New research center for climate research in Davos

The new research center is of great importance because global climate change is advancing - leading scientists worldwide agree on this. This has a particularly strong impact on weather extremes and natural events in the Alpine region, where warming is twice as high as the global average. The result can be floods, debris flows and landslides, as well as long periods of drought in summer. Such events can have social and economic consequences, as demonstrated, for example, by the landslide and subsequent debris flows in Bondo in Bergell.

For this reason, the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, which is already anchored in Davos with its WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF and around 140 employees, has been working with the Graubünden government to find ways to give additional weight to the issues of climate change and natural hazards in the Alpine region. ETH Zurich is also involved in the establishment of an international research center in Davos. The corresponding financing decisions have been made by all parties involved by the beginning of June.

Two new professorships and 40 new jobs

"We need new knowledge and innovative solutions to deal effectively with natural hazards. This is the only way that people can live in mountain regions and manage their economies sustainably," explained Jürg Schweizer, Head of SLF, at the media conference on June 12, 2020, at which the cooperation was presented to the public for the first time.

The planned center is to comprise six research areas and within them two new professorships jointly supported by WSL and ETH Zurich. "Our internationally distinguished climate and environmental research provides a guarantee that the two planned double professorships with WSL will benefit from a strong network. At the same time, we are deepening knowledge about the effects of climate change on the mountain region, which is central to Switzerland," said ETH President Joël Mesot.

While one professorship will study alpine mass movements and permafrost, the second professorship is dedicated to the effects of climate change on mountain regions. Other research topics include early warning, mountain ecology and protection forests, as well as risk communication and resilience, i.e. the ability to deal with natural hazards and reduce vulnerability. In the long term, up to 40 new jobs are to be created at the new center.

CHF 72 million for the first twelve years

The basic funding for the first twelve years from 2021 to 2032 amounts to around six million francs per year. Of this, the canton of Graubünden will contribute two million annually, WSL three million, and ETH Zurich will contribute one million francs annually. These funds secure the basic operation; possible growth plans are to be financed by third-party funds from 2023.

The research center will be formally established this year and will start operations as part of WSL on January 1, 2021. It will be located on the SLF premises in Davos, where work on an extension will start this summer. "WSL is regionally anchored and has long conducted research on mountain topics such as avalanches or rockfall. It is recognized by the users of the research results, which is central for the transfer of knowledge," emphasized WSL Director Konrad Steffen.

First measure of the innovation strategy Graubünden

The center will be a first visible measure under the government's 2021-24 program and underpins the Graubünden innovation strategy adopted last year. "Davos as a research location will be sustainably expanded through the creation of up to forty highly qualified positions," explained the head of the Department of Economic Affairs and Social Affairs, Cantonal Councilor Marcus Caduff. This is intended to strengthen the transfer of knowledge and technology for the regional economy and the cantonal administration - combined with the specific aim of maintaining Graubünden, as well as other mountain regions, as attractive, livable and safe places to live.

However, the research center is not only relevant for Graubünden from an innovation perspective, but it also supports the implementation of the cantonal higher education and research strategy. Government Councilor Jon Domenic Parolini, responsible for education, culture and environmental protection in the Graubünden government, emphasized: "The new research center makes an important contribution to the further development of our canton in terms of society, the national economy and education policy."

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