutch model, with a central office that connects universities, state authorities and security services. It would also coordinate the secure exchange of information and measures in response to changing situations.

The Netherlands and Switzerland, both small nations that rank within the top ten of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s 2025 Global Innovation IndexExternal link, face similar dilemmas over how to remain open to international science while maintaining security.

In 2022, the Netherlands set up a National Contact Point for Knowledge Security (Loket Kennisveiligheid)External link to help institutions manage threats like spying and covert influence.

Switzerland, in contrast, currently relies on a system run by universities themselves, meaning safeguards depend on the awareness and capacity of individual institutions.

A national hub would not only set common criteria and ensure smaller groups aren’t left behind – it would also help to reduce duplication of efforts, Dissertori said in an interview published on the website of ETH Zurich.

“That might help to balance Switzerland’s commitment to open science, while avoiding dangerous leaks of high technology”, he said.

Edited by Tony Barrett/vm/dos