Switzerland’s top-ranked Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich has been cleared of accusations concerning governance, funding and gender bias by two external investigations.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ETH Board/swissinfo.ch/ilj
In March, the ETH Board, which oversees both the ETH ZurichExternal link and its sister institution in Lausanne, the EPFL, commissioned an external report after allegations of corruption made in the media by a female professor. The ETH Zurich had denied the corruption allegations.
In a statementExternal link on Thursday evening, the ETH Board said the external report, by the Swiss auditing, accounting and consulting company BDO, found that in the ETH Zurich’s Department of Physics, “the rules governing the allocation of funds are complied with and that the funds are allocated in a lawful, appropriate and sufficiently transparent manner, that there is no discrimination regarding the appointment of leading functionaries and that there are no indications of corruption and of abuse of office and power at ETH Zurich”.
The reportExternal link made some recommendations for improvements in the processes for fund allocation and top appointments.
An additional investigationExternal link was carried out by the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO)External link at two ETH Zurich departments and two EPFL faculties. It concluded that there was “no systematic discrimination on the basis of gender but suggests reinforced measures to promote transparency”, the statement said. The ETH Board said it supported this recommendation.
ETH Zurich President Joël Mesot told Keystone-SDA that he welcomed the findings of both reports. The allegations made in March had thus been rebutted, he said. He said that both reports contained valuable suggestions for additional improvements, which “we gladly accept. Some of them are already being put into action”.
The ETH Zurich is Switzerland’s top-ranked university and one of the best in the world, as recently seen in the QS university rankings which placed it sixth, moving ahead of Britain’s Cambridge.
More
More
ETH Zurich moves into the top six universities worldwide
This content was published on
The Zurich-based Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) has moved up one place in the latest QS university rankings.
First large-scale alpine solar plant approved in Switzerland
This content was published on
The approval was met with satisfaction by the project's organisers, but it also brings with it a certain amount of pressure.
Medieval squirrels may have ‘helped spread leprosy’
This content was published on
An examination of squirrel remains in the United Kingdom has opened up interesting questions and possibilities in terms of the history of the disease.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
ETH Zurich acts over bullying
This content was published on
Switzerland’s leading university has moved to dismiss a professor accused of bullying and pledged wide-ranging measures to tackle the issue.
This content was published on
Choosing the right university is an important decision. Find the right fit with swissinfo.ch’s university rankings and fees visualisations.
Swiss university system climbs to third in global study
This content was published on
Thanks largely to the strong performance of ETH Zurich, the Swiss university system has entered the top three globally in the latest QS rankings.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.