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Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences a+
European Academies' Award goes to Helen Keller
Helen Keller is the first Swiss from Switzerland to be awarded the Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values by the All European Academies (ALLEA). This is particularly in recognition of her role as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights from 2011 to 2020, where she played a special role in shaping Europe's cultural values.
The ALLEA Award honours researchers or intellectuals whose work represents a significant impact on the progress of Europe. “At the European Court of Human Rights, Helen Keller established herself as a particularly active, independent and respected judge and had a significant influence on the development and consolidation of jurisprudence," says Dick Marty, who, as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, was present at her election as judge in Strasbourg. Helen Keller is Chair for Public Law, European and Public International Law at the University of Zurich, as well as a judge at the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina since December 2020.
Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences SAMS
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Ethics consultation: Curriculum and certification of specialists
There are numerous forms of ethical counselling and support within the Swiss healthcare system. Until now, however, there has been no structured and coordinated program for the certification of specialists working in this field. In September, the Swiss Society for Biomedical Ethics (SGBE) published a curriculum and certification model, thereby closing this gap.
Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences SAMS
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New funding program: Advanced Physician Scientists Grants
The Gottfried and Julia Bangerter-Rhyner Foundation and the SAMS are launching the funding program «Advanced Physician Scientists Grants» to support outstanding mid-career clinicians trained in Switzerland. The program allows them to devote 50 percent of their working time to their research project for two years, alongside their clinical activity.
Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences SATW
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“Can we still dream of space?” – Galactic Chloé on the importance of space and who has a say in it
In 2019, Chloé Carrière co-founded Asclepios, Europe’s first student-led analog space mission. The first crew went into isolation in July 2021. In July 2025, the fifth edition spent 16 days underground at the Sasso San Gottardo fortress in Ticino – a mission that the aerospace engineer now accompanies as a mentor. As “Galactic Chloé”, she reaches a broad audience today with space topics on social media, in her own radio column and through documentary films. In an interview with SATW, she explains what students learn from a simulated moon mission, why she believes Swiss citizens should have a say in space policy, why she had to reshape her own dream of walking on the moon and how to keep Switzerland’s young space industry in the country.