From wastewater to forest health: 326 million to support a diverse range of research

Social sciences and humanities

What impact has Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine had on Russian society? Jan Matti Dollbaum (University of Fribourg) and Ulrich Schmid (University of St. Gallen) are investigating this question. They are examining the extent to which the population accepts state violence, the degree of solidarity within and between social groups and how public information is perceived. This enables them to trace social change in wartime and find out how political views develop under the authoritarian regime.

Electronic evidence, so-called e-evidence, is becoming increasingly important in the investigation of criminal offences. This includes chat histories, emails, location data and IP addresses. However, when collecting such e-evidence, law enforcement authorities often encroach on citizens' privacy. Because Swiss criminal procedural law is not very well adapted to the collection of digital evidence, Monika Simmler (University of St. Gallen) is developing the basis for comprehensive Swiss e-evidence regulation in her research project. To this end, she is analysing the requirements of both Swiss and international law for such regulation and developing concrete proposals for its further development.

Mathematics, informatics, natural sciences and technology

Understanding and detecting past climate events, such as solar storms or glacier movements, is crucial for climate change research. This can be done by analysing radioactive atoms in ice or rock samples using accelerator mass spectroscopy (AMS). Christof Vockenhuber (ETH Zurich) and his collaborators aim to build the worldwide first compact AMS system, adopting an innovative technique to improve the sensitivity of its measurements. This new system will be more cost-efficient and more accessible and will enable the analysis of more samples compared to currently available techniques. Furthermore, it has the potential to be applied in various fields beyond climate change research.

Life sciences

Charlotte Grossiord and her team at EPFL will study the long-term impact of intense heatwaves on forest ecosystems and tree survival. Rising air temperatures and hot droughts are known to pose risks to forest health; however, exactly how trees recover from and acclimatise to extreme heat remains unclear. This research project’s aim is to investigate forest resilience and the capacity of plants at different developmental stages to withstand heat stress. The data generated will help inform the sustainable management and restoration of affected ecosystems.

To understand kidney diseases and develop treatments for them, researchers use lab-grown kidney models made from kidney cells. These still, however, fail to replicate the full complexity of the real organ. Maurizio Gullo (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland) and Stefan Rudloff (Inselspital Bern) have joined forces to address this problem. As part of their RENAISSANCE project, they aim to develop a ‘nephron-on-a-chip’, a device that mimics the kidney’s function by integrating fully developed kidney segments. Each part will maintain its specific role and will interact with the others. The results of this research will help develop new medications and personalised treatment strategies for kidney disease and reduce the necessity of animal testing.

Interdisciplinary projects

At the University of Zurich, Judith Burkart will lead a research project on altercentrism. This is the idea that our thoughts are shaped not only by our own perspectives but also by what others see, know or believe. Once considered a late cognitive achievement, the ability to ‘put oneself in someone else’s shoes’ may emerge already in infancy. Burkart will test whether such early social thinking is also present in non-human primates. Combining primate cognition, developmental and comparative psychology with experiments and observations, the study seeks to uncover the evolutionary roots of altercentrism.

Gisela Michel from the University of Lucerne and André von Bueren from the University of Geneva will study the experiences of fathers whose children have been diagnosed with cancer. The study brings together paediatric oncology, clinical psychology, and health psychology. Through surveys and interviews, the researchers will follow fathers’ mental and physical health during and after their child’s treatment. The project’s aim is to develop Switzerland’s first evidence-based recommendations to guide support for fathers. The resulting measures need to be practical, culturally sensitive and informed by both clinical expertise and lived experience.