Past Events
Careers in Sustainability and Global Development
20 March 2024, 12:15-14:00
ETH Alumni Pavillon, Zurich
Are you aiming for a career in sustainability or global development? Do you want to learn from experienced professionals? At this Career Lunch, ETH alumni and other professionals will talk about their careers and answer your burning questions.
African Leadership for a Sustainable Future: Stories to Inspire
14 March 2024, 17:00-19:00
Student Project House, Clausiusstrasse 16
At this event, co-organised by the African Students Association of Zurich (ASAZ), the Student Project House and ETH4D for this year's Sustainability Week Zurich, you will meet researchers, innovators and alumni from the African community at ETH who are working for sustainable development in a wide range of fields.
Exhibition "Mobility & Inclusion"
12-27 February 2024
Mo-Fr, 8:00-22:00 / Sat-Sun, 9:00-17:00
ETH Zurich, Main Hall, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich
Visit the interactive exhibition Mobility & Inclusion at ETH Zürich to learn more about barriers that exclude people living with a disability from the society. Experience technical solutions that can partially compensate for physical impairments and understand better how collective efforts can contribute to a more inclusive society.
Learn more about the exhibition "Mobility & Inclusion"
Mirror COP 28: Progress in climate action and what you can contribute
6 December 2023
17:00-18:00 CET + drinks at BQM
ETH Zentrum
As part of the Student Sustainability Commissions (SSC) event series named Mirror COP 28, NADEL and ETH4D invited students to join a discussion led by Jasmin Neve and Dr. Florian Egli on pathways to climate action.
AI for Global Development and Humanitarian Action
25 October 2023
17:00 - 18:00 CET
Student Project House
Clausiusstrass 16, 8092 Zurich
How are advances in data science and artificial intelligence changing the work of organisations in the development and humanitarian sectors? The panel discussed potentials and challenges of using AI for Global Development & Humanitarian Work.
ETH4D at Industry Day
6 September 2023, 12:00-18:00
ETH Hönggerberg
At this year's ETH Industry Day, we will present two innovative projects from the ETH4D community in the field of construction: Learn about a new low-cost seismic isolation system based on rolling rubber spheres and the use of digital technologies to develop urban-scale building material inventories that enable material reuse in a circular economy.
Free admission, registration required.
Scientifica 2023
2 September 2023, 11:00-18:00
3 September 2023: 11:00-17:00
ETH Main Campus
At Switzerland’s largest science festival, you can experience research and science in direct exchange with researchers. At our booth at ETH Polyterrasse, you can learn about methods for reforestation in the tropics and make your own seed balls to take home. Are you interested in earthquake-resistant construction? Our 3D model shows you how engineers develop cost-effective methods to build earthquake-proof buildings in lower-income countries.
Free admission, no registration required.
Data as critical infrastructure for sustainable development and co-governance
A public seminar with Dr. Sandile Mbatha, eThekwini
26 May 2023, 14:00 – 15:00
Location Eawag Dübendorf, Forum Chriesbach (FC) C-24 (Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf), and online
Data is fast becoming an important asset and a critical infrastructure upon which decisions are made. Globally, more public sector organizations are using data-driven insights to make strategic decisions on resource allocation and making sustainability choices. The way data is collected, processed, governed, analyzed, and shared is redefining local governance approaches. There is a growing recognition that without data, local governments are unable to respond to pressing to service delivery issues and climate change induced disasters. Making choices on sustainability is also largely dependent on how cities make sense of their data. In 2022, eThekwini Municipality launched the City’s first ever “Single Source of Truth” – the Strategic Hub. The Strat Hub is a three tiered ‘Data and Tech’ initiative focusing on data visualization; cloud data warehousing; and digitization & automation. This is a public facing platform aimed to empower citizens and other city stakeholders to make decisions that are informed by reliable data. The hub is a foundation for transforming data culture and governance at local government level while building an inclusive data ecosystem. It attempts to center data as critical infrastructure in the decision-making process while supporting co-governance through open data.
How can academia support evidence-informed policy-making to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? - Two cases from South Africa and perspectives from ETH Zurich
A public seminar with Prof. Willem Fourie, University of Pretoria.
20 April 2023, 17:00 – 18:00
ETH Zurich, Clausiusstrasse 37, 8092 Zurich, Room A1
In this public seminar, Prof. Willem Fourie discussed the opportunities and challenges in improving SDG-relevant policymaking through the increased use of research evidence. He drew lessons from two South African projects: The South African SDG Hub uses machine learning to make a large amount of research available to policymakers, whereas the South African SDG Policy Support Initiative has created a co-ordinating mechanism that brings experts from all 26 public universities together with the Presidency of South Africa to support evidence-informed decision-making.
The talk was complemented by short inputs from Dr. Benedikt Knüsel (ETH Science-Policy Interface Unit) and Prof. Isabel Günther (NADEL – Center for Development and Cooperation) showcasing examples of ETH Zurich's engagement for evidence-informed policy-making to advance the SDGs.
SDG-Pitch Event
27 April 2023, 17:00 - 19:00
Student Project House, Clausiusstrasse 16
For all students and researchers at ETH Zurich working on innovative projects that contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)! At the SDG Pitch-Event you can create synergies with other projects, inspire fellow researchers and get a chance to win a mentorship for your project on top of a cash prize! Co-organised with SPH, ETH Entrepreneurship and ETH4D.
African Leadership for a Sustainable Future: Stories to Inspire
16 March 2023, 17:00-19:30
Student Project House
At this event, co-organised by the African Students Association of Zurich (ASAZ), the Student Project House and ETH4D for this year's Sustainability Week Zurich, we tapped into the power of storytelling to create connections and spark inspiration. Speakers shared inspiring stories behind their commitment to global sustainable development.
Speakers:
- Fatma Abdi (Doctoral Student at the Drug Formulation and Delivery Group & Founder of Wall of Scientists)
- Olayinka Aremu (Doctoral Student at the Food Systems Economics and Policy Group)
- Kenza Benabderrazik (Lecturer and Outreach Project Coordinator for the Sustainable Agroecosystems Group)
- Salome Räuschel (Doctoral Student at the Life Science Zurich Graduate School)
- Mosisa Wakjira (Doctoral Student at the Hydrology and Water Resources Management Group)
ETH4D at the International Cooperation Forum
IC Forum Switzerland
15. February 2023, 13:00 - 18:00
International Conference Centre Geneva
ETH4D was part of the marketplace at the external external page2023 International Cooperation Forum hosted in Geneva. «Education for Future» being the topic of this year's forum.
Good basic education and training are crucial for sustainable development. And yet education systems around the world are facing major challenges. Even before the pandemic, six out of ten children were not reaching basic levels of proficiency in reading and maths. COVID-19 exacerbated this situation. Scores of schools were closed, children could no longer study, and young people had to abandon their training programmes.
Careers in Sustainability and Global Development
SDG Career Lunch
30 November 2022, 12:15 - 14:00
Alumni Pavillon (MM C 78.1)
At the SDG Career Lunch, five professionals from different fields shared insights on their careers in sustainable and global development.
- Stefanie Kaegi, Senior Project Manager Climate Protection - Net Zero Emissions, City of Zurich
- Dr. Medinat Malefakis, Senior Lecturer, NADEL- Center for Development and Cooperation
- Smita Nakhooda, Head of Impact and ESG at Thomas Lloyd Group
- Josephine Pratiwi, Sustainability Consultant, Quantis
- Dr. Christoph Sutter, Founder South Pole & emost
The career lunch was co-organised with ETH Sustainability.
Good COP, Bad COP. What Is at Stake for Global Development at COP27?
15 November 2022
18:00-19:00 CET
ETH Zentrum, ML Building, Room F39
Climate change is already impacting every region on earth. However, these impacts are not felt equally. Low- and middle-income countries suffer disproportionately from the adverse consequences of climate change, although they are the least responsible. There are high stakes for global development at the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Speakers:
Thibyan Ibrahim (Assistant Director at the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology of the Maldives)
Dr Medinat Abdulazeez Malefakis (Senior Lecturer at the NADEL - Center for Development & Cooperation)
Jasmine Neve (Jasmine is a Senior Lecturer at the NADEL Center for Development & Cooperation)
aha Science Festival
11 & 12 November 2022
Historical Museum Bern
Over the course of two days, the aha science festival shed light on questions about money. On Friday, ETH Doctoral Candidate Dario Meili discussed if inequality is increasing or decreasing. On Saturday, ETH4D Executive Director Adina Rom talked about why it makes sense to give money to people living in poverty. The talks were in German.
Find more information about the external pageaha Science Festival here.
The New International Poverty Line: Why and how has it been calculated & what does it mean for global poverty?
A seminar with Dr. Samuel Tetteh-Baah, World Bank Research Uni & ETH Alumnus
03 November 2022, 17:30 - 19:30
ETH Zurich Main Building (Zentrum), Room E 1.1
The international poverty line is the principal standard used to monitor the progress being made to eradicate poverty everywhere in all its forms. It helps measure the number of people living in extreme poverty and helps compare poverty levels between countries. The international poverty line, set at $1.90 per day in 2015, has been updated to $2.15 a day in September 2022. In this talk, Dr Samuel Kofi Tetteh-Baah, economist at the World Bank, focused on how the international poverty line is derived, why it needed an update, and what the new line implies for global poverty estimates. In addition, Dr. Samuel Kofi Tetteh-Bah discussed the impact of Covid-19 on global poverty rates.
Samuel Kofi Tetteh-Baah is an economist in the Development Economics Data Group, World Bank, Washington, DC. He completed his PhD at ETH Zürich in Development Economics in 2019. He also holds an MA in Development Economics from the University of Göttingen, Germany and a BA in Economics from the University of Ghana. His research focuses on the measurement of poverty and inequality.
Building a Sustainable Future - SDG Pitch-Event
Tuesday, 25 October 2022
17:00-19:00
Student Project House, Clausiusstrasse 16
Are you a student or researcher working on innovative projects that contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? Then sign up for the Pitch Event to create synergies with other projects, inspire others and for a chance to win mentorship for your project and a cash prize!
Teams or individuals will pitch their idea or projects in each 3 minutes to an audience and a jury, who will vote for three winners: one for best pitch and two for most promising idea. In addition to mentorship, first and second prize will win CHF 2'000 and the audience winner CHF 1'000!
Organised by ETH4D, ETH Student Project House, ETH Entrepreneurship, Student Sustainability Commission, VSETH and the UZH Innovation Hub.
Digitalization can help improve conditions for people and the planet – but you have to start with the essential.
We live in an increasingly turbulent age, facing crises in human health, war, poverty, inequality and climate change. Digital tools can help bridge gaps if you focus on essential needs and adapt delivery platforms to the context. Join us to learn how to truly be ready for anything.
The session was organsed by the EPFL EssentialTech Centre. ETH researchers Bublu Thakur-Weigold (HumOSCM Lab) and Thomas Lumpe (breathe) will join the panel discussion.
Find external pagemore information about the Digital Festival Zurich here.
Three leading Swiss universities join forces to offer students and researchers a unique and hands-on learning experience in innovation practices. With this year’s thematic focus on impact, we are contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
With a keynote by ETH4D Executive Director Dr. Adina Rom
Find external pagemore information about the Innovators Camp 2022 here.
ETH Industry Day provides a platform for industry to meet ETH researchers and ETH spin-offs. ETH4D participated in the exhibition with two projects: Seismohealth, an AI platform that maximises the safe life of buildings and bridges and minimises their environmental footprint. And Kapok, a fully automated and low-cost sustainability certification system of commodities in the tropics based on public Earth observation satellite images.
Five experienced professionals from various fields, who are committed to making an impact on people's lives or the environment through their work, have been invited to share their experience and advice on careers in sustainability and global development with a crowd of more than 50 ETH students during the second edition of our SDG Career Panel.
The folllowing professionals shared their insights:
- Gabriela Blatter, Principle Policy Advisor and Head of International Environment Finance, external pageSwiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN)
- Raschida Bouhouch, Medical Physician, Limmattal Hospital
- Patrick Stadler, Director of Communications and Charity Mentor, external pageCharity Entrepreneurship
- Jasmine Neve, Senior Lecturer, ETH NADEL
- Shailee Pradhan, Senior Sustainability Manager, external pageSwiss Re
The career lunch is co-organised with ETH Sustainability.
Find the event summary on Careers in Sustainability and Global Development here.
Engineering for Humanitarian Action at GESDA Science and Diplomacy Week, 18 May
At the GESDA Science and Diplomacy Week we will have a look into how universities can contribute to global health and innovative humanitarian solutions. We will present the Engineering for Humanitarian Action Partnership - a cooperation between ETH Zürich, EPFL and the ICRC.
ETH4D at Geneva Health Forum, 3-5 May 2022
At the Geneva Health Forum on 3-5 May we presented three innovation projects from the ETH4D network: breathe - a low-cost ventilator designed for low-resource settings, Haplomind, an app to screen and treat perinatal depression and peak PCR by ETH spin-off diaxxo, a device for rapid PCR diagnostics.
external pageMore information about the Geneva Health Forum here.
The exhibition approaches the Sustainable Development Goals from an artistic and academic perspective. In 17 unique images, photographer Dario Lanfranconi addresses the question of what contribution Switzerland can make to achieving the SDGs. The images make us think about the fact that we are all connected globally and bear responsibility for each other. The images were commissioned by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation.
As a leading technical university, ETH Zurich has the responsibility and the possibilities to develop innovative solutions for the challenges facing humanity. Besides the artistic images, the exhibition shows a selection of projects and initiatives at ETH that contribute to reaching the SDGs. Visitors can learn about researchers and students who are working on solutions for a sustainable food system, using artificial intelligence to improve humanitarian operations, or researching ways to tackle climate change and ocean pollution.
Are you a student working on innovative projects that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? Then sign up for the Pitch Event to create synergies with other projects, inspire others and for a chance to win mentorship for your project and a cash prize!
Teams or individuals will pitch their idea or projects in each 3 minutes to an audience and a jury, who will vote for three winners: one for best pitch and two for most promising idea. In addition to mentorship, first and second prize will win CHF 2'000 and the audience winner CHF 1'000!
Organised by ETH4D, ETH Student Project House, ETH Entrepreneurship, ETH Entrepreneur Club, Student Sustainability Commission, VSETH
At this event, you will meet young African students and researchers who are working for global sustainable development in a wide range of fields - from electrification to sustainable infrastructure to food production and more. We will tap into the power of storytelling to create connections and spark inspiration. You will hear the inspiring stories behind the speakers’ commitment to global sustainable development. Afterwards, you will have the chance to exchange ideas with the speakers and with each other over an Apéro.
Speakers:
• Churchill Agutu (Doctoral Researcher, ETH Zurich, Energy and Technology Policy)
• Rebecca Enesi (Doctoral Researcher, ETH Zurich, Sustainable Agroecosystems)
• Jackie Ndem-Galbert (Doctoral Researcher; ETH Zurich, Food Immunology)
• Kingdom Karuwo (MA, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva)
• Samira Cabdulle (MSc Student, ETH Zurich, Environmental Engineering)
Organised by the external pageAfrican Students Association of Zurich (ASAZ), ETH4D and the Student Project House
Churchill Agutu is a Doctoral candidate at the ETH Zurich’s Energy and Technology Policy Group. His research intends to develop feasible policy recommendations that can enable international agencies and policy makers across sub-Saharan Africa, to make more informed policy decisions as they work towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the transition toward universal electricity access.
external pageMore information about the aha Science festival here.
About the festival:
aha is a new science festival in Lucerne. Known from popular culture, the festival format is applied to the transfer of knowledge and research. With its contemporary and relevant topics, the event addresses a broad and curious non-specialist public.
Together for the SDGs was a two-week exhibition and event programme at ETH Zurich that raised awareness and inspired action for the Sustainable Development Goals. In the exhibition, visitors engaged with the SDGs through art and learned about examples of research and education at ETH Zurich that contribute to global sustainable development. The accompanying events offered the opportunity to exchange ideas with others.
At the Career Panel, ETH alumni and other professionals working in sustainability and global development sharec their stories of their pathways on a diverse range of impactful careers, ranging from impact investment to sustainable construction. Students got the chance to exchange with professionals and get inspired to pursue a career in global sustainable development.
Organised by ETH Sustainability, ETH4D and cinfo
The ETH SDG Pitch Event showcaseed innovations from students and young researchers at ETH that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Pitchers had the chance to win mentorship for their projects by voting of a jury and the audience, to create synergies between different projects and to inspire students.
Organised by ETH4D, Student Project House and iELab
Treffpunkt Science City: "Rich and Poor"
31 October, 7 November, 21 November and 28 November 2021
How does inequality arise and how can it be remedied? How did Switzerland get so rich? And how do ETH researchers contribute to solving global challenges? The public science programme Treffpunkt Science City (held in German) focused on the topic of "Rich and Poor". Several ETH4D members shared their work.
In collaboration between ETH Zürich and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST) held a Summer School on Sustainable Solid Waste Management from 4 - 17 September 2021.
The KNUST - ETH Global Development Summer School 2021 "Rethinking Waste" offers a unique learning experience: theoretical and practical knowledge gained via scientific presentations, workshops and group work. The Summer School combines input by lecturers from KNUST and ETH Zurich with insights from local experts, NGOs and workers in waste management. A diverse programme with workshops & group work based on design thinking as well as several excursions set students on the course of finding their favourite problem in solid waste management and thinking of ideas together with local teammates in-person, and international teammates virtually.
Industry Day: Technologies for Global Health, 8 September, Campus Hönggerberg
ETH4D tool part in the exhibit at Industry Day on September 8, 2021. This year we focused on health technologies. The project breathe presented a low-cost, holistically designed ventilator that meets the unique needs of low-income countries. The ETH start-up diaxxo presented “peakPCR”, a fast and portable PCR testing device that can test for illnesses such as malaria and COVID-19.
Scientifica: Innovation for Sustainable Development
4-5 September, UZH Lichthof
ETH4D and the World Food System Center joined forces at the 2021 Scientifica. Atour joint exhibit "Innovation for Sustainable Development", visitors could test an app that keeps fruit and vegetables in your refrigerator fresh, find out how drinking water is treated with low-cost technologies and create a circular economy using a 3D model.
Storytelling event: «African leadership for a sustainable future» on 12 March 2021
Friday, March 12, 17:00-18:15 on Zoom.
Together with the African Students Association of Zurich, ETH4D hosted an online storytelling event as part of the 2021 Sustainability Week Zurich. African researchers and entrepreneurs who are working in a wide range of fields – from human nutrition to machine learning, from construction and urban infrastructure to mobility – shared the inspiring stories behind their commitment to global sustainable development.
Digital Festival Zurich 2020
17 - 20 September 2020, various locations
Join ETH Zurich in a discussion about AI for Sustainability on Friday, 18 September 2020, 14:30 -17:00
external pageMore information on the Digital Festival Zurich 2020 here.
5th CCWD Annual Conference: New technologies for child and youth development: opportunities and challenges
Postponed to 2021
University of Zurich
Featured keynote speaker Dr. Berend Snijder, Professor at the Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH Zurich
external pageMore information about the CCWD Annual Conference here.
Joint Alumni Forum - Quantifying (Sustainability) Impact
7 October 2020, 18:00, Impact Hub Zurich
How can we measure sustainability impact in a meaningful, (globally) consistent fashion? An interactive evening with inputs from external pageMarisa Drew (Credit Suisse), Dr. Adina Rom (ETH4D) and external pageDr. Robert Sadleir (Dublin City University).
SUDAC Annual Conference
18 October 2019, University of Bern
external pageMore information on the SUDAC Annual Conference here.
Science and Development Fora Events 2015 - 2018
Science and Development Fora were organised by ETH Global to showcase topics at the intersection of science and development.
