Switzerland's EPFL joins SKAO

In April, the SKA Organisation welcomed its 14th member, the Swiss science and technology university École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), following a unanimous decision by the SKA Board of Directors.

EPFL is now the lead institution coordinating involvement in the SKA on behalf of the Swiss academic community*.

Switzerland has a history of world-class research and development in science and astronomy, and at a national level has held observer status within the SKA Organisation since 2016. Swiss-based scientists are active in eight of the SKA’s Science Working Groups.

Many Swiss research institutions and industry partners are contributing to various aspects of the SKA, and annual Swiss SKA Days are now in their fifth year, showcasing the breadth of opportunities for others to become involved. The Federal Council also recently triggered the first political debate in parliament regarding Switzerland’s possible participation as a member state of the SKA Observatory in the future.

“Switzerland is the proud Seat of CERN and a dedicated member of the European Southern Observatory and of the European Space Agency,” said Xavier Reymond, Deputy Director General for International Research Organisations at the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, who is in charge of the relationship between Switzerland and SKAO. “Therefore, we all look forward to assessing the opportunity to complement these intergovernmental endeavours with the upcoming SKA Observatory, which shares the same dedication to better understanding the Universe.”

*The Swiss Academic Community includes Universities of Geneva, Zurich, Bern, ETHZ, CSCS, FHNW, HES-SO, and Verkehrshaus Lucern

By SKAO.

The main EPFL campus in Lausanne sits on the shores of Lake Geneva.

Credit: Mediacom EPFL; CC BY-SA 4.0.