News from the Executive Board 2025/4
Organisational development at VPFC, a new financing agreement with ASVZ and elections to the Prize Commission: these were among the topics discussed by the ETH Zurich Executive Board at its last meeting.
Organisational development at VPFC
To further develop the Finance & Controlling department for the future, an organisational development (OD) project was launched at the beginning of the year. Specifically, the following topics were examined: 1) Controlling, 2) Procurement, 3) Data, Management Information and Analytics, 4) Management Accounting, 5) Compliance, Finance Desk, 6) Process Optimisation and Automation. The Executive Board discussed three proposals:
1. Overview proposal
- The mandate of Institutional Research as the central point of contact for management information at ETH Zurich was confirmed. The aim is to make relevant management data/information available via Institutional Research in a uniform IT architecture, creating a one-stop shop. As a pilot project, an ‘Institutional Data Community’ will be established and evaluated by the end of Q2/2026. The community will meet regularly for informal exchanges.
- Management accounting has so far been carried out purely on the basis of legal requirements (University Act) vis-à-vis the Federal Administration. The aim is now to examine how it can be used as a supplementary financial control instrument for the entire ETH. In-depth analyses, conceptual designs and feasibility studies will be carried out in the coming months to determine how this can be achieved.
- Compliance is not only a regulatory obligation but also serves to protect the entire organisation and its members and should therefore be more firmly anchored in structures and processes. However, the aim is deliberately not to further complicate processes with additional regulations and bureaucratic hurdles – quite the contrary. By embedding the financial compliance role in the Finance Desk as a dedicated department, the aim is to optimise interactive support between financial management and executives.
- In addition to the further development of the ETHIS platform and the operation of the SAP system, greater emphasis will be placed on process optimisation and automation in the future. This includes, for example, identifying and realising potential in process simplification, standardisation and automation, or a proactive approach within the Digital Transformation Office (DTO) to the cross-divisional use of digital solutions and efficiency-enhancing AI tools.
2. Proposal for the Controlling organisation
Following extensive and broad-based workshops and discussions with stakeholders outside VPFC, there was considerable openness to the introduction of common standards, uniform processes and the use of automated tools. The initiation of an overall programme to optimise the process and tool landscape with external support is welcomed. An overall programme entitled ‘Financial Transparency and Control (FITS)’ will also include follow-up work on management accounting as well as standardisation and simplification of value flows. The objectives of these activities are to increase the efficiency and quality of processes and to optimise transparency and governance in the context of business decision-making processes.
3. Proposal for Procurement
As part of the organisational development of VPFC, various options for the future organisation of procurement at ETH were developed in collaboration with VPIN. The aim is to create a structure that achieves even better conditions, maintains proximity to the procuring units and meets external and internal compliance requirements. It should also support the strengthening of cooperation within the ETH Domain in KoBe ETH+ as required by the Swiss Federal Audit Office. The Executive Board has opted for a hybrid model: a central procurement unit at VPFC and another at VPIN will ensure transparency and professional independence. VPFC remains responsible for coordinating and setting standards, providing tools and offering relevant training. The SL has tasked VPFC with developing a business case for optimising procurement processes by the end of Q1/2026. At the same time, VPIN is to draw up an implementation plan for setting up its own central procurement unit.
New financing agreement with ASVZ
The Executive Board has approved the 2026–2029 financing agreement with the Academic Sports Association Zurich (external page ASVZ). ETH Zurich will thus continue to participate in the financing of the ASVZ together with the University of Zurich (UZH), the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, the Zurich University of Teacher Education and the Zurich University of the Arts.
At the heart of the agreement is the so-called base contribution – a fixed lump sum that the universities pay to the ASVZ each year. This contribution ensures a wide range of sports activities for students and staff. Its amount is based on the number of students, the number of staff with ASVZ membership and the infrastructure provided. ETH's share of the base contribution has increased compared to the previous period. This is due to the above-average growth in student numbers at ETH compared to the other participating universities. For the new period, ETH's share amounts to around CHF 798,500 per year (previous period: around CHF 648,000 per year).
The financing agreement also regulates the infrastructure contribution: the ASVZ reimburses the universities for this contribution, as they make their infrastructure available for the sports courses. For ETH, this contribution will increase from around CHF 706,000 per year (previous period) to around CHF 759,300 per year, with the infrastructure contribution now being distributed among all participating universities and no longer just between ETH and UZH as was previously the case.
Overall, the increased base contribution will result in a slightly higher financial burden for ETH than in the previous period. However, the ASVZ participation fees will remain unchanged.
Prize Commission: Re-election and new members
The Executive Board has re-elected David Norris (D-MAVT) for a second term as Chair of the Prize Commission. Due to the resignations of Angelika Steger (D-INFK) and Elli Mosayebi (D-ARCH), two new members have been appointed: Laurent Stalder (D-ARCH) will take office on 1 September 2025, and Olga Sorkine (D-INFK) will follow on 1 January 2026.
The Executive Board would like to thank Angelika Steger and Elli Mosayebi for their valuable contributions to the Commission and wishes all new and existing members every success in their work.
The Prize Commission advises the Executive Board on academic prizes, evaluates nominations for ETH internal academic prizes and recommends candidates for nomination for national and international academic prizes.
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