Sustainability in Research and Education
Through its research and teaching, ETH Zurich provides scientific and technical expertise for sustainable development and trains specialists. Research-based educational programmes with a focus on sustainability are available from vocational training to undergraduate and doctoral studies to continuing education courses.
Research
In addition to the broad spectrum of cutting-edge research conducted in its departments, ETH Zurich can build on the inter- and transdisciplinary expertise of its various competence centres to address society's major challenges, such as energy supply,
food security, risk, or climate change. By promoting the entrepreneurial activities of its researchers, ETH Zurich is strongly committed to knowledge transfer for the benefit of society.
Highlight in November 2025: Energy Week
(German only) Wie gestalten wir die Energieversorgung von morgen? Die Energy Week @ ETH 2025 widmet sich den dr?ngenden Fragen rund um die Energiewende – und zeigt, dass deren Umsetzung nicht nur eine technologische Herausforderung ist, sondern eine gesamtgesellschaftliche Aufgabe.
In einer Welt im Wandel braucht es neue Perspektiven: Gesellschaftliche Akteure sind gefordert, Rahmenbedingungen zu schaffen, die Innovation erm?glichen und Akzeptanz f?rdern. Gleichzeitig treiben Forschung und Industrie die Entwicklung neuer Technologien voran - von digitalen L?sungen über intelligente Netze bis hin zu negativen Emissionen oder W?rmespeicherung.
Alle Informationen: Energy Week @ ETH 2025
Further information on research and transfer
Education and Teaching
ETH Zurich is educating the future generation of professionals who will incorporate aspects of sustainability into their professional lives and beyond. Over the past decades, ETH Zurich has not only developed internationally recognized degree programs, courses, and other teaching formats, but also established new departments and institutes to provide its students with sustainability-specific knowledge. Another goal of ETH Zurich is to empower its students to become intellectually agile by equipping them to address socially and ethically relevant issues during their studies, in their careers, and as proactive members of society.
Moreoever, ETH Zurich is a place where lifelong learning is part of the culture and organisational development (see Lifelong Learning Hub) and where numerous further education offers exist (see School of Continuing Education).
From students for students: Sustainability course catalogue
The Student Sustainability Committee offers interested students a course catalogue, which provides an overview and orientation about current lectures and courses with links to sustainability.
More information: Environmental Sustainability Catalogue
The SSC course catalogue replaces the Course Catalogue related to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. Updating stopped in 2023.
Initiative 'Sustainability and Ethics'
The Group Strategy and Analytics in the Unit Teaching and Learning is in charge of the teaching initiative 'Sustainability and Ethics', funded through the programme external page "St?rkung einer Nachhaltigkeitskultur an Schweizer Hochschulen" (PgB 2025-2028) by swissuniversities.
More information (German only): external page Nachhaltigkeit und Ethik in der Lehre
Public lecture 'Sustainable Development Goals in Context'
Every autumn semester the public lecture 'Sustainable Development Goals in Context' offers interesting insights into current research and practice related to one or several Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.
The public lecture is organised by ETH Sustainability and NADEL / ETH4D as dialogue format for students and an interested public.
Further information on education
The ETH universe in research and education is vast and dynamic. The selected content offers relevant entry points. Suggestions for additions and actualities are welcome to: . Thank you.