Links between universities and tobacco industry a threat to Swiss research, NGO warns

OxySuisse pointed out that Switzerland ranks 99th out of 100 in the 2025 Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index, highlighting the country's vulnerability to tobacco industry influence. Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

An investigation by the Transparency and Truth initiative of the NGO OxySuisse reveals links between the tobacco industry and several Swiss universities.

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OxySuisse said it had identified 29 collaborations at 16 academic institutions (universities, federal institutes of technology, universities of applied sciences and university hospitals), including 23 with Philip Morris International alone, since 2019.

OxySuisse published its studyExternal link on Wednesday. The NGO stated that the forms of cooperation uncovered include joint research, publications, teaching, workshops, researcher assignments and joint doctoral theses. The collaborations involve all regions of the country and, according to the report’s authors, the actual number may be higher due to non-disclosure and confidentiality clauses.

OxySuisse pointed out that Switzerland ranks 99th out of 100 countries in the 2025 Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index, highlighting its vulnerability to tobacco industry influence.

According to the NGO, four institutions had refused to provide information or publish contracts, forcing OxySuisse to resort to legal proceedings (some of which remain ongoing), all of which have so far gone in favour of the association or been supported by cantonal transparency offices. Institutions were ranked according to their compliance with the principle of transparency and their links to the tobacco industry.

For decades, the tobacco industry has used scientific collaboration to gain legitimacy, minimise the risks of its products, and influence health policies, often in a covert manner, OxySuisse alleged.

In Switzerland, emblematic cases include the Rylander scandal, in which a former professor at the University of Geneva did research on the effects of passive smoking financed by Philip Morris. Another is Philip Morris’ own mandate given to two professors at the University of Zurich to evaluate the effectiveness of plain cigarette packaging. Recent international research by the University of Bath in the United Kingdom and Le Monde newspaper in France shows this is a systematic and planned strategy, rather than isolated incidents, according to OxySuisse.

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OxySuisse warned that these collaborations pose a serious threat to the scientific integrity of Swiss research, given the absence of clear rules at most institutions. The association is calling for mandatory transparency on collaboration projects with the tobacco industry, the adoption of binding national ethics rules, and increased awareness of ethics commissions.

In parallel to the publication of its investigation, OxySuisse has activated a secure “whistleblower” channel through which researchers and university staff can confidentially report violations of scientific integrity related to these relationships.

Translated from Italian with AI/gw

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