ETH Swiss GeoLab to be located in Root
Root/ Zurich - The ETH Swiss GeoLab of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) will be established at D4 Business Village in Root – in close proximity to Technopark Luzern. In total, 46 locations across the canton of Lucerne applied to host the new center of competence for Earth observation.
ETH has selected the D4 Business Village in Root in the canton of Lucerne as the location for its new ETH Swiss GeoLab. According to a statement issued by ETH, this interdisciplinary center of competence for Earth observation is set to open its doors in the summer of 2026. A core group will be gradually joined by additional teams arriving in Lucerne to conduct specific research projects. The ETH Swiss GeoLab will reach its full size by around 2030. At this point, roughly 100 specialists will be working at the site, primarily on a project basis.
The first specific pilot project reportedly concerns the early detection of mass movements such as rockfalls and landslides using satellite images. In collaboration with the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research and the Federal Office for the Environment, «we want to optimize these cantonal and local early detection systems where possible and expand them to the whole of the Swiss Alps», as ETH Professor Verena Griess, who heads up the new center as co-director alongside ETH Professor Thomas Zurbuchen.
On November 4, 2025, Lucerne Business agency launched the search for a location for the GeoLab. Out of the 46 applications received, seven were shortlisted, visited and examined in greater detail in January 2026. According to the agency, the attractive business environment, with Technopark Luzern just next door, was a decisive factor in favor of the D4 Business Village in the municipality of Root. Moreover, the GeoLab will train an Artificial Intelligence model with geodata. It will be used to interpret complex spatial relationships by decision-makers, researchers and private companies.
The canton of Lucerne is supporting the ETH Swiss GeoLab to the tune of 2.8 million Swiss francs. «An innovation cluster is springing up around the Business Village and Technopark, which will be beneficial both for the canton of Lucerne and for the whole of Central Switzerland», as Fabian Peter is quoted as saying. He is a member of the Lucerne cantonal government and Director of Economic Affairs.
