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Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences a+
Adoption of the Open Research Data Strategy
The Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences are involved in the Open Research Data Strategy (ORD) and its implementation in many ways. It is foreseen that the Swiss Academies will not only sit on the newly established national "Strategy Council" for ORD together with other important actors, but will also contribute to the development of competencies in ORD research practices and to the establishment of systemic framework conditions. This includes, for example, the commitment of Swiss Academies to the development of the Code of conduct for scientific integrity, which takes into account new digital methods in research. In addition, disciplinary perspectives, which the academies have at their disposal through close contact with the various research communities, should be brought into the implementation of the strategy wherever possible and appropriate.
Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences SATW
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More Swiss research in space: Florian Kehl on the development of space missions at ETH Zurich
Four telescopes that must maintain a stable focus on extremely faint galaxies for an exceptionally long time, and detectors that remain at a constant temperature of around –130 degrees Celsius throughout: the ARRAKIHS space telescope has been built to the very limits of what is technically possible. In June 2026, the European Space Agency (ESA) gave the go-ahead for the mission – with a Swiss contribution for which Florian Kehl was responsible until the end of 2025. To ensure that such contributions do not remain isolated cases, in addition to high-quality research, we need structures, streamlined processes and people who can get entire missions off the ground. This is precisely what Kehl is working on today as Director of Space Research Initiatives at ETH Zurich | Space. In an interview with SATW, he explains what makes ARRAKIHS so technically challenging, just how competitive Switzerland really is when it comes to securing leadership roles in European missions, and why, in his view, the search for extraterrestrial life might be on the verge of yielding an answer.
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Article on the SWEET programme published
The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) commissioned science journalist Benedikt Vogel to write an article on the public funding programme SWEET (SWiss Energy research for the Energy Transition).
Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences SATW
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Solar power from space
Space-based solar power stations could generate electricity almost round the clock and transmit it to Earth via microwaves. The individual technologies are well developed, but their interaction on a large scale has not yet been tested. Swiss research and industry could also play a part in overcoming the enormous technical and economic hurdles.