News

At its meeting of 20/21 May, the ETH Board discussed the conditions for the cooperation with the DDPS and the Federal Office for Defence Procurement, armasuisse, which is to be intensified in accordance with the Federal Council’s new armaments policy strategy. Like the Federal Council, the ETH Board rejects the “No to a Switzerland with 10 million” initiative. In addition, the ETH Board appointed three new members to the Directorate of PSI and two to the Directorate of WSL.

The Federal Office for Defence Procurement armasuisse and the ETH domain are strengthening their strategic cooperation in security-relevant research. The aim of the programme “Research Program Security” launched in October 2025 is to develop innovative ideas and solutions for the current challenges in the area of security and defence. Eight projects from the first call will be launched from May 2026. armasuisse will provide two million Francs for this purpose.

At its meeting of 20/21 May 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 six women and thirteen men as professors and awarded the title of professor to five individuals and the title of Professor of Practice to two individuals. It also took note of the resignation of 15 professors and thanked them for their services. In the last 12 months, the ETH Board has made a total of 25 new appointments for women and 27 for men; the proportion of women among these new appointments thus amounts to 48%.

In 2025, the number of cultural workers in Switzerland fell by 4.8% compared with 2024, a decrease similar to that seen during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019–2020. This fall in numbers was more pronounced among male cultural workers and Swiss nationals, and in French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland compared with German-speaking part of the country. These are the main findings on cultural workers from the updated Statistics on the Cultural Economy (2025). This update also included the figures on public and private funding for culture (2023).

The decisions the Federal Administration makes – or fails to make – today will have consequences for future generations. The Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) helps to identify risks at an early stage and highlight where action is needed. However, to ensure that the SFAO can effectively fulfil its role as an independent audit body, it sees a need for action.

The humanitarian situation in the Middle East has worsened due to the conflict between Israel, the US and Iran. The FDFA is releasing CHF 13.5 million to address needs in Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan.

In 2025, 12 485 bankruptcy proceedings were initiated against companies, a 61.2% increase on the previous year. This may be due to a change in legislation, which now permits bankruptcy proceedings to be initiated for the recovery of claims under public law. The increase in losses from unpaid debt certificates resulting from bankruptcy proceedings was more moderate (+17.8%), as was the change in the number of bankruptcy cases closed (+10.2%). These are some of the findings of the Debt Collection and Bankruptcy Statistics published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

In 2025, 8.114 billion hours were worked in Switzerland, around the same number as the year before. Between 2020 and 2025, the actual weekly hours worked by full-time employees increased to 40 hours and 3 minutes, but remained below their pre-pandemic level. This is according to the latest re-sults from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

Two ambassadorial titles have been awarded and the following personnel changes have been decided on for 2026 and 2027 in the external network and at FDFA head office. This comes as part of the FDFA's periodic transfer rotation and is based on appointments made by the Federal Council.

Switzerland is making progress in strengthening cybersecurity. The latest report on the implementation of the National Cyberstrategy (NCS) documents the status of work in 2025 and shows that projects are moving forward. The report also sets out the measures being taken in response to the growing importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of cybersecurity. The Federal Council was informed of the report at its meeting on 20 May 2026.

A new final report (cableways) is available on the website of the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board STSB.

The completely revised Patents Ordinance was met with broad approval in the consultation process. The Federal Council approved the bill at its meeting on 20 May 2026. The Ordinance will come into force with the amended Patents Act on 1 January 2027. The new patent law will increase legal certainty and streamline procedures.