Swiss Academy of Sciences SCNAT
Handbook on natural history collections management – A collaborative Swiss perspective
Swiss natural history museums, botanical gardens, universities and other institutions for higher education collectively maintain collections with over 60 million specimens of animals, fungi, plants, rocks and fossils. To speed up, harmonise and better coordinate their digitisation, the SwissCollNet initiative was established by the Swiss Academy of Sciences and the Swiss collection-holding institutions.
This handbook is one of SwissCollNet’s first achievment to advance the exchange of knowledge on object and data management among Swiss collections. It contains instructions to modernise natural history collections of preserved biological materials and geological samples developed by experts and collections managers from across Swiss collection-holding institutions.
Frick H, Greeff M (2021) Handbook on natural history collections management – A collaborative Swiss perspective. Swiss Academies Communications 16 (2).
Swiss Young Academy SYA
Compassionate Science - Integrating Empathy and Compassion in Research
This report explores how empathy and compassion shape research practices across disciplines. Drawing on a review of existing literature and illustrative examples from early-career researchers, it shows that empathy and compassion are not abstract ideals but practical dimensions of research that can influence study design, relationships, data interpretation, and knowledge translation. Across fields, integrating these dimensions can strengthen trust, deepen understanding, improve collaboration, and enhance ethical reflexivity.
Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences a+
STEM 2026: Where Switzerland stands today
Twelve years on from the first STEM Youth Barometer, the new 2026 edition reveals that interest in STEM has remained largely stable, stereotypes persist, and women underestimate their own abilities. At the same time, the findings are more nuanced than expected and point to clear areas for improvement.
Swiss Academy of Sciences SCNAT
Beyond the transaction: commodity trade and sustainable development
This factsheet maps the sustainability links of commodity trade, identifies knowledge gaps, and outlines options for commodity hubs, including Switzerland, to reduce economic, environmental and social sustainability risks.