A new ETH research center will investigate the origin and proliferation of life on Earth and beyond. More than 40 research groups from five departments will build bridges between the disciplines on the ETH Zurich’s campus and the Hönggerberg campus. The center will be overseen by Nobel Laureate Didier Queloz, with a management team also including ETH professors Cara Magnabosco, Sascha Quanz, and Roland Riek.
ETH Zurich President Joël Mesot commented in a press release: “When I visited various ETH departments after taking up my post four years ago, I realized that many research groups have one thing in common: the great desire to get to the bottom of the origin of life. I am really pleased that our new center will now make this possible.”
In addition to numerous research collaborations with international institutes, six new professorships and various teaching programs will be created. With the creation of nine new fellowships under the NOMIS-ETH fellowship program over the next six years, young researchers will receive the opportunity to undertake “outside-the-box thinking”. The NOMIS Foundation based in Zurich is providing 3.24 million Swiss francs for this.
Furthermore, the center is also being financed by funds from the Executive Board, the participating departments and research groups, and the Paul Scherrer Institute. A scientific collaboration has been established with the latter. The total budget for the first six years is 9 million Swiss francs. According to the information provided, further support from foundations, the business community, and private individuals is still required.
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