Funding
Donations to the ETH Foundation help in various ways to consolidate ETH Zurich’s leading position on the world stage and push the boundaries of knowledge.
Developing secure and reliable autonomous systems: The AI-based research carried out by Jelena Trisovic is helping to ensure that we can make the best possible use of the potential of robots in the future. An Excellence Scholarship enabled the doctoral student to study for her Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at ETH. Now she is carrying out her research as part of a fellowship at the ETH AI Center, which brings together more than 110 professors who are looking into every aspect of artificial intelligence.
Learn more"ETH has provided me with an excellent education – and friends for life."
Kaveh Razavi
Kaveh Razavi studied at ETH Zurich in 2009 with the help of an Excellence Scholarship. Today he is a professor in the department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering at ETH. Together with talented students, he solves complex cyber security problems and carries out research into reliable and secure computer systems. By supporting the scholarship programme, Kaveh Razavi, who himself was once an aspiring student, is helping the ambitious young people of today.
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When Yurena Seguí Femenias came to ETH Zurich in 2010 on an exchange year, she had no idea that she would eventually stay and found her own ETH spin-off. Her company DuraMon now helps to ensure that public infrastructure made from reinforced concrete is safer and more long-lasting. A Pioneer Fellowship funded by donations was the decisive factor in enabling the young entrepreneur to transform the sensor technology for monitoring corrosion damage that she had developed during her doctorate into a marketable service.
Learn more"A lack of money should never be a barrier to education, because bright minds and extraordinary ideas are among our country’s most valuable resources."
Natascha Schill
Studying biotechnology was the perfect choice for ETH alumna Natascha Schill. After 20 years working for the biotechnology company Biogen in the US and in Switzerland, she became CEO of the start-up Encentrio Therapeutics, which was successfully sold in the summer of 2023. The entrepreneur is proud of the firstclass educational opportunities at ETH and helps to provide funding for outstanding students.
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Danielle Griego, Executive Director of the Design++ centre, believes that ETH is the right place to develop the potential of digital methods and tools for the architectural and construction sectors. The objective of the centre is to reduce the environmental footprint and increase the productivity of the building industry and, at the same time, to ensure that the built environment meets high standards of quality. Close cooperation with partners from the construction industry ensures that the centre investigates relevant issues and that the solutions it develops are applied in practice.
Learn more"I am very grateful for my education and I want to give something back to ETH."
Dominik Courtin
Dominik Courtin, ETH alumnus and CEO of the engineering company Basler & Hofmann, maintains a variety of links with ETH. Basler & Hofmann helps fund the ETH Design++ centre, with the aim of supporting research in the field of digital design, planning and construction, and employs many ETH graduates. Dominik Courtin remembers his time as a student at ETH as one of the best periods of his life. His private funding for the Excellence Scholarship programme is a way of giving something back and staying up to date with the latest developments.
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With their underwater drone, Jonas Wüst and Pragash Sivananthaguru have set their sights on the search and rescue sector. It can carry out searches even in strong currents and can also remove and disarm munitions without putting human life at risk. Their diving robot could also play a valuable role in inspecting underwater structures. The initial ideas for their project emerged in the Student Project House. Meanwhile the team from Tethys Robotics can now rely on a Pioneer Fellowship and make use of the infrastructure at the Wyss Zurich Translational Center.
Learn more"Our engagement for ETH allows us to fuel the burning passion of promising young people."
Patricia Kopp
Patricia Kopp is responsible for the area of education and science at the Ernst Göhner Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to supporting young entrepreneurs from ETH Zurich, in order to promote innovation in Switzerland. In addition to funding the Pioneer Fellowship programme, it has made an important contribution to the establishment of the Student Project House, a creative space for thinkers and makers, where ETH students can explore and develop their ideas. The Ernst Göhner Foundation has also made a generous donation to the planned Centre for Students and Entrepreneurs on the Hönggerberg campus.
Learn moreThe ETH Foundation supports top-class research and excellent teaching at ETH, thus contributing to the development of solutions to the most pressing challenges of our time and strengthening Switzerland’s position as a hub for knowledge and business.
Making a general, non-earmarked donation allows the university the greatest possible flexibility. ETH can, for example, create new professorships or support exceptional research projects.
An earmarked donation allows you to support specific strategic projects at ETH. Are you passionate about supporting excellent students or researchers with entrepreneurial ambitions at ETH Zurich?
Do you want to enable innovation in a particular research field such as climate change, sustainable food systems, healthy ageing or quantum research? The ETH Foundation will be happy to help you find a cause close to your heart.
You can provide long-term support for a cause close to your heart or ETH in general through a named fund. We will set up a fund in your name, for your chosen purpose, e.g. the “Joanna Smith Fund for the Promotion of Excellent Female Students” or the “John Smith Fund for the Promotion of Climate Research”.
We will provide regular updates on the supported projects and the fund’s finances. We will also give your named fund the level of publicity you wish.
By leaving a legacy or bequest to the ETH Foundation, you can make a lasting commitment to those topics and values that are particularly important to you – from a commitment to excellent talent to the promotion of a specific field of research.
This way, you create a memento of your life and make an effective contribution to a brighter future.
Your emotional attachment to your home tends to grow over the course of a lifetime as it becomes a place of life-defining experiences and milestones. This makes it all the more understandable that you want to know that your property will be in good hands when you are no longer around. As a reliable partner, the ETH Foundation ensures that donations, legacies or bequests of property are handled professionally.
Together with Immobilien ETHZF AG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the ETH Foundation, set up specifically to manage real estate on behalf of ETH Zurich, we will ensure that your interests and wishes are respected.
If you prefer not to mark a loved one’s passing with flowers or wreaths, you can make a memorial donation to the ETH Foundation instead.
An acknowledgment letter will be sent to all donors.
As a charitable organisation, the ETH Foundation is exempt from inheritance and gift tax and donations are tax-deductible under the provisions of the law.
In addition, its operating expenses are funded using the capital income from all its managed assets. This way every donation benefits ETH Zurich in full.