Collegium Helveticum

The Collegium Helveticum is a joint Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) by ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich and the Zurich University of the Arts. We aim to provide a forum for dialogue between the humanities, social sciences, physical sciences, engineering, medicine and the arts. This transdisciplinary approach makes the Collegium an ideal setting for innovative academic and artistic projects, with the three-way partnership between a university of science and technology, a university of the arts and a full university providing a unique environment unlike any other IAS worldwide.

The main focus of the Collegium Helveticum is to promote intellectual independence and interdisciplinary exchange, both between our academic and artistic fellows and with the international scholarly community. We are part of the international academic networks UBIAS (University-Based Institutes for Advanced Study) and NetIAS (Network of European Institutes for Advanced Study). 

In addition to our fellows’ research activities, we run events to foster the interaction of science and the arts with the fields of economy, culture, society and environment. The Collegium also provides a platform for the realization of transdisciplinary projects and to think about their conditions and methods, often in partnership with other institutions and initiatives.

The Collegium Helveticum was founded by ETH Zurich in 1997 as a forum for dialogue between different academic disciplines. Since 2004, the Collegium has been managed as a joint initiative of ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich, with Zurich University of the Arts also coming on board in 2016. It is based in the old Swiss National Observatory (Semper Observatory), close to ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich.

As an international centre for teaching and research and art and culture, Zurich offers a perfect environment for artistic and academic innovation.