Strengthening Switzerland as an AI hub and tackling the skilled labour shortage
ETH Zurich is expanding its activities in the field of artificial intelligence, boosting Switzerland’s status as an AI hub. The university is also addressing the country’s skilled labour shortage through its education and training programmes. However, ETH Zurich fears that an impending paradigm shift in tuition fees could pose a challenge to its model of success.
In brief
- ETH Zurich is making a significant contribution to positioning Switzerland as a top global location for developing and deploying transparent and trustworthy AI.
- ETH graduates work primarily in professions where the long-term domestic skilled labour shortage is the most acute.
- A substantial increase in tuition fees, as demanded in the federal government’s proposed relief package for 2027, would call ETH Zurich's successful model into question.
ETH Zurich continued its contribution to Switzerland’s standing as one of the most innovative countries in the world. Last year, the university produced around 4,000 new skilled professionals, nearly 300 inventions, patents and licences, and launched 37 new spin-offs. In its 2024 annual report released today, the university reflects on these achievements and highlights the successes of the past year.
For the fifth consecutive year, more than 40 percent of newly appointed professors were women, once again exceeding the university’s own target. ETH also lived up to its role as a pioneer in education, launching a new Master’s programme in space sciences last autumn – the first programme of its kind in Europe, with a curriculum designed to train specialists for the rapidly growing Swiss and European space industry.
In 2024, ETH Zurich joined forces with EPFL, PSI, Empa and numerous private sector partners to establish a non-profit association for advancing the external page Coalition for Green Energy and Storage (CGES). An iron-based hydrogen storage system at the H?nggerberg campus was presented as the initiative’s first project. “This is a prime example of how we develop solutions to accelerate the transition to a sustainable and resilient energy system in Switzerland,” said ETH President Professor Jo?l Mesot at the annual press conference.
Switzerland champions transparent and trustworthy AI
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming science, business and society. To stay competitive in the global AI landscape, ETH Zurich and EPFL teamed up to establish the Swiss National AI Institute (SNAI) in 2024. The institute currently comprises more than 800 AI researchers from 10 universities and research institutions across Switzerland. “SNAI’s goal is to position Switzerland as a top global location for developing and deploying transparent and trustworthy AI,” says Jo?l Mesot.
To effectively harness AI, a critical mass of talent and data is essential – as is having access to the necessary computing power. As a result, SNAI relies heavily on the new Alps supercomputer, which was inaugurated at the CSCS in Lugano in the autumn of 2024. This development gives Switzerland a significant geographical advantage in the field of AI.
One of SNAI’s primary objectives is to develop a Swiss AI language model by the summer of 2025. Unlike many commercial models, this one is designed to be transparent and openly accessible. Official agencies and businesses will have the opportunity to use this model as a foundation for creating more specific language models. For example, researchers at ETH Zurich are already collaborating with the Federal Supreme Court and the Federal Office of Justice to create a model tailored for the Swiss judicial system.
ETH graduates fight the skills shortage
Well-trained professionals are a key pillar of prosperity in Switzerland. With around 4,000 Master’s and doctoral students graduating each year, ETH Zurich makes a significant contribution to combating the skills shortage in the country. Around 97 percent of graduates find employment within a year, with over 80 percent remaining in Switzerland.
The Skills Index of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) shows that ETH graduates are in high demand. They mainly work in professions where the long-term domestic skilled labour shortage is the most acute. Approximately 40 percent work as engineers and scientists, and around 14 percent in software development – both fields with pronounced skilled labour shortages.
Since 2010, the number of specialists educated annually by ETH has more than doubled. However, the federal financial contribution has increased by only 27 percent over the same time period. “This shows that we’ve been able to significantly improve the efficiency of our teaching,” says ETH Rector Günther Dissertori, who is responsible for teaching. “However, with an ever-growing number of students, it will become increasingly difficult to maintain our high level of quality.”
Students aren’t “cash cows”
The federal government’s proposed relief package for 2027 includes a plan to cut the ETH Domain's funding by 78 million Swiss francs, with the missing funds to be balanced out by higher student fees. Calculations by the ETH Board show that, depending on the scenario, tuition fees for Swiss students with a university entrance qualification (Matura) would more than double, while fees for international students would need to be around seven times higher than they are today. “ETH Zurich finds it understandable that foreign students should contribute more financially to their studies,” explains Dissertori. “However, the prospect of more than doubling fees for Swiss students represents a paradigm shift. In Switzerland, we have always regarded students as a valuable investment in the future, not as a source of revenue.”
A shift of this kind would jeopardise ETH Zurich’s success without providing substantial relief for the university’s finances. Tuition fees currently account for less than two percent of the ETH budget. According to Dissertori, ETH Zurich’s minimal reliance on tuition fees has been a key factor in its success. “We want to attract the best and most committed students from Switzerland and abroad,” he says. “Not just those who can afford it, or those who increase their expectations to match what they