Jörg G. Bucherer Foundation to donate 100 million Swiss francs to ETH
Zurich/Meggen - The Jörg G. Bucherer Foundation will donate 100 million Swiss francs to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) in order to establish the ETH Swiss GeoLab for Earth observation activities in the canton of Lucerne. The GeoLab will use data from space, from the air and on the ground, in addition to AI-assisted analysis methods and
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) will receive 10 million Swiss francs per year for the next decade from the Jörg G. Bucherer Foundation, which is based in Meggen in the canton of Lucerne. As such, the university will benefit from a total donation of 100 million Swiss francs, as detailed in a press release. On the back of this grant, ETH will establish the ETH Swiss GeoLab in the canton of Lucerne. In future, this center will combine large volumes of data from satellites, drones, measuring stations, and other sources with Artificial Intelligence-assisted analysis methods and high-performance computers.
ETH Professor Thomas Zurbuchen, Professor of Space Science, is the designated director of the center, and Verena Griess, Professor of Forest Resource Management, has been appointed Vice Director. According to the press release, the center will focus on a range of research topics from the early detection of natural disasters to forecasting agricultural yields.
«There are already numerous researchers at ETH who focus on Earth observation. The one-of-a-kind partnership with the Jörg G. Bucherer-Foundation will give us the unique opportunity to bring research and knowledge transfer in this important field to a new level», explains ETH President Joël Mesot.
The Canton of Lucerne, where the center will be located, is set to contribute a total of 2.8 million Swiss francs to cover infrastructure costs across a period of ten years. At present, suitable premises are still being sought for the center, which is scheduled to open in 2027. Around 100 employees are expected to work at the GeoLab from 2030 onwards. Start-ups and industrial partners will be directly involved at the center with the aim of developing research-based products and services.
Promoting natural sciences is a cornerstone of the Jörg G. Bucherer Foundation. «Supporting ETH Zurich’s research activities in the Canton of Lucerne is in keeping with the spirit of Jörg G. Bucherer, who was greatly concerned with pioneering research on the one hand and with promoting natural scientific activity in the Canton of Lucerne on the other», comments Dr Urs Mühlebach, Chairman of the Foundation Board, in the press release.
