All Publications

Science-society dialogue is crucial for addressing pressing societal challenges. One important avenue for strengthening this link, in an inter- and transdisciplinary perspective, is teaching formats that encourage students to engage in the public sphere. However, an illustrative collection of best practices in Swiss higher education has been lacking so far. This practice-driven report draws on a non-exhaustive stocktake of existing courses in Switzerland and participatory workshops among lecturers. It features illustrative examples from Swiss higher education institutions and introduces a new typology of science-society teaching formats, offering educators a structured way to design and analyze courses across six dimensions. In addition, the publication discusses both the opportunities and challenges of implementing such teaching formats. To further advance science-society education, the report identifies three priority areas for action.

Thirty-seven institutions, take a decisive step towards unlocking the full potential of natural history collections in Switzerland. Together, they publish and endorse a strategy based on 6 pillars and 52 key activities to better preserve collections, ensure their accessibility and promote their use for science and society.

Wuelser G, Edwards P (2025)
Lighthouse Programmes in Sustainability Research and Innovation
Swiss Academies Reports 20 (4)

DOI: doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15599260

The Swiss Animal Welfare Act permits the use of animals for certain scientific purposes; at the same time, however, it requires that the dignity of animals be respected and their welfare protected. For researchers, reconciling these various societal interests can be challenging. The ethical guidelines for animal experiments (2025) are designed to clarify the margin of discretion left by the legislation and to encourage researchers to reflect on the handling of animals in their experiments. The decisive factors for updating the previous version from 2005 were new scientific knowledge and research methods on the one hand, as well as changes in the legal framework on the other.

Some of the most pressing challenges worldwide, from global pandemics to the climate and environmental crisis, require efforts at the interface of science, policy, and diplomacy. To this end, skills development for scientists engaged with science for policy and diplomacy is increasingly important, yet relevant educational offers in Switzerland and worldwide remain limited. The Swiss Young Network for Science Policy and Diplomacy, in collaboration with the Geneva Science-Policy Interface and the Franxini Project of Reatch, considered educational offers in science for policy and diplomacy available for early-career academics, including courses, workshops, and webinars in Switzerland, across Europe, and beyond.

Scientists, scientific experts, and knowledge brokers often find themselves in situations where they need to play new roles in society or are criticised for positioning themselves at the interface between science and other societal fields of action. The present guide aims to stimulate reflections on, and discussions of, various different roles that scientists perform.

There is an increased probability of extreme fires, due mainly to climate change (droughts and declining summer precipitation), rural depopulation, and land-use changes. To respond to this, a new European Academies report is calling for an urgent shift in wildfire policy – from reactive fire suppression to proactive, risk-based land management.

Already today, wildfires burn half a million hectares in the EU yearly on average, i.e. nearly twice the size of Luxembourg. While the Mediterranean remains the highest-risk region, the report warns that continental, alpine, and boreal regions must also prepare for a new era of fire. Instead of focussing on fire suppression and emergency response, the report advocates for an integrated EU framework for landscape fire-risk governance that prioritises prevention alongside these three elements: climate and land-use policies that focus on restoring carbon-rich peatlands and managing forests sustainably; integrate fire risk into biodiversity and tree-planting plans; and educate for a fire-resilient society.

The report under the auspices of the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC) was drafted by scientists from across Europe. On behalf of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, Marco Conedera, forest engineer at the WSL Campus in Cadenazzo, contributed as a reviewer of a draft version.