July 2025
"ETH Swiss GeoLab will put us among the world's leaders in Earth observation"

The Jörg G. Bucherer-Foundation's donation of 100 million Swiss francs will enable ETH Zurich to establish a new competence centre for Earth observation. ETH President Joël Mesot explains how the partnership came about and how it will benefit ETH Swiss GeoLab.
The Jörg G. Bucherer-Foundation donates 100 million Swiss francs to ETH Zurich for Earth observation centre

ETH Zurich will receive 10 million Swiss francs a year from the Jörg G. Bucherer-Foundation for the next ten years. The university will use the funds to establish a competence centre for Earth observation with global appeal and a physical presence in the Canton of Lucerne. The Canton of Lucerne is to support the project as infrastructure partner.
New models improve predictions of snow, rock and ice avalanches

A new 3D simulation tool developed by ETH and SLF researchers now allows for significantly more accurate predictions of complex alpine mass movements, supporting alpine risk management.