Panorama 2016 Annual Report Contents # 000 Editorial 01 02 03 04 05

PANORPANORAMAAMA 2016 016 RAPPORT ANNUALD’ACTIVI TREPORTÉ

PANORAMA 2016 ANNUAL REPORT CONTENTS # 000 EDITORIAL 01 02 03 04 05

# 001 TEACHING 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

# 002 RESEARCH 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

# 003 TECH TRANSFER 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42

# 004 OUTLOOK 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54

# 005 PERSONALIA 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64

# 006 EPFL IN FIGURES 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 04

10 editorial #000

The campus with the new ArtLab and Mechanics buildings. 50% from 2014. – EPFLstartupsraised arecord CHF397millionin2016,up somewhere inSwitzerland.Andinvestorshavetakennote goes by that an article about our research isn’t published get aglimpseofwhatgoesoninourlabs.Notday of peoplewhocametoourOpenDaysinNovember Information Dayslatelastyearandthetensofthousands students from alloverSwitzerlandwhoattendedour imagination –justlookatthethousandsofhigh-school transfer. Andourachievements certainlycapture people’s of ourcore missions:: back overayearbrimmingwithachievementsinallthree This year’s annual report, – PRESIDENT MARTIN VETTERLI teaching,research andtechnology Panorama 2016, takes alook FOR SCIENCEANDEDUCATION EXCELLENT DEVELOPMENTS economic decision-makers. community and the support of Switzerland’s political and expansion madepossibleby the effortsof EPFL milestone highlightsfivedecades of steadygrowth and as a Federal Institute of Technology. Thisimportant institution. In2019wewillcelebrate our50thanniversary who work day after day to make EPFL an outstanding thank Patrick Aebischerandhisteam,aswellallthose our schoolisinverygoodshape.For this,wewouldliketo to me and therest of the new Senior Management that When wetookupourdutieson1January2017,itwasclear education sectorsinthefaceofwidespread budgetcuts. the Federal Parliament spared thecountry’s research and for Switzerland’s two Federal Institutes of Technology, major boonforourschool.And,inasolidshowofsupport research program asanassociatedcountry. This isa is onceagainpartoftheEuropean Union’sHorizon2020 to aFederal CouncildecisioninDecember, Switzerland and educationsector brought 2016 to a close. Thanks Two very welcome developments for the Swiss science 2016 ENDEDWITHTWO IN SWITZERLAND.

11 10 09 08 07 06 05 editorial

#000 EPFL encourages cross-disciplinary projects in which students from different sections work together, each bringing his or her own expertise to the table. #001 TEACHING – As we prepare tomorrow’s engineers, architects and scien- PIERRE VANDERGHEYNST tists, we constantly strive to combine quality teaching and VICE PRESIDENT innovative methods through curricula that tie in directly with FOR EDUCATION some of the major challenges of our time. One example of these innovative methods is the Discovery Learning Program, which adds new dimensions to the school’s practical lab sessions. A large part of this program, which we introduced a few years ago, is now being carried out in state-of-the-art facilities in the new Mechanics Building completed in 2016. Now laboratories that were previously scattered across the campus are combined under a single roof. These high-tech labs are designed to give fresh life to practical sessions, where students can explore and master the- oretical concepts. They also give students the space they WE CONSTANTLY need to creatively and independently develop their own STRIVE TO COMBINE solutions to unresolved problems. What’s more, the new A CONSISTENTLY labs provide a unique opportunity for students to acquire HIGH-QUALITY cross-functional skills such as teamwork and multidiscipli- EDUCATION WITH nary project management. INNOVATIVE We intend to continue pushing the boundaries with the Dis- TEACHING covery Learning Program. We will leverage new synergies METHODS. among the various disciplines in order to make the most of their collaborative efforts. The high level of work being done within this program illustrates one of the main challenges facing teachers today: how can they encourage students to be more creative and engaged so that they will get even more out of their studies? By underscoring our focus on quality teaching and innovative methods, the Discovery Learning Program helps set EPFL apart. 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 #001 teaching founder DanielBorel. the swissUpFoundation, whichwascreated byLogitech incoming president Martin Vetterli. It is supported by by EPFL’s outgoing president Patrick Aebischer and The EPFLExtensionSchoolwaslaunchedon20October individual supporttoprogram participants. to everyone.TheEPFLExtensionSchoolwillprovide francs permonth) inorder to makethem accessible The programs are reasonably priced(ataround 250 official certificatefrom EPFLalongwithECTS credits. successfully completeaprogram willreceive an they wantandworkattheirownpace.Thosewho ticipants willbeabletostartaprogram whenever are meanttobecompletedoverseveral months;par- acquire orenhancetheirdigitalskills.Theprograms EPFL aimstoofferprofessionals theopportunityto With theseonlinecontinuingeducationprograms, the academicdirector oftheEPFLExtensionSchool. and personallyinthedigitalage,” saidMarcel Salathé, cal skillssothattheycansucceedbothprofessionally designed to give participants high-leveltechnologi- fields soughtoutbyindustry. “Theprograms are chance tobecomehighlyspecializedincutting-edge be extremely demanding,offeringparticipantsthe lar academicbackground ordegree. Yet theywill will not require participants to have any particu in the summer of 2017. These online-only programs programs thattheEPFLExtensionSchoolwilllaunch will beatthecore ofthecontinuingeducation Web andmobileappdevelopmentdatascience – EDUCATION IN CONTINUING NEW HORIZONS QUALIFICATION AND ECTS CREDITS. PROGRAMS WILL LEAD TO A RECOGNIZED BY THE EPFL EXTENSION SCHOOL. THESE THROUGH ONLINE PROGRAMS OFFERED ACQUIRE HIGH-LEVEL DIGITAL SKILLS CREDENTIALS WILL SOON BE ABLE TO PEOPLE WITH OR WITHOUT ACADEMIC - – SCHOOLS WAY INTO FRENCH IS FINDINGITS THYMIO THEROBOT cal andscientificdataisopensource andfreely availabletousers. in anynumberofways.What’smore, allitstechnical,pedagogi- notes thatthelow-pricedrobot canbeprogrammed ordecorated and practice additionandsubtraction. The project’s founderalso senses, teach music, understand the principle of force inphysics tions havebeendevelopedfortherobot, suchastoexplore thefive mentary school allthe wayuptohighschool.Numerous applica- computers, Thymiocanbeappliedtomanyothersubjectsinele - In additiontointroducing studentstothebasicsofrobotics and skills innurseryandprimaryschools. initiative aimedatpreparing teacherstostartteachingcomputer rest ofSwitzerland.InFrance, Thymiohasbeenincludedinamajor it intotheirclasses.It’salsomakingitswayclassrooms inthe several hundred teachershavebeentrained onhowtoincorporate Many schools in French-speaking Switzerland already use it – and more than14,000ofthemcannowbefoundaround theworld. The firstThymioemerged from EPFL’s labsbarely fouryearsago, ELSEWHERE IN EUROPE. SWITZERLAND, IS NOW MAKING INROADS EPFL AND WIDELY USED IN FRENCH-SPEAKING THYMIO, THE TEACHING ROBOT DESIGNED BY 05 ARCHITECTURE 06 07 STUDENTS BUILD 08 THYMIO, WHICH MEASURES 11 CM 09 ON EACH SIDE, HELPS TEACHERS A GIANT WOODEN INTRODUCE TECHNOLOGY INTO 10 THE CLASSROOM. PAVILION 11 –

A TEMPORARY PAVILION SPRANG UP ON EPFL’S CAMPUS IN THE SPRING OF 2016. IT WAS DESIGNED TO SERVE AS A TEACHING PLATFORM FOR FIRST-

YEAR ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS, 200 OF WHOM teaching HELPED BUILD IT.

Working in twelve design studios, the students came up with #001 JAZZING UP THE ideas for rooms that could be integrated into the latticework of the underlying structure. The resulting twelve architectural struc- SOUTH SIDE OF tures invited visitors to experience a variety of sensations. Each module used the same raw material – wooden beams – to manip- THE LAUSANNE ulate space. The overall pavilion was roughly 10 meters high. The entire team from the Design Studio on the Conception of TRAIN STATION Space (ALICE) helped make this project a success. ALICE teamed up with external engineer Rémy Meylan and several sponsors from industry. This was a rare opportunity for students to work – on a full-scale prototype and get feedback on their designs from STUDENTS FROM EPFL’S SCHOOL a civil engineer. OF ARCHITECTURE, CIVIL AND The experiment has now moved on. In June 2016, the pavilion was ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING BUILT taken down and rebuilt at the National School of Architecture of TEMPORARY WOODEN STRUCTURES JUST Versailles. And a smaller version was built in Peru. ALICE, the Zurich BELOW THE LAUSANNE TRAIN STATION. University of the Arts and the city of Zurich also have a related project in the works for the summer of 2017. In late April 2016, a work-in-progress at the Lausanne train station caught the attention of curious onlook- ers. 23 architecture and civil and environmental engineering students had less than a week to build temporary structures by hand. “Their challenge was to come up with projects that would improve this public space, which will be given a new look following planned renovation work on the train station,” said Jade Rudler, who coordinated the project. The students’ structures spruced up the future pedestrian area with benches, garden boxes and a symbolic train waiting area. “The City of Lausanne and the Swiss Federal Railways showed us the construction work they planned under Léman 2030, which we used as a basis for four projects,” said Yasmin Sgroi, an architecture student. Her group built a public bench on a spot that provides a bird’s eye view of the lake through a gap in the skyline. Several meters away, in front of the Simplon café, another group set up a train station waiting area. The students' ideas reso- A 10-METER TALL WOODEN nated with residents and passersby. Who knows, PAVILION SPRANG UP maybe they’ll even find their way into the city’s plans. ON CAMPUS.

THE MINDS BEHIND TIKKU, TWO SENSOR-EQUIPPED VIRTUAL DRUMSTICKS. 04

09 10 RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TURNING IDEAS teaching – INTO PRODUCTS,

#001 THE 2016 DURABILIS AWARD WENT TO FOUR PROJECTS DEVELOPED BY EPFL VIA CHINA AND UNIL STUDENTS WHOSE APPROACH INCORPORATED KEY ASPECTS OF – SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. TWENTY-FIVE STUDENTS FROM EPFL, UNIL AND ECAL RECENTLY TOOK PART The winning projects were presented at the Durabilis IN THE SECOND CHINA HARDWARE Awards ceremony at the end of November and covered INNOVATION CAMP, ORGANIZED BY topics ranging from alpine plant dryers to natural parks EPFL’S COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES. in Japan. But they all had one thing in common: sustainable development was central to their work. That's why How do you make the leap from a novel idea they won the prize, which was first awarded in 2007 to an actual product? That’s the question four and is open to EPFL and UNIL students. groups of students from EPFL, UNIL and ECAL set EPFL students Olivia Büttler, Alexandre Rychner and out to answer at the China Hardware Innovation Juliette Vautey won for their semester project “The Camp (CHIC). Under this program spearheaded windmill, growing alpine plants.” The selection panel by EPFL, the students spent 16 days in Hong Kong liked the team's idea of drying medicinal plants for use and Shenzhen learning about the different steps as an alternative to pharmaceutical products and as a involved in making a prototype. By the end of way of promoting the development of local resources the Camp, four devices had been developed that and craftsmanship. were then unveiled in a presentation to the public. Stefan Odermatt’s project focused on incorporat- “It was an impressive achievement, because the ing sustainable development into geography teaching students had an average of only one day a week at the high school level. Diane Linder, another UNIL to work on their projects,” said Marc Laperrouza, student, analyzed the aesthetic and spiritual relation- head of the CHIC program. ship between humans and nature – a bond that leads Out of the students’ four innovations, Tikku was some people to adopt lifestyles that promote sustain- the most fun. This virtual drum set includes two able development. Lastly, Leila Chakroun won for her sensor-equipped drumsticks, an accelerometer Master’s project at UNIL: her study of national parks in and a gyroscope. Hibachi is a programmable food Japan brings new dimensions to environmentalism in container so people can eat a hot meal even when the western world. they’re out and about. Aimo, the third innovation, lets people exchange items through a secure physical mailbox using a virtual key. And the fourth, Okeep, aims to make cycling safer with a connected bicycle helmet equipped with an audio GPS and turn signals. The 2017 Camp kicked off in the fall of 2016 with a workshop attended by 45 students from EPFL, UNIL, ECAL and UNIGE. The CHIC program is now offered as a minor for EPFL students and includes a trip to China or Russia. could workverywellwithsmall satelliteslikeCubesats. to adjustthesubstance’sdensity. Thispropulsion approach tromagnetic waveintoplasma,thereby allowingscientists focuses ontheantennausedtosendahelicon-typeelec- space probes. What’suniqueaboutFilleul’sproject isthatit a plasma-fueled propulsion system for small satellites and For hisMaster’sdegree inphysics,Félicien Filleul workedon – FOR EXPLORING SPACE A PLASMA ENGINE machine outperformahumanrider. ing apredetermined route. Theultimateaimistoseethe but EPFL is already working on versions capable of follow- This vehiclemaystillneedalittlehelpfrom itsoperator, with no human input other than being told where to go. cycle cantravel ataspeedof60km/hourwithoutfalling, iature, self-balancingmotorcycle. Unnervik’sminimotor- Microengineering student Eric Unnervik developed a min- – A RIDERLESSMOTORCYCLE – RESEARCH ATRY STUDENTS GIVE SEMESTER PROJECTS:

SELF-BALANCING MOTORCYCLE. UNNERVIK DEVELOPED A MINIATURE 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 #001 teaching 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 #001 teaching electronics andasecondmotor. a compactonboard computerandimproved itsdrivetrain with That’s whyHoffetchoseitforhisMaster’sproject: ways for city use, yet its controls left something to be desired. the littleelectricpedalcar. Thistrikewasperfectinsomany Master’s studentAdrienHoffetboostedtheperformance of – THREE-WHEELER TWIKE: THEECO-FRIENDLY reduce electricityneeds. The modelhedeveloped,ifpaired withasmartgrid,couldhelp of agivenneighborhood,includingduring peak charging times. or hybridvehiclesare common,heanalyzedthecharging needs houses andtransportation. Imagining afuture inwhichelectric student, studiedtherelationship betweensolar-powered sustaining solar-powered house.Jeanbart,acivilengineering Decathlon, aninter-universitycompetitiontodesignaself- Charles Jeanbart'ssemesterproject bringsmobilitytotheSolar – AT THENEIGHBORHOODLEVEL ECO-FRIENDLY TRANSPORT range ofpesticides. livelihood. Her results showed that people are exposed to a wide Faso inorder tomeasure howfarmersare affectedbytheir hair samplesfrom 110volunteersinseveral villagesinBurkina of pesticidesinhumanhair. For twomonths,Oltramare took Oltramare cameupwithaprocess foridentifyingseveral types For herMaster’sproject inenvironmental sciences,Christelle – IN HAIR IDENTIFYING PESTICIDES PESTICIDES IN BURKINAFASO. ANALYZING HAIRSAMPLESFOR FROM GERMANY. THAT BROUGHT HIMBACK HOFFET INTHETWIKE

hegaveit

and consistency. and actuatorcontrol inorder toincrease therobot’s accuracy second. Master’sstudentLéoSibutworkedondataacquisition arms andahigh-speedcamera thatcollects300imagesper out oftheAutomaticControl Laboratory, hasmotor-controlled the average human foosballplayer. Thisrobot, whichcame A robot developed by EPFL students fares pretty well against PATRICK SPIELER. EKATERINA PARAMONOVA AND ALEXIS FRENTZ,SORINALUPU, THE CANSAT TEAM:LUCA BARLOGGIO, the competition’sbestnewcomer. grain. Thatwasclearlyawinningidea,astheteamcrowned Technology, and the group’s design was inspired by a tropical 600 meters.Theproject cameoutofEPFL'sMinorinSpatial a 3.5-litercontainer, thenrelease thecraft atanaltitudeof Their mission:tofitallthecomponentsofaspacecraft into Five EPFLstudentsparticipated in thisyear’sCanSat competition. in thesummer. fiber; andausewouldhavetobefoundfortheheatproduced servers will have tobelocated in regions equipped with optical companies willbereluctant tomovetheirserversoff-site;the ity inthewinter. Butthere are stillafewobstaclestoovercome: from Ziadé'ssystem,Switzerlandcouldstopimportingelectric- ings forheatingpurposes.Withtheenergy savingspossible looked atthefeasibilityofmovingserverstoresidential build- For hisBachelor’sdegree inelectricalengineering,KarimZiadé THEIR FUN-LOVING ROBOT. AND LÉOSIBUTWITH CHRISTOPHE SALZMANN

COULD YOU BEAT THISROBOT

SQUEEZING ASATELLITE AT TABLE FOOTBALL? TO HEAT YOUR HOME USING SERVERS INTO ABOTTLE – – –

19 18 17 16 15 14 13 #001 teaching Formaldehyde (left) can turn lignin into a source of biofuel and plastics. #002 RESEARCH – To address today’s global challenges, research needs to be ANDREAS MORTENSEN VICE PRESIDENT able to draw on strong local roots. And deepening those FOR RESEARCH roots is something we at EPFL focused on throughout 2016. Our research collaborations with hundreds of Swiss businesses, hospitals, research institutes and government agencies led to some of our most significant breakthroughs. For example, in healthcare, we developed an instrument for detecting cancerous cells that was tested by surgeons at the University Hospital of Lausanne (p. 26). We are also working with the Clinique Romande de Réadaptation to test new post-stroke rehabilitation techniques involving elec- AN EFFECTIVE trical and magnetic brain stimulation (p. 54). In Martigny, COMPETITIVE in Valais Canton, we set up a charging station for hydrogen-powered vehicles in association with the local utility CLUSTER THAT (p. 17). And looking into the concrete problem of sediment PROMOTES BOTH accumulation in dams, our engineers may have found a FUNDAMENTAL AND solution in their equations; their novel method will soon be APPLIED RESEARCH tested at several sites in Switzerland (p. 16). IS CRUCIAL FOR But as promising and encouraging as these innovations are, APPLYING SCIENTIFIC they aren’t the only ones that came out of our school last KNOWLEDGE AND year. In Switzerland – just like in any innovation hub, from CREATING JOBS. California to Boston – having an effective, well-established competitive cluster that promotes both fundamental and applied research is crucial for applying scientific knowledge and transferring technology to industry, while creating high- added-value jobs in the process. Switzerland’s two Federal Institutes of Technology are supposed to provide the foundation for that cluster. The research projects described on the following pages will, I hope, show you that EPFL has clearly fulfilled this mission. 12

15 CONVERTING SOLAR POWER 16 TURNING BIOFUEL INTO HYDROGEN COULD BE A GAME CHANGER. 17 WASTE INTO 18 WEALTH

–

LIGNIN, A BULKY POLYMER MADE OF MOLECULAR CHAINS FOUND IN WOOD, IS

R esearch USUALLY DISCARDED DURING BIOFUEL AND PAPER PRODUCTION. BUT EPFL CHEMISTS HAVE SHOWN THE VALUE THAT #002 CAN BE UNLOCKED FROM IT BY ADDING FORMALDEHYDE. STIRRING THINGS

Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels means turning to UP TO KEEP plant-derived biofuels and chemicals. But producing them cost-effectively from plants and other organic DAMS CLEAN matter – collectively referred to as biomass – is a major engineering challenge. Most biomass comes in – the form of non-edible plants like trees, grass and some types of algae, which contain sugars that can be SEDIMENT BUILDS UP IN RESERVOIR WATER AND fermented to produce fuel. But biomass also contains CAN PREVENT DAMS FROM OPERATING PROPERLY. lignin, a bulky, complex organic polymer that makes EPFL RESEARCHERS HAVE SHOWN THAT BY plants rigid. Because it is difficult to process, lignin is KEEPING SEDIMENT IN SUSPENSION, IT CAN usually treated as waste. BE FLUSHED OUT. An international team of researchers, led by EPFL’s Jeremy Luterbacher, has now turned lignin from an Sediment accumulation is a problem faced by all dams on the inconvenience into an important source of biofuel and planet. If these silt deposits are never cleared out, the reservoir other chemical substances. They simply added formal- becomes blocked in as little as a few decades and turns into a dehyde, which stabilizes lignin and prevents it from sandy beach. degrading. Up to 80% of lignin can be converted into A team from EPFL has come up with a clever solution: submerged valuable molecules for biofuel and plastics. While the water jets that create turbulence and keep tiny sediment particles chemistry is relatively straightforward, finding inves- in suspension, so they can then be carried away through the dam’s tors for a pilot facility may be a little more complicated. water turbines. The water jets, which are positioned to create rota- tional flow, prevent sediment from settling to the bottom and may even stir up silt already on the bottom. The system was tested in various configurations at EPFL's Labo- ratory of Hydraulic Constructions. The engineers then transposed their results to a real-world situation: the Mauvoisin dam in Valais Canton. Preliminary calculations show that a significant proportion of silt could be prevented from settling at the bottom of the reservoir each year. This innovation could significantly extend the useful life of reservoirs around the world. gen-powered car10,000kmperyear. in Switzerlandcouldstore enough hydrogen torunahydro- ing totheresearchers, a12-14m more than100hoursstraight undertestconditions.Accord- hydrogen conversion rate of 14.2%, and has already run for ysis systemwithacatalystmadefrom nickel.Itachievesa talline siliconsolarcellsthatare attachedtoanelectrol- Their prototype ismadeupofthree new-generation crys- are unrivaledintermsofstability, efficiencyandcost. that usescomponentsalready proven inindustry. Theirresults CSEM researchers developedarobust andeffectivesystem too unstable or expensive for commercial use. So EPFL and At thispoint,newhydrogen-production technologiesare still future useasafuelortoproduce electricityondemand. and oxygen.Thecleanhydrogen couldthenbestored awayfor produced byasolarpanelsplitswatermoleculesintohydrogen through water electrolysis, in which an electrical current for arainy day?Oneapproach istoconvertitintohydrogen Wouldn’t itbegreat ifwehadaneasywaytostore solarenergy – AND EFFICIENTLY ENERGY CHEAPLY STORING SOLAR COST EFFECTIVENESS. UNPARALLELED STABILITY, EFFICIENCY AND NONE OF THE USUAL RARE METALS, DELIVERS COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE SOLAR CELLS AND INTO HYDROGEN. THEIR DEVICE, WHICH USES DEVELOPED A WAY TO TURN SOLAR ENERGY RESEARCHERS AT EPFL AND CSEM HAVE 2 system of this type installed systemofthistypeinstalled

– STATION FUELING EXPERIMENTAL BUILDS AN EPFL CO ity intohydrogen usingelectrolysis, withzero trochemistry (LEPA). “We can turn this electric the Laboratory ofPhysicalandAnalyticalElec- electric power,” saidHubertGirault, whoheads renewable sources likesolar, windandhydro- because italready produces electricityfrom fossil fuels.“Valais isanidealtestingground, into thefuture, oncecarsnolongeruse This experimentalfacilitygivesusaglimpse storing anddistributingthefuel. the stepsinvolvedinproducing, compressing, the datatheyneedtomeasure andimprove all sensors andwillprovide project engineerswith of hydrogen cars.Thestationispackedwith electric cars and the other for filling the tank dispensers, oneforcharging battery-powered imental fuelingstationinMartigny. Ithastwo has gotteninontheactbybuildinganexper- which themajorcarmakersare bettingon.EPFL but there are alsohydrogen-powered cars, Lithium technologyiscurrently leadingtheway, portion ofSwitzerland’scarswillbeelectric. In thenot-too-distantfuture, asignificantpro- LOCAL ROADS TO GATHER DATA. VEHICLES WERE THEN SENT OFF ON CHARGE THEIR BATTERIES. TWO TEST THEIR TANKS WITH HYDROGEN OR IN MARTIGNY FOR DRIVERS TO FILL CLEAN-ENERGY FUELING STATION EPFL VALAIS WALLIS HAS BUILT A 2 emissions.” - 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 #002 Research 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 #002 Research speed ofopticalreading andwriting. non-volatile operation andre-writability –withthe storage –long-termstability, highdatadensity, devices wouldcombinetheadvantagesofmagnetic higher capacityandlowerpowerrequirements. These of magneto-opticaldatastorage devicesfeaturing promising candidatesforbuildinganewgeneration some uniqueproperties thatmakethemparticularly als, whichare modifiedversionsofperovskite, exhibit energy scientistsare payingattention.Themateri- cheaper alternativetocurrent siliconsystems,and Perovskite photovoltaicsare gradually becoming a photoconductor. from heat–makingittheworld’sfirstmagnetic order canberapidly changedwithoutanydisruption has developedaperovskite materialwhosemagnetic and accessdataonthem.ThelabrunbyLászlóForró can be quickly and easily modified in order to write this requires materials whose magnetic properties – thatofferhigherdensityandgreater efficiency. But data, weneedstorage systems–suchashard drives As moderntechnologiesgenerate more andmore – DATA STORAGE GENERATION OF AND THENEXT PEROVSKITES HARD DRIVES. HIGHER-CAPACITY AND LOWER-ENERGY AT EPFL COULD BE USED TO BUILD UNIQUE PROPERTIES DEVELOPED A NEW PEROVSKITE MATERIAL WITH

– MEMBRANE A 3-ATOM-THICK WATER, SALT AND ELECTRICITY FROM GETTING an estuarynearby. produced justaboutanytimeofdayornight–provided youhave and wind turbines require sunlight or wind, osmotic energy can be power 50,000energy-saving lightbulbs.Andwhilesolarpanels holes. Onesquare meterofthismembrane could theoretically three-atom-thick membrane, whichtheycovered withnanometric membrane, the more electricity can be generated, they used a seen yields. What’stheirtrick? Knowingthat thethinner the developed an osmotic-power system that delivers never-before- Researchers atEPFL’s Laboratory ofNanoscaleBiologyhave harnessed togenerate electricity. with anelectricalcharge, themovementofsaltions can be the same salt concentration. And since an ion is simply an atom through themembrane intothefresh wateruntilbothfluidshave separates seawaterandfresh water, saltionsintheseawaterpass The conceptisstraightforward. Whenasemipermeablemembrane comes into contactwith seawater through a special membrane. power. Thisrefers totheenergy generated whenfresh water You’ve heard ofsolar, windandhydropower. Nowthere’s osmotic THREE-ATOM-THICK MEMBRANE. WAS SOME FRESH WATER, SOME SEAWATER AND A VIA OSMOSIS. ALL THEY NEEDED TO PULL THIS OFF EFFICIENT SYSTEM OF PRODUCING ELECTRICITY EPFL RESEARCHERS HAVE DEVELOPED A HIGHLY applied to other types ofCO In thefuture, Lihopestofurtherdevelophismodel,which canbe in theAlgeriandesert. cated theheavingobservedinInSalahgas-fired powerplant injected inagivengeologicalsetting,heandhisco-authorrepli- “CO Gas Control. published theirresults intheInternationalJournalofGreenhouse assesses howmuchgasareservoir cansafelyaccommodate.They to thesurface.To testthepressure uptowhichCO interaction couldfracture thecap-rock andallowthe gastoescape of thestudywithProfessor Lyesse Laloui.Intheworstcase, researcher atEPFL’s “GazNaturel”-Petrosvibri Chairandco-author ature andpressure andthevolumeitoccupies,” explainsChaoLi,a ulates thegeologicalimpactofinjectingCO Researchers at EPFL have developed a computer model that sim the world to keep this greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere. mation offractures inthebedrock. doned oil or gas fields to saline aquifers – to simulate for the for- Underground CO INJECTING CO – MORE SAFELY UNDERGROUND ON HOST ROCK. OF THE CARBON DIOXIDE INJECTION PROCESS SIMULATION TOOL TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT RESEARCHERS AT EPFL HAVE DEVELOPED A PRODUCE ELECTRICITY. ARE ALLITTAKES TO OF MOLYBDENUM DISULFIDE BY ATHINMEMBRANEMADE COMPARTMENTS SEPARATED TWO LIQUID-FILLED 2 interacts withthesurrounding rock through thegas’stemper- 2 sequestration isusedatseveral sitesaround 2 sequestration sites – from aban- 2

2 underground and 2 cansafelybe

- and kryptoncancapture themseparately. found acompoundthatisselectiveforbothxenon market tooffsetcosts.Also,Smit’steamofscientists and insulation, it can be sold back intothechemical mercial lighting,propulsion, imaging,anesthesia poses ariskofexplosion.Asxenonisusedincom- expensive in terms of energy and capital costsand involve distillation at very low temperatures, which is ways ofcapturingandclearingoutthese gases radionuclides suchasxenonandkrypton.Current Nuclear-fuel reprocessing plantsgenerate volatile gases muchmore efficiently, cheaplyandsafely. abbreviated SBMOF-1,thatcanabsorbnuclearwaste by Berend Smit’slabatEPFL(Sion)discovered one, hundreds ofthousandscompounds,scientistsled expensive and dangerous to deal with. After scanning ing plantsgenerate wastegasthatiscurrently too ity produced worldwide.Butnuclear-fuelreprocess- Nuclear energy represents 12%oftheelectric- – GASES NUCLEAR WASTE FOR ELIMINATING A COMPOUND METHODS. CHEAPLY AND SAFELY THAN CURRENT NUCLEAR PLANTS MORE EFFICIENTLY, CAN CLEAR RADIOACTIVE WASTE OUT OF HAVE DISCOVERED A COMPOUND THAT FROM EPFL AND THE UNITED STATES AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM OF SCIENTISTS 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 #002 Research 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 #002 Research Transport. financial supportfrom theSwissFederal OfficesofEnergy and mental objectivesandtoday’slifestyles.Theprojects received objects. TheyalsodovetailnicelywithSwitzerland’senviron- ciency andare ideallysuitedtothegrowing useofconnected Their newsmartglazingsystemsdeliverbetterenergy effi- the performanceofexistingwindowglazing. and BuildingPhysicsLaboratory (LESO-PB)wasabletoboost the research team led by Andreas Schüler at EPFL’s Solar Energy layers. By combining these new translucid materials with glass, The twosystemshaveonethingincommon: transfer toindustry. ognizing its innovative approach and paving the way for secure European Patent Officehasjustgranted thisoneapatent,rec- nique thatmakesbetteruseofnatural lightinbuildings.The this systeminitsnewtrains. Thesecondproject ledtoatech- in trains. Bern-basedrailway companyBLShasalready installed ated a window-glazing system that improves mobile reception ogy hasjustmadeamajorleapforward. Thefirstproject cre- Thanks totwoEPFLresearch projects, window-glazingtechnol- gic issueintermsofcostsandenergy efficiency. ture andpublictransportation, makingitscompositionastrate- yet durable material.Itisusedextensivelyinmodernarchitec- Researchers havelongbeenfascinatedbyglass,atransparent – GLAZING IN SMART WINDOW BREAKTHROUGHS TWO FROM THE EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE. AND HAS JUST RECEIVED PATENT PROTECTION THE DIFFUSION OF NATURAL LIGHT IN BUILDINGS RAILWAY COMPANIES. THE SECOND ONE IMPROVES FREELY INTO TRAINS, IS ALREADY BEING USED BY ONE, WHICH LETS MOBILE PHONE SIGNALS PASS FOR A HOST OF NEW APPLICATIONS. THE FIRST OF WINDOW-GLAZING SYSTEMS THAT SET THE STAGE EPFL RESEARCHERS HAVE DEVELOPED TWO TYPES nanometricthin MATERIALS WITHGLASS. TRANSLUCID, NANOMETRIC THE RESEARCHERSCOMBINED Swiss Federal Energy Office. This project wassupportedandfinancedbythe Dübendorf (ZurichCanton)in2017. tem. ItwillbetestedatthefuturisticNEST housein Patent Officerecently issuedapatentforthissys- without anymechanicalconstraints. TheEuropean since it is based on natural light and solar geometry slatted venetianblinds.Anditworksallbyitself, The micro-mirror glazing lasts longer than traditional and makelarge-scale production feasible. cess took into accounttheneedtokeepcostsdown that are highly exposed to the sun. The design pro- eye. Thesewindowsare meantforbuildingfacades double-glazed windowsandinvisibletothenaked rors, whichare embeddedbetweenthetwolayersof A high-precision laserisusedtocutthemicro-mir- light intothebuilding. the winter, themicro-mirrors redirect thenatural inating direct sunlight and avoiding overheating. In the micro-mirrors reflect lightbackoutward, elim- heating andcoolingcostsby10-20%.Inthesummer, ter useofnatural lightwithinagivenroom andcut researchers’ systemwillallowbuilderstomakebet- for SolarEnergy ConversionGroup atLESO-PB.The of micro-mirrors developedbytheNanotechnology Window blindsmaysoonbereplaced byathinlayer AND ENERGYEFFICIENCY INBUILDINGS BETTER VISUALCOMFORT

Transport Office. This project wassupportedandfinancedbytheSwissFederal where theFaraday cageeffectcanalsocomeintoplay. The next step will beto use the new window glazing in buildings, nary windows. railcars with the laser-treated windows as in homes with ordi- researchers’ technology, mobilereception isjustasgoodinthe ative tomakeitstrains more energy efficient. Thankstothe its railcars withthenewglazingaspartofarenovation initi- ing. Bern-basedrailway companyBLShasequippedthree of Both laboratory andreal-world testswere extremely promis- be detectedbythenakedeye. glazing’s thermalproperties. Andtheresulting patterncannot magnetic waves to pass through without sacrificing any of the of themetalcoating’ssurfacearea. Thatallowstheelectro- special treatment. Usinglaserscribing,theyablatedsome2.5% Faraday cagebymodifyingthewindows’metalcoatingwitha version Group atLESO-PB–cameupwiththeideatobreach the The research team–theNanotechnologyforSolarEnergy Con- comfortable temperature forpassengers. dow thatletsmobilephonesignalsthrough whilemaintaininga manufacturing partners,havedevelopedanewtypeofwin- loss from infrared radiation. ButEPFLresearchers, workingwith metal coatingthatisaddedtotrain windowstoprevent heat called aFaraday cage.Thewavesare blockedbyanultra-thin metal boxes that block out microwaves – in physics, this is lags behind.That’s because moderntrain cars are essentially Train travel maybefast,butmobileconnectivityonboard often INSULATION ONTRAINS IMPROVED MOBILERECEPTIONANDTHERMAL 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 #002 Research 20 21 TOPOGRAPHY 22 RESEARCHERS HAVE FOUND A 23 SHAPES WAY TO SIGNIFICANTLY BOOST THE EFFECTS OF POWDERED 24 ACTIVATED CARBON IN MOUNTAIN WASTEWATER TREATMENT. 25 26 BIODIVERSITY – A SUPER-FINE

CLIMATE CHANGE IS LIKELY TO DRIVE SOLUTION TO SPECIES TO HIGHER, COOLER ALTITUDES. A RECENT STUDY HIGHLIGHTS A CRUCIAL SPONGE UP

R esearch WAY IN WHICH THEIR NEW HABITAT WILL DIFFER FROM THE ONE THEY LEAVE BEHIND. MICROPOLLUTANTS #002 Researchers at EPFL, in cooperation with other insti- – tutions, conducted a study to better understand why biodiversity in mountains typically peaks at mid-altitudes. Their research showed that the size and con- nectedness of habitats are greatest there, which in turn stimulates the proliferation of species. “In mountainous terrain, peaks and valleys are isolated habitats, like islands in the ocean, whereas mid-elevation sites form well-connected patches,” explains Enrico Bertuzzo, a researcher at the Labora- tory of Ecohydrology at EPFL. “Given that habitat area and connectivity foster biodiversity, whereas isolation favors the dominance of a few species, we hypoth- esized that topography itself may play a key role in regulating biodiversity.” To adapt to a warming climate, certain species will inevitably be forced to migrate to higher altitudes, yet the new terrain will threaten their survival. These A SUPER-FINE FORM OF POWDERED ACTIVATED findings underscore the importance of considering CARBON CAPTURES MICROPOLLUTANTS MORE these factors when predicting future changes in this RAPIDLY THAN THE CONVENTIONAL KIND environment. AND COULD BE USED IN SWISS WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS.

Environmental chemists at EPFL have shown that super-finely ground powdered activated carbon has the potential to bring down the cost of micropollutant removal. Even at extremely low concentrations, micropollutants – trace amounts of chemical compounds from pharmaceutical or agricultural chemicals – can pose a risk to aquatic ecosystems. One way to reduce the amount of micropollutants released into the environment is by treating wastewater with powdered activated carbon. But this process is very expensive and requires more energy. By using a super-finely ground variant of the powder, researchers in Professor Tamar Kohn’s Environmental Chemistry Laboratory (LCE) at EPFL found that micropollutant removal rates acceler- ated by a factor of five or more. This form of powdered activated carbon could even be used in Swiss wastewater treatment plants. MARIA CRISTINA MUNARI PROBST’S DATABASE PROVIDES BOTH GOOD AND 21 BAD EXAMPLES OF SOLAR PANELS IN URBAN AREAS. 22 23

USING CO2 FOR URBAN HEATING

AND COOLING R esearch

– #002 CARBON DIOXIDE IS COMMONLY USED THE AESTHETICS AS AN INDUSTRIAL LIQUID REFRIGERANT BUT COULD ALSO BE EFFECTIVE IN OF SOLAR ENERGY HEATING AND COOLING BUILDINGS IN URBAN AREAS. AND HISTORICAL

CO is the primary greenhouse gas, but it could also 2 BUILDINGS help slow global warming. Often used as a ‘clean’ liquid refrigerant in supermarkets, it turns out to be an effi- – cient vehicle for transporting the energy needed to heat and cool buildings, particularly in urban settings. EPFL RESEARCHERS HAVE DEVELOPED In Europe, the building sector accounts for 40% of A METHOD FOR ASSESSING THE AESTHETIC final energy consumption and around one third of IMPACT OF SOLAR PANELS AND DECIDING WHERE greenhouse gas emissions. Switzerland is no excep- THEY SHOULD BE INSTALLED. SOME CITIES IN tion. And in cities like Geneva and Lausanne, there FRENCH-SPEAKING SWITZERLAND COULD START are many types of buildings with diverse heating and USING THIS APPROACH IN 2017. cooling needs. In his thesis, Samuel Henchoz analyzed the idea of “We wanted to show that solar panels need not be an eyesore, having a saturated liquid refrigerant – pressurized even in architecturally significant areas, as long as the necessary

CO2 – circulate between buildings. It just takes a heat effort is made in terms of design and cost,” said Maria Cristina exchanger for the liquid CO2 to provide cooling by Munari Probst, an architect in EPFL’s Solar Energy and Building evaporating or for CO2 gas to produce heat by con- Physics Laboratory (LESO-PB). Together with engineer Christian densing. Henchoz ran a simulation in a neighborhood Roecker, Munari Probst designed an easy-to-use approach that in the center of Geneva and found that the system can help cantonal and municipal authorities plan and approve solar currently in use there, combining boilers and ordinary installations. cooling units, is the least efficient. A liquid refriger- The researchers say that, ideally, solar panels should blend seam- ant network would generate more than 80% in final lessly into the surrounding environment. But there are some energy savings. exceptions. “What’s crucial is to promote the use of solar energy. Aesthetics can sometimes be overlooked, such as in industrial and commercial zones where the architectural quality is lower, or on surfaces that are largely out of sight,” said Munari Probst. Starting in 2020, all new buildings in Europe will have to run mainly on renewable energy. That gives municipal authorities little time to come up with a strategic energy plan. The researchers hope that their method will help them achieve their goal. 20

THIS SOFT GRIPPER DEFTLY COMBINES TWO TECHNOLOGIES:

R esearch ROBOTIC ARTIFICIAL MUSCLES AND ELECTROADHESION.

#002 FINGERS WITH A SOFT TOUCH –

EPFL RESEARCHERS ARE TAKING ROBOTICS TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL. OPTIMIZING USING RUBBER AND STRETCHABLE ELECTRODES, THEY HAVE DEVELOPED DATA TRANSFER A SOFT ROBOTIC GRIPPER THAT CAN BEND AND PICK UP DELICATE OBJECTS – LIKE EGGS AND PAPER. EPFL RESEARCHERS HAVE COME UP WITH Have you ever rubbed a balloon in your hair to make A WAY TO OPTIMIZE DATA TRANSFER, it stick to the wall? That phenomenon, known as elec- SOLVING A PROBLEM THAT HAS CONFOUNDED troadhesion, may change robotics forever. Scientists RESEARCHERS FOR 60 YEARS. working in EPFL’s Laboratory of Intelligent Systems have invented flexible electrode flaps that act like We all send and receive data, such as when we download a movie, a thumb-index gripper. The flaps can pick up fragile save photos to a hard drive and talk on the phone. But noise on objects of arbitrary shape and stiffness, like an egg, these communication channels can lead to data loss. Is this avoid- a water balloon or paper. This lightweight gripper may able? The challenge lies in defining how much data must be sent to soon be handling food for the food industry, captur- account for data loss without however overloading the channel, as ing debris in outer space or making prosthetic hands this would reduce the transfer speed. more life-like. The researchers’ starting point was to design a code representing a This is the first time that electroadhesion and soft repetition scheme in order to eliminate noise during data transfer. robotics have worked together to pick up objects. The researchers then made a revolutionary discovery: symmetrical When the voltage is turned on, the electrodes bend code performed the best. This showed that optimizing data transfer towards the object to be picked up, imitating muscle would require a larger group of codes. “If we know which communi- function. The tips of the electrodes act like finger- cation channel will be used, we can determine the right code,” said tips that gently conform to the shape of the object, Marco Mondelli, a researcher at EPFL’s Communication Theory Labo- gripping it with electrostatic forces in the same way ratory. “It just needs to be structured and symmetrical.” that the balloon sticks to the wall. These electrodes This discovery could lead to developments and improvements in can carry 80 times their own weight and require no data transmission in all fields. This could, in turn, improve the per- prior knowledge of the object's shape. formance of computers, mobile phones and data storage systems. 21 LOCAL PARLIAMENT 22 23 BUILDING GIVEN 24 A BEAMLESS 25 26 WOODEN ROOF 27 –

IT WAS A TALL ORDER: DESIGNING A ROOFTOP FOR A 290-M2 PARLIAMENTARY HALL IN THE EPFL’S VAUD CANTONAL PARLIAMENT, BUILT ATOP 13TH

CENTURY RUINS, NESTED SNUGGLY INTO THE R esearch INSTANT-LAB PICTURESQUE SKYLINE OF THE OLD CITY OF LAUSANNE. HAS CREATED A #002 The parliament hall, once inaugurated in 2017, will be endowed with TICKLESS CLOCK a roof supported only by its base, a glazed atrium letting in natural light, and a gallery overlooking the conference area for citizens – and journalists. The novelty of the almost 15-meter tall roof lies in its beam-free design. This was made possible thanks to the devel- AN INNOVATIVE MECHANICAL CLOCK opment of cross-laminated timber panels, a major innovation in DESIGNED BY EPFL HAS BEEN INSTALLED wood technology. By gluing wooden boards so that the directions IN NEUCHÂTEL’S CITY HALL. THE of their fibers alternate from layer to layer, these panels provide PROTOTYPE IS EQUIPPED WITH A NEW high strength, even for very thin panels. TYPE OF OSCILLATOR, MARKING A MAJOR Without years of research into how these wooden panels distrib- CONCEPTUAL SHIFT IN THE HISTORY OF ute the loads they carry, conducted by his research group at EPFL, MECHANICAL TIMEKEEPING. Yves Weinand says that he may not have won this contract for a beam-free roof of these dimensions. “Proposals based on techno- EPFL researchers in Neuchâtel developed a proto- logical innovations rarely win public contracts, because of the risks type of a mechanical clock that operates with a new associated with them. The fact that we had extensive research to type of oscillator. Dubbed ‘IsoSpring,’ this oscillator back our claims definitely played in our favor,” he says. replaces conventional clock pendulums and watch spiral spring-balance wheels, eliminating the signature ticking sound. The clock was entirely thought up and developed by EPFL’s Instant-Lab - Patek Philippe Chair in Micromechanical and Horological Design, led by Professor Simon Henein. Thanks to IsoSpring, mechanical timekeepers – watches, carriage clocks and large clocks – may soon require less winding and time setting, while still retaining their mechanical simplicity. The IsoSpring concept came straight out of Isaac Newton’s description of how planets orbit around the sun. It allows watchmakers to make the leap from timebases with a back-and-forth movement to con- tinuous unidirectional trajectories. Without an escape- ment, which produces the stop-and-go motion and ticking sound, time is once again silent and contin- uous. And ‘compliant mechanisms’ obviate the need for conventional pivots, so there is no friction or wear-and-tear, and no lubrication is necessary. The researchers are now working on miniaturizing their invention, which has captured the attention of the watchmaking industry. ALL FORCES ARE DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THE ENTIRE ROOF RATHER THAN BEING FOCUSED IN SPECIFIC LOCATIONS. 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 #002 Research accurate andeasiertousethancompetingdevices. node thatcancercellshavereached, isquicker, more tissue. TheGammaprobe, whichfindsthefirstlymph unhealthy cells, it helps surgeons preserve healthy is stillintheclinicaltestphase. Becauseitpinpoints The Betaprobe isatotally newtypeofdeviceand signals similartothoseofaGeigercounter. surgical woundtoguidethesurgeon through auditory weighing only100grams, canbeinsertedintothe The probes, measuring 20 centimeters long and to remove andlaterbiopsysuspiciouslymphnodes. while theGammaprobe isusedinradioguided surgery detects extremely smallbitsofcancerous tissue, doctors withbothofthesetasks.TheBetaprobe developed twocompactwireless probes thathelp EPFL, inpartnershipwithForimtech andtheCHUV, micrometastases intothenearbylymphnodes. they needtoseewhetherthetumorhasalready sent to besure togetallthecancercells.Atsametime, When surgeons remove amalignanttumor, theyhave – SURGERY CELLS DURING DOWN CANCER PROBES HUNT PORTABLE ACROSS EUROPE. HOSPITAL OF LAUSANNE (CHUV) AND BY SURGEONS AT THE UNIVERSITY HELPED DEVELOP, ARE BEING TESTED SURGERY. THE PROBES, WHICH EPFL SUSPICIOUS LYMPH NODES DURING TO IDENTIFY CANCER CELLS AND A LARGE PEN HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED LIGHT, WIRELESS PROBES THE SIZE OF

most threatening aspectofcancer. mean thattheapproach couldalsoprevent tumormetastasis,the TAMs alsostopscancercellsfrom leavingthetumor. Thismay stimulate anti-tumorimmunity. Interestingly, reprogramming the rophages, calledLet-7.BlockingtheLet-7cancauseTAMs to target in a small family of microRNAs produced by the mac triggering attacksagainstit.Theresearchers foundaspecific the TAMs signalthepresence ofthetumortoimmunesystem, by genetically modifying them. Instead of protecting the tumor, Michele DePalma’s teamat EPFL managed to reprogram the TAMs the tumorfrom theperson’simmunesystem. sociated macrophages’ (TAMs). Oncecorrupted, theTAMs shield The cancercellsconvertthemintowhatare knownas‘tumor-as- hijacked bytumorsandmadetosupporttheirmalignantgrowth. to prevent tumorsfrom growing. However, macrophages canbe pathogens. Insomeonewithcancer, macrophages are supposed Macrophages are cells in the immune system that protect us from – ATTACKS TUMORS IMMUNE SYSTEM ENSURING THE ENSURE THE IMMUNE SYSTEM ATTACKS THE TUMOR. TO REPROGRAM THESE CORRUPTED CELLS AND THE BODY. RESEARCHERS HAVE NOW FOUND A WAY BODY’S IMMUNE CELLS AND TURN THEM AGAINST TUMORS ARE SOMETIMES ABLE TO CONSCRIPT THE - PATIENT#1 PATIENT#2 PATIENT#3 SERVER ON-DUTY DOCTOR 21

24 PATIENT#1 PATIENT#2 PATIENT#3 SERVER ON-DUTY DOCTOR 25

PATIENT#2 ∆

WORKING ELECTRODES (WES)

Glucose Lactate

PATIENT#2 ∆ Bilirubin WORKING ELECTRODES (WES) Sodium Glucose Lactate Potassium Bilirubin Température Sodium Potassium PH Température PH R esearch

PATIENT#1 PATIENT#2 PATIENT#3 SERVER ON-DUTY DOCTOR #002

PATIENT#2 ∆ SMARTWATCHES 12:00 WORKING ELECTRODES (WES)

FOR INTENSIVE CARE∆ Glucose ALERT Lactate PATIENT#2 Bilirubin – Temperature PATIENTSodium#2 ∆ Potassium EPFL RESEARCHERS HAVE COME UP WITH A Temperature WAY FOR DOCTORS TO RECEIVE AUTOMATIC 12:00

PATIENT#2 ∆ WORKING ELECTRODES (WES) PATIENT#2

WORKING ELECTRODES (WES)

Glucose Lactate Bilirubin Sodium Potassium ALERTS ANYWHERE IN THE HOSPITAL IF THEIR Température pH PH INTENSIVE-CARE PATIENTS NEED THEM. Glucose ALERT ∆ Doctors may soon be able to wear a smartwatch connected Lactate to their patients’ monitors. If any of the patients' readings – PATIENT#2 Bilirubin monitored in real time and stored on a central server – reach Temperature a dangerous level, an alert will be sent directly to the doctor’s Sodium wrist via Wi-Fi. The doctor, seeing the patient’s name and the Potassium actual readings on the watch, will be able to react immediately. This application is the second half of a comprehensive mon- Temperature itoring system developed by EPFL's Integrated Systems Lab- PATIENT#2 ∆ pH oratory. It began with a miniaturized microfluidic device for PATIENT#2 monitoring critical blood levels in patients. The device closely 12:00 WORKING ELECTRODES (WES) monitors seven different substances: glucose, lactate, bilirubin, sodium, calcium, temperature and pH. The research- Glucose ALERT ∆ ers embedded biosensors in the device along with an array of electronics for transmitting the results in real time to a tablet Lactate PATIENT#2 via Bluetooth. Bilirubin Temperature This sort of connectivity will make it easier for doctors to Sodium effectively monitor their high-risk patients. Not only will they be alerted instantly, but they’ll have the crucial readings at Potassium their fingertips. Temperature pH

WITH A SMARTWATCH, DOCTORS CAN KEEP TABS ON THEIR PATIENTS FROM ANYWHERE IN THE HOSPITAL. 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 #002 Research tors, whowanttoseehisdiscoveriesputuse. of leadingscientificjournals–andprivateinves- their impact.His workhasattracted the attention these natural substancesinourdietandmeasuring scratch, Auwerxdevelopedmethodsofidentifying most severe formsofthisdisease).Startingfrom and Duchennemusculardystrophy (oneofthe two compoundsincounteringthesignsofaging Auwerx demonstrated thespectaculareffectsof figuring out exactly what that link is. In 2016, Johan Yet itisonlyrecently thatresearchers havebegun There isaclearlinkbetweennutritionandhealth. – ADVANCES PEUTIC OF THERA- EDGE THE CUTTING EPFL ISAT NUTRITION: MARCEL BENOIST PRIZE. PERSONALLY AWARDED AUWERX THE 2016 AND PUBLIC HEALTH. THE SWISS PRESIDENT APPROACHES IN THE AREAS OF THERAPY FIELD. HIS WORK SETS THE STAGE FOR NEW JOHAN AUWERX IS A PIONEER IN THIS CLOSELY AT THE EFFECTS OF DIET, AND SCIENTISTS ARE STARTING TO LOOK MORE

European hospitals. company iscurrently runningpreliminary tests onpatientsin method to deliver carefully calibrated doses of urolithin A. The a startupfoundedbythestudy’sco-authors,hasdeveloped a researchers are already hard atworkonasolution.Amazentis, For peoplewithouttherightmicrobes intheirgut,the individuals don’tproduce anyatall. and theflora present inthegutmicrobiome. Inhumans,some A produced canvarywidelydependingonthespeciesofanimal urolithin Abymicrobes intheintestine.Theamountofurolithin pomegranates. Theprecursor isdigestedandconvertedinto Large quantitiesoftheurolithin Aprecursor are foundin endurance. tests are highlypromising intermsofbothlifespanandmuscle helps prevent muscle weakness in old age. Results from animal Urolithin Arestores cells’abilitytorecycle mitochondria,which age-related disorders, suchasParkinson’s disease. mitochondria isalsothoughttoplayanimportantrole inother weaken withtheyears.Theaccumulationofdysfunctional the waymany types of tissue work, including muscles, which trouble recycling them.Theresulting deterioration affects again, mitochondria are the linchpin – as we age, our cells have muscle cellsward offoneofthemajorcausesaging.Once in anarticleappearingNature Medicine.Thiscompoundhelps Urolithin A also has remarkable properties, which were described in Science,aleadingjournal. lives. Tests onhumansare planned.Zhang’sworkwaspublished restored theirorgans’ abilitytoregenerate andprolonged their riboside camein.Whenadministered tothemice,thissubstance mitochondria functionproperly. That’s where nicotinamide mice. Andhedidsobytargeting themoleculesthathelp Zhang wantedtorevitalize stemcellsinthemusclesofelderly mitochondria –thecell’spowerhouseinthisprocess. organs. He also demonstrated the fundamental role played by regeneration oreven degeneration incertain tissues and that fatigueinstemcellswasoneofthemaincausespoor responsible forthisrecent discovery. Zhangdemonstrated One ofJohanAuwerx’sPhDstudents,HongboZhang,was Simply put,theeffectsofnicotinamideribosideare rejuvenating. can causecellstoreplace ailingmitochondria. regenerate, whileurolithin Aistheonlyknownmoleculethat amazing potential.Nicotinamideribosidehelpsagingorgans EPFL researchers are studyingtwonatural substancesthathave REVEAL MOREOFTHEIRSECRETS TWO ANTI-AGING COMPOUNDS which presented muchlowermuscularinflammation. cursor ofNAD+.Successfultests were run onmice, they usednicotinamideriboside,thevitaminpre- viding the worn-out mitochondria with fuel. For this researchers soughttoreverse thiseffectbypro- caused themusclelossinfirstplace.The This process aggravates theinflammationthat mitochondria, themusclethenweakens. within the cell. Since NAD+ also acts as a fuel for NAD+, leadingtoashortageofthiscomponent a large quantity of an essential component called overactivates agenethatsubsequentlyconsumes Duchenne actsinotherwaysaswell.Inflammation muscles gradually deteriorate. it, the cells cannot change shape correctly and the necting thevariouspartsofmusclecells.Without unable to produce the protein responsible for con- in animals.Thosesufferingfrom thisdiseaseare effective againstDuchennemusculardystrophy large doses of nicotinamide riboside are highly Researchers inJohanAuwerx’slabdiscovered that DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY A NATURAL SUBSTANCE COULDHELPTREAT THEIR SECRETS. REVEALING SOMEOF POMEGRANATES ARE

have goneontowinaNobelPrize. its almosthundred-year history, 10laureates implications forhumanlife.Overthecourseof have madescientificdiscoverieswithsignificant honorsSwiss-basedscientistswho CHF 50,000, The award, whichincludesacashprizeof Chair inEnergy Metabolism. tive SystemsPhysiologyandholdstheNestlé since 2008.HeheadstheLaboratory ofIntegra- Auwerx isfrom BelgiumandhasworkedatEPFL of theirpatients. tailor medicaltreatments tothepersonalprofile sion andtype2diabetes.Theyalsohelpdoctors cular and metabolic disorders, such as hyperten- strategies forcombatingobesityandcardiovas- the waytofindingnewpreventive andtherapeutic Marcel BenoistFoundation, hisdiscoveriespave disease. Described as“ground-breaking” bythe played bythemetabolisminhealth,agingand Johan Auwerxconductsresearch intotherole – THE 2016MARCELBENOIST PRIZE JOHAN AUWERXWAS AWARDED TO AUWERX. MARCEL BENOIST PRIZE AWARDED THE 2016 N. SCHNEIDER-AMMANN SWISS PRESIDENTJOHANN

35 34 33 32 31 30 29 #002 Research DENNIS AABO SØRENSEN WAS ABLE TO FEEL TEXTURES 28 AGAIN THANKS TO AN ARTIFICIAL FINGERTIP. 29 AN IMPLANT TO 30 31 HELP PREVENT 32

33 ALZHEIMER'S 34 –

EPFL SCIENTISTS HAVE DEVELOPED AN

IMPLANTABLE CAPSULE THAT CAN HELP THE BODY’S IMMUNE SYSTEM FIGHT THE BUILD-UP OF AMYLOID PLAQUES.

R esearch Alzheimer’s may be caused by the over-accumulation of amyloid beta in the brain. This protein accu- mulates to form plaques, which are toxic to neurons. #002 One of the most promising ways to prevent this from happening is to tag the proteins with antibodies that signal to the patient’s immune system to eliminate them. To be most effective, this treatment has to be A BIONIC FINGERTIP delivered as early as possible, before the first signs of cognitive decline. But this requires repeated antibody RESTORES THE SENSE injections at high doses, which can cause side effects. Patrick Aebischer’s lab at EPFL has come up with OF TOUCH an implant that delivers a steady flow of antibodies, making this preventive treatment more tolerable and easier to administer. The researchers tested the – device on mice with a disease similar to Alzheimer’s AN ARM AMPUTEE USING AN ARTIFICIAL and found it eliminated nearly all the amyloid plaque FINGERTIP DEVELOPED AT EPFL WAS ABLE TO build-up. It could also be used to treat other neurode- FEEL TEXTURES IN REAL-TIME WITH HIS PHANTOM generative disorders caused by the accumulation of HAND. THIS BREAKTHROUGH WILL ACCELERATE THE toxic proteins. DEVELOPMENT OF TOUCH-ENABLED PROSTHETICS.

Dennis Aabo Sørensen became the first arm amputee in the world to recognize smooth and rough surfaces using a bionic fingertip. The device, equipped with sensors and wired to electrodes implanted in his upper arm, was developed by Silvestro Micera and his team at the Interfaculty Institute of Bioengineering. In the tests, a machine moved Sørensen’s prosthetic fingertip over pieces of plastic engraved with various textures. The sensors in the fingertip, detecting the pattern, generated an electrical signal. That signal was then translated into a series of electrical spikes – imitating the language of the nervous system – and delivered to the nerves. Sørensen was able to distinguish between rough and smooth surfaces 96% of the time. 29 RESTORING 30 CONTROL OVER 31 32 PARALYZED LIMBS 33 – 34 35 AN INTERFACE THAT ACTS AS A WIRELESS BRIDGE BETWEEN THE BRAIN AND SPINE HAS GIVEN

MACAQUES CONTROL OVER THEIR PARALYZED LEGS. A CLINICAL STUDY WILL TEST TO SEE WHETHER PART OF THIS INTERFACE COULD WORK IN HUMANS WITH A SPINAL CORD INJURY. R esearch Spinal cord lesions cause paralysis by interfering with the brain’s ability to send instructions to the neurons that activate the leg muscles. The motor cortex still produces the electrical #002 activity necessary for walking, and the neural networks acti- vating the muscles in the paralyzed legs are still intact. The signals just do not get through. Scientists from EPFL’s Brain Mind Institute, in cooperation with other institutions, have come up with a neuroprosthetic system to get around this problem. Using their brain- spine interface, a macaque with a spinal cord injury was able The primate has a partial spinal cord lesion on its to regain control over its paralyzed leg. The interface works #right1 side, preventing #2 BRAINbrain signals IMPLANT from DECODING by bypassing the lesion, restoring communication between A producingmicroelectrode right leg array MOTOR STATES the brain and the spinal cord. It decodes brain activity asso- is movement.implanted in the A computer brain’s left motor cortex, decodes the ciated with walking movements and relays this information Brain Implant Decoding Motor States Pulse generator which controls right leg neural activity of A computer decodes the The primate has a partial movement. It records A microelectrodethe array motor is implanted cortex in The pulse generator configures to the spinal cord – below the injury – through electrodes, neural activity of the motor spinal cord lesion on its the brain’s left motor cortex that stimulation protocols based stimula- motor cortex spiking in real-time, which cortex in real-time which is which then stimulateright side, preventing the neural pathways that activate the controls movement of the right leg. It tion protocols based on the decoded activity and sends the is sent to a pulse sent to a pulse generator. brain signals from records motor cortex spiking activity, motor states, which is delivered to the leg muscles. producing right leg data to a computer. and sends the datagenerator. to a computer. spine’s multi-electrode implant. movement.

The primateBrain Implanthas a partial Decoding Motor States Pulse generator A microelectrodeThe primate array is implanted has a partialin A computer decodes the The pulse generator configures spinal cord lesion on its neural activity of the motor the brain’s leftspinal motor cord cortex lesion that on its stimulation protocols based stimula- right side,controls preventing movement of the right leg. It cortex in real-time which is tion protocols based on the decoded brain signalsrecords from motorright cortex side, spiking preventing activity, sent to a pulse generator. motor states, which is delivered to the and sends the data to a computer. producing right legbrain signals from spine’s multi-electrode implant. producing right leg movement. movement.

Decoding Motor States Brain ImplantBrain Implant Decoding Motor States Pulse generatorPulse generator A computer decodes the A microelectrodeA microelectrode array is implanted array is in implanted in A computer decodes the The pulseThe generator pulse generator configures configures the brain’s left motor cortex that neural activity of the motor The primate has a partial the brain’s left motor cortex that neural activity of the motor stimulationstimulation protocols protocols based basedstimula stimula- - spinal cord lesion on its controls movementcontrols of movement the right leg.of the It right leg. It cortex in real-timecortex in real-timewhich is which is tion protocolstion protocols based basedon the on decoded the decoded right side, preventing The primate hasbrain asignals partial from records motorrecords cortex motor spiking cortex activit spikingy, activity, sent to a pulsesent to generator. a pulse generator. motor states,motor states,which iswhich delivered is delivered to the to the spinal cord lesionproducing on right its leg movement. and sends theand data sends to a the compute data tor. a computer. spine’s spine’smulti-electrode multi-electrode implant. implant. right side, preventing brain signals from Brain Implant Decoding Motor States Pulse generator producing right leg A microelectrode array is implanted in A computer decodes the The pulse generator configures the brain’s left motor cortex that neural activity of the motor stimulation protocols based stimula- movement. controls movement of the right leg. It cortex in real-time which is tion protocols based on the decoded records motor cortex spiking activity, sent to a pulse generator. motor states, which is delivered to the and sends the data to a computer. spine’s multi-electrode implant. Brain Implant Decoding Motor States Pulse# generator3 PULSE GENERATOR SPINAL CORD A microelectrode array is implanted in A computer decodes the The pulse generator configures The pulse generator LESION: the brain’s left motor cortex that neural activity of the motor stimulation protocols based stimula- configures THE PRIMATE HAS controls movement of the right leg. It cortex in real-time which is tion protocols based on the decoded stimulation protocols A PARTIAL SPINAL records motor cortex spiking activity, sent to a pulse generator. motor states, which is delivered to the based on the decoded CORD LESION ON and sends the data to a computer. spine’s multi-electrode implant. motor states, which ITS RIGHT SIDE, are delivered to PREVENTING BRAIN the spine’s multi- SIGNALS FROM electrode implant. PRODUCING RIGHT LEG MOVEMENT. #4 SPINAL IMPLANT SpinalA multi-electrode Implant implant is surgically placed Aover multi-electrode the spinal implant cord is surgically below placed the injury. Each over the spinal cord below the injury. Each electrodeelectrode stimulates stimulates a specific neurala specific neural pathway pathwaythat controls that controls a agroup group of of muscles. muscles.

Spinal Implant A multi-electrode implant is surgically placed over the spinal cord below the injury. Each electrode stimulates a specific neural pathway that controls a group of muscles.

Spinal Implant A multi-electrode implant is surgically placed over the spinal cord below the injury. Each Spinal Implantelectrode stimulates a specific neural A multi-electrodepathway implant that is controlssurgically a groupplaced of muscles. over the spinal cord below the injury. Each electrode stimulates a specific neural pathway that controls a group of muscles. Spinal Implant A multi-electrode implant is surgically placed over the spinal cord below the injury. Each electrode stimulates a specific neural pathway that controls a group of muscles. 28

R esearch

#002 PROTEIN PACKAGING MAY TRIGGER TYPE-1 DIABETES –

TYPE-1 DIABETES OCCURS WHEN IMMUNE CELLS ATTACK THE PANCREAS. EPFL SCIENTISTS HAVE DISCOVERED WHAT MAY TRIGGER THIS ‘AUTOIMMUNE’ ATTACK.

Type-1 diabetes is the rarest but most aggressive form of diabetes, and it is more prevalent in children and adolescents. It occurs when the patient’s own immune cells target the cells in the pancreas that secrete insulin, eventually eliminating its production completely. It is unclear how this actually happens. But scientists from EPFL’s Institute of Bioengineer- ing, led by Steinunn Baekkeskov, have now shown that these immune attacks may be triggered by the proteins released from the pancreas itself. The proteins are packaged in small vesicles called exosomes, which allow cells to distribute various molecules with dif- ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC ferent functions. Researchers looked at exosomes from IMAGE OF EXOSOMES human and animal pancreatic cells and found that, in patients SECRETED BY PANCREATIC CELLS. with type-1 diabetes, these cells release three intracellular proteins that trigger the self-destructive cells. These are the same proteins used by clinicians to diagnose the onset of the disease. When insulin-making cells are exposed to stress, it turns out that they “decorate” the exosomes with proteins that activate the immune cells. This discovery may lead to new treatments for people suffering from type-1 diabetes. types intostemcells. tion ofphysicalandchemicalfactorsthatwillturnarange ofcell better understandthephenomenonandfindrightcombina- scale. AlthoughLutolf’slabispursuingthis,theirmainfocusto technique could potentially produce stem cells on an industrial The broader impactofthisdiscoveryliesinitsscalability. This cell reprogramming.” surprised tofindthatthemicroenvironment directly influenced it wouldinfluencestemcellbehavior,” explainsLutolf. “We were the three-dimensional environment oflivingtissuetoseehow in agelcontaininggrowth nutrients.“We attemptedtosimulate mensional cellculture system,inwhichnormalcellsare placed ‘squeezing’ themintoshape.Theirapproach usesathree-di- boosts theabilityofnormalcellstorevert tostemcellsbysimply Matthias Lütolf’steamatEPFLhasnowdevelopedagelthat cells efficientlyisstillamajorchallenge. Parkinson’s todiabetes.Butproducing alarge numberofstem hold tremendous potentialfortreating arange ofdiseases,from unique cellscantransform intotissuesofdifferent organs, they Stem cells are at the cutting edge of modern medicine. Since these – INTO STEM CELLS SQUEEZING CELLS PRODUCTION OF STEM CELLS FOR MEDICINE. THIS NEW METHOD MAY LEAD TO LARGE-SCALE YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO ‘SQUEEZE’ THEM. DISCOVERY: TO TURN CELLS INTO STEM CELLS, EPFL SCIENTISTS HAVE MADE A SURPRISING

– PLATFORMS RESEARCH WITH ITS GOES PUBLIC BRAIN PROJECT THE HUMAN Joint Transnational Call. HBP Partnering Projects viatheEU’sFLAG-ERA 2015 was already taken,through thefundingoffirst up the platformstothewiderscientificcommunity brain modelsandsimulations.Afirststepinopening oration betweenscientiststocreate more detailed platforms should, for example, enable closer collab results andexploitingadvancedICT capabilities.The faster and more efficiently by sharing data and The HBPplatformswillhelpresearchers advance the startofoperational phase. resents theendoframp-up phaseoftheHBPand Infrastructure. The public release of the platforms rep with usersandincorporated inaEuropean Research be refined and expanded in a collaborative approach tools, databasesandprogramming interfacesthatwill The platformsconsistofprototype hardware, software ence, medicineandcomputing. entific communityaccelerate progress inneurosci- project. These platforms are designed to help the sci- tions technology(ICT) platformstousersoutsidethe nary versionsofitssixinformationandcommunica- The HumanBrain Project (HBP)hasreleased prelimi- MEDICINE AND COMPUTING. RESEARCH IN NEUROSCIENCE, STEP IN ADVANCING COLLABORATIVE OPERATIONAL PHASE. THIS IS A KEY MARKING THE START OF ITS PUBLICLY RELEASED ITS PLATFORMS, THE HUMAN BRAIN PROJECT HAS

- - 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 #002 Research FEDERAL VOTING PATTERNS 28 FROM 2003 TO 2014 REVEAL A GROWING DIVIDE BETWEEN 29 SWITZERLAND'S CITIES (GREEN), ITS SUBURBS 30 (GRAY) AND THE GERMAN- SPEAKING COUNTRYSIDE 31 (RED). 32

MAPPING REVEALS A R esearch GROWING URBAN-

#002 RURAL DIVIDE IN SWISS POLITICS OFFSHORING LOOMS – AFTER THE REMOVAL

IN A STUDY THAT COMBINED URBANISM, OF THE EUR/CHF VOTING RESULTS AND BIG DATA, PHD STUDENT SHIN ALEXANDRE KOSEKI EXCHANGE-RATE SHOWED THAT SWITZERLAND’S URBAN- RURAL DIVIDE HAS GRADUALLY ECLIPSED FLOOR THE DIVIDE BETWEEN FRENCH- AND GERMAN-SPEAKING SWITZERLAND IN – TERMS OF VOTING PATTERNS OVER THE SWISS COMPANIES MAY SHIFT PRODUCTION OUT OF PAST TEN YEARS. THE COUNTRY NOW THAT THE FRANC IS NO LONGER PEGGED TO THE EURO. The researcher found that Switzerland has become one big metropolis connected by its train lines. The denizens In early 2015, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) announced its decision of this metropolis have much in common with each other to abandon the currency floor of 1.2 Swiss francs per euro. In one and often vote the same way. And despite widespread day, the franc reached parity with the euro, and the Zurich stock perceptions, the tension between the two main language market lost 9% of its value. Economists from EPFL and the Univer- regions has been losing relevance in recent years. sity of Geneva analyzed the impact of this event, and their results Koseki’s aim was to track evolving patterns in the confirm a number of widely accepted beliefs. This includes the country’s political cohesion. Working in the ALICE and problem of rising production costs for Swiss exporters. The study Chôros Laboratories, he came up with a way of ana- also shed light on two key points: the seismic event continues to lyzing how the Swiss vote in relation to where they weigh on the economy, and the offshoring of production appears live. To do this, he collected, compiled and mapped the to be on the horizon. results of all federal votes held over the past 30 years, The researchers analyzed data from some 200 Swiss companies commune by commune. He determined that the politi- listed on the stock exchange and found that exporting compa- cal divide between French- and German-speaking Swit- nies were hardest hit. Exporters produce their goods in Switzerland zerland has been fading gradually as populations in and make their money abroad, largely in the Eurozone. The study the area stretching from Geneva to St. Gallen increas- shows that the SNB’s move had significant and immediate effects: ingly vote along the same lines. This trend shows that in the following six months, exporters’ revenues declined by 16.3% they share similar views and suggests that Switzerland on average and net profit fell by 20.4%. This is because these has become one big metropolis. However, a widening companies’ costs are in francs while their revenues are in euros. gap is now apparent between, on one hand, the major When the Swiss franc appreciates, their costs go up, their margins Swiss cities, French-speaking Switzerland, Ticino and shrink and their international competitiveness is damaged. part of the Grisons in eastern Switzerland and, on the other hand, the suburbs and countryside in the Ger- man-speaking region. THE NEW PROTECTIVE 29 SUIT IS BEING MANUFACTURED BY A 30 SWISS COMPANY THAT SPECIALIZES IN SCUBA 31 DIVING DRYSUITS. 32

TECHNOLOGY IN THE TIME OF

CHOLERA: A R esearch

STORY OF TWO #002 SCIENTIFIC FIRSTS SUITED UP – FOR FUTURE EPFL RESEARCHERS SUCCESSFULLY EPIDEMICS RECONSTRUCTED THE SPREAD OF A CHOLERA EPIDEMIC IN SENEGAL USING – MOBILE PHONE RECORDS. THE SAME TEAM LATER JOINED FORCES WITH IN RESPONSE TO THE EBOLA OUTBREAK IN MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES TO TRACK WEST AFRICA, EPFL TEAMED UP WITH GENEVA AN OUTBREAK IN HAITI IN REAL TIME. UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS (HUG), THE UNIVERSITY OF GENEVA, AND MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES In the spring of 2016, researchers in EPFL’s Ecohy- TO DEVELOP A NEW PROTECTIVE SUIT FOR USE drology Laboratory drew on mobile phone records to IN TROPICAL CLIMATES. identify the critical role that a gathering of millions of pilgrims played in the spread of Senegal’s 2005 cholera Health workers from around the world battled the Ebola epidemic in epidemic. Using phone data to map out how a disease West Africa for over three years. Yet the hermetically sealed suits spreads has major implications. The underlying math- they wore to protect themselves from the deadliest epidemic on ematical model can show which strategies have been record were stifling. “Before entering a contaminated area, you most effective in combating an ongoing outbreak – have to put on around ten different layers, as well as a diving mask and this could help limit future spikes in cases. that quickly fogs up, surgical gloves and a thick apron,” said Laurent The same team of researchers was contacted in the Kaiser, director of the Virology Laboratory at HUG and professor at fall of 2016 by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) with the University of Geneva’s medical school. It takes nearly 15 minutes an unprecedented request: to real-time track the to put on all this protective gear, and the same amount of time to spread of the cholera outbreak in Haiti that Hurricane take it all off again. And in most cases it can only be used once. Matthew triggered after it swept through the country A prototype one-piece suit is being developed as part of the Essen- on 4 October 2016. The researchers adapted their sim- tialTech program at EPFL’s Cooperation and Development Center. The ulation model and submitted their epidemic scenar- new model will have a sturdy ventilation system so that it can be ios to MSF week after week, using the on-the-ground worn for three hours straight, versus the one-hour limit for current data provided to them. Their results will be published models. It’s also being designed so that it can be disinfected and in future scientific articles, and their approach could reused over a period of three months – while in epidemic situations be usefully applied in other epidemic situations. around 100 suits have to be thrown away every day. The suit will also improve the quality of care provided to patients. EPFL Innovation Park offers a high-tech home to small businesses and multinationals alike, right in the heart of our campus. #003 TECH TRANSFER

–EPFL startups raised nearly CHF 400 million in 2016. That’s MARC GRUBER VICE PRESIDENT over 50% more than in 2015, which had already set a new FOR INNOVATION record. While a few established firms raised significant amounts, many new companies – more than last year – completed their first round of financing. We obviously want this positive momentum to continue. That’s why the school, and especially the Vice Presidency for Innovation (VPI), has focused so much attention on nurturing our innovation ecosystem. One of EPFL’s core missions is to transfer technology to industry. Or more specifically, to serve as a platform for bringing research and industry together so that new ideas EPFL STARTUPS can become viable products and services. At the VPI, we RAISED NEARLY strive to promote the work of our researchers, not all of CHF 400 MILLION whom are born entrepreneurs. We facilitate the process of technology transfer and help lay the groundwork for joint IN 2016 – OVER ventures with local businesses. We are all working toward 50% MORE THAN the same goal. IN 2015, ALREADY EPFL Innovation Park is a key component of our innovation A RECORD YEAR. ecosystem. It currently hosts around twenty large companies – including Logitech, Credit Suisse and Swisscom – and over 100 promising startups. But EPFL also has an important role to play when it comes to family-run businesses in Switzerland. While they are the engines of our economy, many of them have yet to adopt the latest technologies. By teaming up, we can help support their future growth. More broadly, EPFL has a responsibility to serve as a thought leader in some fertile areas of innovation – including digitalization, social entrepreneurship, personalized medicine and renewable energy – whose place in our daily lives will continue to grow. 38

42 43 SORTING THE FAKE 44 FROM THE GENUINE –

NANOGA, AN EPFL-BASED STARTUP, RETHINKING HAS DEVELOPED A TECHNIQUE THAT MAKES PRODUCTS IMPOSSIBLE TO COUNTERFEIT. tech transfer CYBERSECURITY 003 # –

CYBERHAVEN, A SUCCESSFUL EPFL SPIN-OFF, HAS REVOLUTIONIZED INFORMATION SECURITY.

Cyberhaven was founded in early 2015 by EPFL Pro- fessor George Candea and some of his former PhD students. This startup has developed a brand new approach to computer security aimed at preventing attacks by cybercriminals who use malware to target companies and government agencies. In a third-party test, their solution warded off all of the 144 cyberattacks handcrafted by professional penetration testers, whereas modern security products caught just over 20 of them. With Nanoga’s new way of combating counterfeits, each product The team of EPFL researchers behind Cyberhaven has can be made unique without changing its appearance. The tech- developed a completely novel approach that protects nique involves an image that is invisible to the naked eye and can sensitive documents and relevant applications from only be seen under ultraviolent light. It was initially developed for cyberattacks. Their technology complements what high-end sapphire crystal watches, but Nanoga has just patented is perhaps the most effective security tool today, a system of photonic watermarks for glass, ceramic and metal namely encryption. Unlike traditional firewalls, this as well. new technology does not block malware from entering This cutting-edge technique uses expensive machinery and a a company’s IT system but instead prevents it from secret, patent-protected recipe of chemicals. The resulting water- working, thereby simplifying the company’s security mark consists of a series of layers of atoms that is more than infrastructure. 10,000 times thinner than a hair and does not in any way alter the Cyberhaven has so far generated revenues of material's properties. “Reproducing this type of nanometric image 640,000 dollars, which is encouraging at this early would be as difficult as trying to forge the Swiss 50-franc note,” stage. Thanks to its success, the company has been said Nanoga CEO Nasser Hefyene. able to set up a second office in Boston and expand its R&D team at EPFL Innovation Park.

THE PHOTONIC WATERMARKS DEVELOPED BY NASSER HEFYENE, THE CEO OF NANOGA, HAVE CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF LUXURY WATCHMAKERS. SOFTWARE DEVELOPED BY AKSELOS DETECTS WEAK POINTS IN MAJOR METAL 39 STRUCTURES IN A MATTER OF MINUTES. 40 41

DETECTING AUGMENTED

STRUCTURAL REALITY FOR tech transfer

WEAK SPOTS IN FIREFIGHTERS #003 RECORD TIME – – AN EPFL TEAM IS WORKING ON A SMART, HANDS-FREE VISOR THAT, COMBINED A NEW SOFTWARE PROGRAM DEVELOPED BY WITH A THERMAL IMAGING CAMERA, WILL AKSELOS REDUCES THE TIME NEEDED TO DETECT HELP FIREFIGHTERS SEE WHAT’S AROUND WEAK SPOTS IN LARGE METAL STRUCTURES FROM THEM IN REAL TIME, EVEN AT NIGHT AND SEVERAL DAYS TO SEVERAL MINUTES. IN SMOKE.

This isn’t the fourth dimension, but almost. Akselos, a company Fire is not the only risk firefighters face: toxic, impen- based at EPFL Innovation Park, has developed a new platform that etrable smoke and darkness add to the dangers. combines 1D and 3D elements to detect weak spots in major metal Making matters worse, they are slowed down by structures like buildings, cranes and oil platforms, with unprece- their protective gear, which weighs over 20 kilos, and dented speed and accuracy. “To give an example, it took 8 minutes the equipment they need to carry. They also have to and 20 seconds for our software to solve 100 load combina- keep a free hand for the thermal imaging camera – it tions for a shiploader that has over 5 million degrees of freedom, guides them, analyzes their surroundings and helps versus more than three days with the conventional method,” said locate victims. Akselos CEO Thomas Leurent. Adrien Birbaumer and Martijn Bosch, who are behind This new and much-awaited technology combines the speed of a the VIZIR project at the Images and Visual Representa- 1D beam-based model with a 3D simulation. The software breaks tion Laboratory, have come up with a hands-free down a complex geometric structure into simpler elements, for imaging solution for firefighters that also improves which the calculations are done in advance. The elements are then their visibility. An infrared camera is mounted on their put back together in record time, and different loads can be easily helmet and a transparent screen is fitted in their applied to the reassembled model. Akselos' software is based on oxygen mask. This gives them two images: what their research initiated at MIT and then developed in conjunction with eyes can see and what the thermal imaging camera EPFL labs. records and displays in real time. The two engineers are testing their prototype with the help of the local public fire and natural disaster insurance company. Firefighters have already started testing the prototype in training sessions. 44 43 42 41 40 39 38 #003 tech transfer – A REALITY TRANSFER TECHNOLOGY MAKING TOINDUSTRY. TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY FROM EPFL LABS MADE GREAT STRIDES IN PROMOTING THE IN 2016, THE VICE PRESIDENCY FOR INNOVATION

JOB CREATION New businesses and industry collaborations create jobs. Statistics from the Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI) show that startups create an average of ten jobs each in the five years after they’re created. What’s even better, 70-80% of these jobs

How is EPFL able to produce so many spin-offs and remain in Switzerland. Startups in EPFL Innovation Park employ tech transfer startups? That’s a question many have asked. Our nearly 950 of the 2,000 people working there. The rest work for success – and the relationships we have forged large companies. Most collaborative projects between EPFL and #003 with large companies – are a natural outgrowth SMEs are financed by the CTI. The number of these projects rose of our innovation ecosystem. This ecosystem puts in 2016, a result of measures taken to counter the strong franc. researchers and students into contact with Swiss 51 CTI projects, with CHF 17.2 million in funding, were approved and foreign businesses, from startups all the way last year. EPFL’s Alliance program also played a role through the to multinationals. innovation system in western Switzerland. No less than 20 new startups were created in 2016. Our Innovation Park welcomed three major groups in 2016: Together they raised CHF 397 million, a record for Swisscom, Sonceboz and Parrot. That takes our office space EPFL. That’s 50% more than in 2014, when startups occupation rate to 96%! In its selection process, the Vice Pres- brought in CHF 242 million. Spin-offs – compa- idency for Innovation sought to build on existing relationships nies founded as a result of technology developed with companies, including through additional research projects in an EPFL lab or created by a campus researcher with EPFL labs. As a result, we signed a number of significant – saw the largest increase in funding. They raised framework agreements in 2016 (including with Swisscom, for CHF 261 million in 2016, compared with 107 million CHF 7 million over seven years, and with Sonceboz, for CHF 2.5 in 2014 and 66 million in 2015. More than 20 of our million over five years). recent startups have raised over a million francs. Funds raised by other companies in EPFL’s Innova- tion Park totaled CHF 76 million in 2016 (against CHF 57 million in 2014). When AC Immune launched its IPO on Nasdaq (see box), this added a further CHF 60 million. MindMaze, which develops virtual reality systems for patient rehabilitation, brought in CHF 100 million – the largest single amount ever raised by an unlisted company on campus. In another gauge of our ecosystem’s effectiveness: AC IMMUNE LISTED ON NASDAQ five EPFL startups are among the top ten new busi- AC Immune, a Swiss biopharmaceutical nesses in the latest TOP 100 Swiss Startups ranking. company specializing in Our Innogrants program also continues to flourish, neurodegenerative diseases, started with eight grants awarded in 2016. trading on Nasdaq in the third quarter of 2016. Its initial public offering brought in CHF 60 million, which the company will use to develop and market therapeutic vaccines against Alzheimer’s disease. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in EPFL Innovation Park. It has around 55 employees and ended the first half of 2016 with net profit of CHF 5.8 million USING ITS SUPRAANTIGEN PLATFORM, AC IMMUNE (a 20% increase). DEVELOPS VACCINES TO TREAT ALZHEIMER'S. 38 39 AN ECO-FRIENDLY 40 41 WAY TO REDUCE 42 SHIPPING POLLUTION 43 44 AN – AGRICULTURAL STRICTER EMISSION STANDARDS FOR CARGO SHIPS WILL TAKE EFFECT IN 2020. DRONE WITH AN EPFL STARTUP MAY WELL HAVE COME UP WITH A LOW-COST SOLUTION FOR MEETING AN EAGLE EYE THESE NEW TARGETS. tech transfer –

#003 EPFL SPIN-OFF GAMAYA RAISED CHF 3.2 MILLION IN 2016 FOR ITS AGRICULTURAL DRONE SYSTEM, WHICH COMBINES A MINIATURE HYPERSPECTRAL CAMERA AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Gamaya has developed an automatic, aerial system for monitoring crops using a hyperspectral camera affixed to a drone. The system detects a wide range of information, including seed type, stage of growth, hydration level and the presence of parasites and diseases. This information can save farmers money by ensuring that herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers Around 55,000 cargo ships ply the oceans every day, powered by are only applied to areas that need them. a fuel that’s dirtier than diesel. Alongside air transport, maritime The system, which simply requires farmers to transport is one of the leading sources of nitrogen oxide and sulfur. operate a drone, is now ready for use in soy, corn EPFL startup Daphne Technology has developed a low-cost and eco- and sugar cane fields. The system works by detect- friendly way of reducing emissions by installing a nanostructured ing the spectral signature given off by a plant. This filter in the ships’ exhaust stacks. signature varies depending on the plant’s stage of The filters are manufactured in a similar way to solar panels. A thin growth and surroundings. A lack of water or nutri- metal plate – titanium in this case – is nanostructured in order to ents, for instance, modifies the physiological state increase its surface area, and a number of substances are deposited of the plant, affecting how it reflects light. Gamaya’s onto it in extremely thin layers. These plates are then placed next software program maps the nuances of the spectral to each other vertically. The toxic gases pass through the channels signature detected by the drone onto colors visible to between the evenly spaced plates and are captured on the nanos- the human eye. tructured surfaces. This approach is considered eco-friendly because the substances in the filter are designed to be recycled. Under laboratory conditions, the nanostructured filters are able to cut sulfur emissions to less than 1% and nitrogen oxide emissions to 15% of the current standards. This is a major improvement, given that the new standards will require an approximately 14% reduction in sulfur emissions.

INSTALLING THE FILTERS IN SHIPS’ EXHAUST STACKS COULD CUT SULFUR EMISSIONS TO LESS THAN 1%. 39

40 3D ANIMATION 41 42 WITH THE STROKE 43 OF A PEN OBJECTS THAT 44 45 – SCULPT LIGHT BUDDING ARTISTS WILL SOON BE ABLE – TO CREATE ANIMATED FILMS WITHOUT A HOLLYWOOD-SIZED BUDGET, USING THE RESEARCHERS AT EPFL HAVE FOUND A SOFTWARE PROGRAM MOSKETCH. WAY TO MAKE IMAGES BY CONTROLLING

THE REFLECTIONS PRODUCED WHEN tech transfer With just a few pen strokes, artists can now make cartoon LIGHT PASSES THROUGH A TRANSPARENT characters, animals, and other figures jump, run, swim, and dance. OBJECT. THIS TECHNOLOGY IS NOW BEING #003 And even though Mosketch delivers performance on par with MARKETED BY THE STARTUP RAYFORM. the most expensive animation applications, it doesn’t require any advanced 3D know-how. “The strength of our software is that it It’s really eye-catching: when light shines on a plain, easily transforms 2D sketches into 3D, letting artists create 3D polished metal medallion, Vermeer's famous painting animation seamlessly and naturally,” said Benoît Le Callennec, “Girl with a Pearl Earring” appears on a nearby wall; co-founder and CEO of Moka Studio, which developed the software and lifting up a whisky glass reveals the brand's name in partnership with EPFL. on the tabletop. Mosketch works by combining and improving two major animation These objects have not been inlaid or imprinted in any methods: direct kinematics, in which artists change each of a way, so how does it work? character’s joints individually; and inverse kinematics, in which EPFL researchers have invented a series of algorithms artists can guide any part of a character’s body. The software lets to control caustic effects, which occur when light artists transparently switch from one method to another – unlike interacts with a transparent or reflective surface like the current market heavyweights – and sketch a complete posture water, glass or metal. Their software can accurately in a flash. “Thanks to our advanced mathematical models, artists calculate the 3D surface needed to direct the light to can animate any 3D character without a lot of up-front work,” said specific points in order to create the desired image. Ronan Boulic, head of the immersive interaction research group The startup, Rayform, was created last year to focus at EPFL. on the new technology. Rayform offers its services primarily to manufacturers of luxury goods like watches, jewelry, perfume and spirits. The technology can also be used to prevent counterfeiting.

MOSKETCH IS 10 TO 150 TIMES FASTER THAN COMPETING SOFTWARE PROGRAMS, WHICH MEANS ARTISTS CAN SKETCH A CHARACTER’S POSTURE IN REAL TIME. 38

44 tech transfer

#003 THESE SOLAR PANELS NEARLY DOUBLE THE YIELD –

THE RESIDENTIAL SOLAR PANELS DESIGNED BY STARTUP INSOLIGHT COULD DELIVER UP TO TWICE AS MUCH ENERGY AS EXISTING MODELS.

A solar panel’s yield refers to the quantity of electricity produced from the light energy received. Insolight, which is based in EPFL Innovation Park, has developed a prototype solar panel with a 36.4% yield, while conventional systems offer throughput of only around 18-20%. That means that these new-generation solar panels produce almost twice as much electricity for the same surface area. These results, which could be record-setting, were validated in September by the Fraunhofer Institute, an independent German lab. How did Insolight do it? A microtracking system patented by the startup captures 100% of the sun’s rays regardless of the angle of incidence. It uses a very thin and transparent optical plate that directs the rays to the tiny surface area

ALL THE COMPONENTS of very high performance cells. The plate moves by several WERE DESIGNED millimeters over the course of the day and is equipped with FROM THE START an array of millimetric lenses that act as a small network of TO BE EASILY MASS PRODUCED. magnifiers. Despite these improvements, the system is just as compact as conventional solar panels. The company also pulled off a considerable feat in rapidly producing a nearly market-ready solution. THE POMOCUP PROVIDES 39 REAL-TIME DATA TO BACKCOUNTRY SKIERS. 40 41

44 EPFL MAKES 45 IT TO THE NBA –

A NEW TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED BY tech transfer PLAYFULVISION – AN EPFL STARTUP BOUGHT BY SECOND SPECTRUM LAST

YEAR – RECORDS ALL ASPECTS OF #003 SPORTING EVENTS FOR SUBSEQUENT ANALYSIS IN AUGMENTED REALITY. STARTING IN 2017, THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA) WILL USE THIS SYSTEM IN ALL REACHING NEW OFFICIAL GAMES. Will artificial intelligence and computer vision HEIGHTS WITH revolutionize the sports industry? That’s what Second Spectrum is counting on. This company uses a multi- CONNECTED SKIS camera system to capture and analyze athletes' every move. It can show, for example, how a player was able – to pull off a great pass or whether he should have taken a certain shot. This technology was developed THANKS TO A SMALL SCREEN ON THEIR SKIS, at EPFL and then bought by Second Spectrum last BACKCOUNTRY SKIERS CAN SEE VARIOUS DATA year. It has caught the attention of the largest sports RECORDED BY SENSORS AS THEY MUSCLE THEIR leagues in the world, including the NBA, which has just WAY UP THE SLOPE. sealed a seven-year deal to use it in all official games starting in 2017. The device, called the Pomocup, attaches directly to the skis and The system is based on optical trackers that capture is small, light and loaded with sensors. It is equipped with a screen every move by players and by the ball. It records their and runs an application that switches between showing perfor- exact coordinates 25 times per second, providing an mance stats and data on the surrounding environment. Skiers unheard-of level of detail for analyzing body position, working their way up the slope see in real time the length of their shots, rebounds and fouls. And while this system will turns, their cadence, the symmetry of their steps, the tempera- be a dream for commentators and fans, it will be an ture of the snow, and more. Skiers may use this info to modify absolute gold mine for players and coaches who, after their route, and they can even program objectives into the device. studying their – and their opponents' – past games, The Pomocup includes an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a will be able to tweak their strategy and training barometer. Its sensors can collect 1,400 pieces of data per second. accordingly. It calculates the movement of the skis in 3D relative to the slope – and relative to the other ski if each one is equipped with the device. For several years now, Benoît Mariani, a cross-country ski buff and the co-designer of Pomocup, has been developing, with his startup, movement analysis sensors for medical, safety and sporting purposes. He started working on a preliminary version of this backcountry skiing device during his microengineering studies at EPFL. After linking up with Pomoca, which specializes in backcountry ski gear, he perfected the system. An exoskeleton developed at EPFL enables paraplegics to stand up, walk and even climb stairs. #004 outlook – Inauguration and transition were the keywords for the Vice ETIENNE MARCLAY VICE PRESIDENT FOR Presidency for Resources and Infrastructure in 2016. We HUMAN RESOURCES inaugurated the new ArtLab and Mechanics buildings, and AND OPERATIONS

the last few teams of cross-disciplinary researchers moved EDOUARD BUGNION into the Center for Neuroprosthetics at Campus Biotech in VICE PRESIDENT FOR INFORMATION Geneva. At the same time, we prepared the transition to the SYSTEMS new Senior Management team that took office on 1 January 2017. That included creating a Vice Presidency for Finance, headed by Caroline Kuyper, to handle the increasingly complicated task of financial management within the school. Thanks to this new Vice Presidency, the Vice Presidency for Human Resources and Operations will be able to focus on its core role of supporting our 6,000-strong community. OUR SCHOOL In the digital space, the Vice Presidency for Information CONTINUES Systems introduced several metrics to measure performance TO COUNT in key areas like project management and service quality. It ON TOP-TIER also helped consolidate our IT project portfolio using the ADMINISTRATIVE HERMES method, which included setting up the first elements of an agile development approach. EPFL is also engaged in SERVICES TO a broad initiative to keep pace with an increasingly digital CARRY OUT ITS world. Many of the school’s teaching methods and materials THREE MISSIONS are now available online – some open to the public (through OF TEACHING, our MOOCs and Extension School) and some reserved exclu- RESEARCH AND sively for students on campus. Using cloud services wisely, TECHNOLOGY and within our strict legal requirements, is another major challenge we face, as is data security – an increasingly TRANSFER. important issue in our projects, services and relationships with suppliers and other partners. Following the transition to the new Senior Management, our school continues to count on top-tier administrative services to carry out its three missions of teaching, research and technology transfer. DEFORMATION SENSORS AND ACCELEROMETERS 48 ANONYMOUSLY TRACK THE MOVEMENT AND BEHAVIOR 49 OF THE BUILDING’S USERS IN REAL TIME. 50

54 EPFL'S EXPANSION IN VALAIS outlook MOVES AHEAD #004 –

EPFL HAS SIGNED AN AGREEMENT IN EPFL TAKES TEACHING PRINCIPLE WITH THE CANTON OF VALAIS, AS THE SCHOOL'S EXPANSION IN THAT AND RESEARCH TO CANTON ENTERS ITS SECOND PHASE. AMBITIONS ARE HIGH FOR THE SCHOOL’S THE NEXT LEVEL OUTPOST, WHOSE WORKFORCE WILL SOON RISE FROM 150 TO – OVER 350 EMPLOYEES. EPFL’S NEW MECHANICAL ENGINEERING BUILDING IS A POTENT CONCENTRATION OF ENGINEERING EPFL and the Valais Council of State signed an agree- SPREAD ACROSS FOUR FLOORS AND 8,000M2 OF ment in principle that sets out the main points of SPACE. IT OPENED ITS DOORS ON 10 MAY 2016. the second phase of EPFL’s expansion in the Valais. The signing ceremony was attended by the presi- The new Mechanical Engineering building is home to the Discov- dent of Sion and the president of the ETH Board. This ery Learning Labs, an innovative teaching project that encourages new agreement builds on the one signed in 2012 and students to engage in experimentation and learning through discov- provides for the creation of a new research center ery. These teaching labs are fitted out with specialized equipment in the science and technology of alpine and extreme that students can use to run experiments and develop prototypes environments. In addition, EPFL will finance a total in the fields of bioengineering, materials, electronics and optics. The of five or six more chairs than initially planned. The labs are open to all EPFL sections, in recognition of the interdisci- partners will also expand the scope of their work in plinary approach that engineers will need to resolve complex chal- the areas of health and rehabilitation, green chemistry lenges in the future. and energies of the future. The workforce will grow The building also has interdisciplinary research laboratories run by from 150 employees currently to more than 350, many the School of Engineering. These include two national competence of whom will be housed in a new building planned near centers – NCCR Robotics and NCCR Marvel – funded by the National the Sion train station. The large-scale hydropower Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation, as well research activities will now be run as a close part- as the Institute of Bioengineering and Immunoengineering and the nership between EPFL and the University of Applied Institute of Mechanical Engineering. Sciences of Western Switzerland (HES-SO Valais) at The basement of the building holds a room equipped with movement EPFL’s laboratory in Lausanne. trackers to test drones and a lecture hall named after Adrien Palaz. These projects and their local and global impact are further examples of how EPFL fulfills the mission given to it by the Federal Council to serve society and support economic growth in Switzerland. The partnership between EPFL and the Canton of Valais builds on that region’s unique industrial, cultural and environmental features and is designed to contribute to the canton’s growth in a number of key sectors. 49

55 outlook #004

ARTLAB BRINGS SCIENCE AND ART TOGETHER –

EPFL’S NEW ARTLAB BUILDING HOUSES THREE DISTINCT SPACES, EACH DEDICATED TO FOSTERING THE DIALOGUE BETWEEN SCIENCE AND ART. THE BUILDING, WHICH SITS UNDER A 250-METER-LONG SLATE ROOF, OPENED IN NOVEMBER 2016.

A new field of research is emerging on the EPFL campus. The school’s new ArtLab building and its associated research programs will explore various ways in which art and science can engage in a fruitful dialogue. Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the ArtLab building is composed of three distinct spaces, which are all open to the public. THE ARTLAB OPENING At its southern end, the Montreux Jazz Café at EPFL is dedi- DREW A CROWD. cated to the famous festival’s archives, which are inscribed in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. EPFL led the dig- itization and preservation of the recordings as part of the Montreux Jazz Digital Project and designed the devices that visitors can use to browse, visualize and listen to the archives. At the center of the building is an experimental exhibition space. Finally, at the building’s northern end, the DataSquare hosts a long-term exhibition on big data that includes highly interactive presentations on two major EPFL research initia- tives, the Blue Brain Project and the Venice Time Machine. 48 France China 49 EPFL IN THE THE GLOBAL UNIVERSITY ARWU RANKING (SHANGHAI) EMPLOYABILITY RANKING Based on unweighted research 50 Based on a large survey data (irrespective of the size of the WORLD of graduate employability university) and prestigious prizes 51 (Nobel Prizes, Fields Medals, etc.)

52 #35 EPFL UNIVERSITY #11 Engineering 53 RANKINGS #35 Science 54 – #7 Chemistry EPFL IS ONE OF THE TWO UNIVERSITIES #10 Civil Engineering THAT HAVE CLIMBED THE WORLD #11 Materials Engineering RANKINGS THE MOST IN THE PAST TEN Netherlands YEARS. WE ARE NOW AMONG THE TOP LEIDEN RANKING #11 Mechanical Engineering Based on research data SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SCHOOLS #16 Electrical Engineering (number of citations)

outlook IN THE WORLD. #12 EPFL The publication of world university rankings has #004 become a hallowed ritual for the academic world #8 Life Sciences and the media. The rankings are also used by students and researchers looking for a place to study or work; companies when hiring new employees; and governments when assessing their country’s educational system. The best-known rankings, whether produced by universities or the press, look at how prolific the universities are and how good their research is. Interestingly, the rankings are engaged in some fierce competition amongst themselves: there are some 57 rankings United States coming out of 36 different countries. NATURE INDEX (UNIVERSITIES) Based on research data (number of publications)

#29 EPFL United Kingdom TOP CONTRIBUTOR OF ARTICLES TO THE NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. QUACQUARELLI SYMONDS RANKING (QS) Based on reputation studies and research data (citations) US NEWS BEST GLOBAL UNIVERSITIES #14 EPFL Based mainly on reputation studies and research data #13 Electrical Engineering #10 Chemistry #13 Materials Science #16 Engineering #16 Physics Taiwan Canada #18 Chemistry NATIONAL TAIWAN REUTERS MOST UNIVERSITY RANKING (NTU)

INNOVATIVE UNIVERSITIES #18 Computer Science Based on unweighted research Based on research data #20 Mathematics data (irrespective of the size of the university) and patent ﬁlings as a gauge of innovation #21 Architecture #21 Civil Engineering #15 Engineering #18 EPFL UP 9 SPOTS IN 1 YEAR #19 Science TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION (THE) Based on reputation studies #12 Chemistry and research data (citations) #17 Physics #30 EPFL #18 Computer Science EPFL: all subjects combined

Engineering: all engineering-related subjects at EPFL #11 Engineering #19 Materials Science Science: all science-related subjects at EPFL #20 Civil Engineering #8 Computer Science #26 Electrical Engineering France China 49

THE GLOBAL UNIVERSITY ARWU RANKING (SHANGHAI) 50 EMPLOYABILITY RANKING Based on unweighted research Based on a large survey data (irrespective of the size of the 51 of graduate employability university) and prestigious prizes 52 (Nobel Prizes, Fields Medals, etc.)

#35 EPFL 53 #11 Engineering 54

#35 Science 55 #7 Chemistry #10 Civil Engineering

Netherlands #11 Materials Engineering LEIDEN RANKING #11 Mechanical Engineering Based on research data #16 Electrical Engineering (number of citations) #12 EPFL outlook

#8 Life Sciences #004

United States NATURE INDEX (UNIVERSITIES) Based on research data (number of publications)

54 INTO CHILD’S PLAY – – MORE THAN 3,000 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS CAME FROM AROUND IN JUNE, MARTIN VETTERLI AND US AMBASSADOR SWITZERLAND AND EVEN ABROAD SUZAN LEVINE AWARDED CERTIFICATES TO 148 FOR THIS YEAR’S INFORMATION DAYS. SCHOOLGIRLS AT THE END OF A COMPUTER COURSE GIVEN REGULARLY BY EPFL'S SCIENCE At Information Days 2016, EPFL’s researchers and

outlook OUTREACH DEPARTMENT. students pulled out all the stops. They used posters, drones and even an augmented reality sandbox The girls, between the ages of 9 and 12, completed EPFL’s most in their workshops and presentations about their #004 recent “internet for girls” course, held in Lausanne and Porrentruy. departments. The three days of full immersion in EPFL They learned how to create their own website during 11 half-day are meant to help prospective students decide what workshops from March until June. “Don’t lose the curiosity that led they want to study – a difficult choice given the sheer you to take this course,” urged Ambassador LeVine, who has a sci- range of disciplines offered. entific background herself. During her speech, the ambassador The high schoolers crowded in front of the infor- told the audience about her unusual career path, which started with mation stands at the SwissTech Convention Center studies in aerospace and English and eventually led to a volunteer to ask current EPFL students about their studies. position on Barack Obama’s election campaign as a social media “Is microengineering the same as robotics?” “Can expert. She's a real source of inspiration for young girls. I change programs when I’m doing a Master’s?” “Is EPFL super hard?” When a group of Swiss-German high schoolers was asked why they wanted to study at EPFL rather than at ETH Zurich, one student said “To learn French. And because EPFL offers different courses from Zurich.” The new interdisciplinary conferences were also a big hit. Barriers between academic fields were broken down as presenters discussed global challenges that lie ahead, such as energy and medical technologies. This resonated with the prospective students. They are looking for a school that, in addition to giving them a solid education, will train them to think outside the box and work across fields.

EPFL’s Science Outreach Department organizes a range of activities designed to spark an interest in information and communication technology among young girls. In 2015, women accounted for only 14.5% of students in these fields at EPFL. “We need to give young girls more confidence in their abilities and teach them well so that later on they’ll consider studying and working in these fields,” said Farnaz Moser, the head of the Science Outreach Department.

THE UP-AND-COMING PROGRAMMERS RECEIVED CERTIFICATES FROM AMBASSADOR LEVINE AND MARTIN VETTERLI. 49

55 outlook #004

EPFL'S OPEN DAYS WERE A MAJOR SUCCESS –

CLOSE TO 35,000 PEOPLE OF ALL AGES TOOK ADVANTAGE OF EPFL’S OPEN DAYS TO VISIT THE SCHOOL’S CAMPUS. THEY WERE GIVEN A BEHIND- VISITORS DISCOVERED THE BREADTH OF OUR SCHOOL THE-SCENES LOOK AT SCIENCE THROUGH 247 AND SAW THAT SCIENCE IS SEMINARS AND DEMONSTRATIONS ON THE THEME FOR EVERYONE. OF TIME.

This was the first Open Doors weekend at EPFL in six years, and it brought in around 35,000 visitors. 23,000 people, including many families, came on Sunday alone. The event also featured Scientastic, EPFL’s annual science festival. EPFL’s many labs and teams worked extremely hard, coming up with 247 wide-ranging activities suitable for young and old alike. And over 1,500 staff members took part in telling the public all about science in layman’s terms. The weekend’s unifying theme – the passing of time – was explored through seven different topics: the campus, the elements, space- time, humans of tomorrow, virtual worlds, perceptions and everyday life of the future. Visitors had any number of ways to explore their interests. 54 53 52 51 50 49 48 #004 outlook products.” of newtechnology todeveloptomorrow’s leading success of EPFL Innovation Park and promote the use nology Transfer in2016.“Thegoalisto replicate the Fumagalli, theVicePresident forInnovationandTech - with academia and the labs,” said Adrienne Corboud entities, whichmeanstheywill operate sideby Network West EPFLallhavelinkstoEPFL-related “The sitesthatmakeupSwitzerlandInnovationPark Energypolis (Valais). tel), EPFL Innovation Park (Vaud), Biopôle (Vaud) and (Geneva), BlueFactory (Fribourg), Microcity (Neuchâ- of six sites that are centered on EPFL: Campus Biotech Park NetworkWest EPFLisuniqueinthatitmadeup Park Biel/BienneandPark NetworkWest EPFL. set up: Park BaselArea, Park innovAARE,Park Zurich, try’s universitiesandtechnicalschools.Fivehubswere companies withlab and office space near the coun- Switzerland Innovationprovides Swissandforeign January 2016. at theinauguration ofSwitzerlandInnovationin President JohannN.Schneider-Ammanninhisspeech tiatives. That was the message conveyed by Swiss vation, Switzerlandmustbeproactive andtakeini- To maintainitsplaceattheforefront ofglobalinno- – LOCAL HUB INNOVATION’S SWITZERLAND THE NEXUSOF EPFL ISAT IN FIVE CANTONS. EPFL – IS MADE UP OF SIX ENTITIES INNOVATION PARK NETWORK WEST SPEAKING REGION – SWITZERLAND COUNTRY. THE ONE IN THE FRENCH- THROUGH FIVE HUBS AROUND THE LINKS BETWEEN INDUSTRY AND ACADEMIA NATIONWIDE INITIATIVE TO PROMOTE SWITZERLAND INNOVATION IS A

– IN THEVALAIS EPFL'S TEAM EXPERT JOINS REHABILITATION NEURO Sion acenterforresearch inneurorehabilitation. tion. This appointment is part of EPFL's ongoing efforts to make primarily on non-invasive magnetic and electrical brain stimula- Geneva. Heconductshisclinicalresearch intheValais, focusing at theCliniqueRomandedeRéadaptationandCampusBiotech in Professor HummeldivideshistimebetweenEPFL'sValais outpost support from theDefitechFoundation andtheCantonofValais. ising techniqueisFriedhelm Hummel,whojoinedEPFLthanksto magnetic brain stimulation.Thepioneerbehindthishighlyprom- niques have been developed, including non-invasive electrical or affected regain asmuchindependencepossible,newtech- Strokes are theleadingcauseofadultdisability. To ensure those REHABILITATION. GLOBALLY RENOWNED EXPERT IN POST-STROKE CREATED A CHAIR FOR FRIEDHELM HUMMEL, A ROMANDE DE RÉADAPTATION IN SION, EPFL HAS FOR DISABLED PEOPLE. AT THE CLINIQUE COMMITTED TO PUTTING TECHNOLOGY TO WORK EPFL AND THE DEFITECH FOUNDATION ARE INTERFACE FORPOST-STROKE DESIGNED ABRAIN-MACHINE PROFESSOR HUMMEL REHABILITATION. 49

55 outlook #004

THE NEW SWISS POLAR INSTITUTE ORGANIZED AN EPIC ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION –

THE SWISS POLAR INSTITUTE WAS CREATED TO STUDY THE EARTH’S POLES AND EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS. ITS FIRST PROJECT, THE ANTARCTIC CIRCUMNAVIGATION EXPEDITION (ACE), WAS AN INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION AROUND THE SOUTHERNMOST CONTINENT.

The future of the Earth’s polar regions is critical. They are bearing the brunt of global warming and will be the object of major international negotiations in the coming decade. Intent on bringing its expertise in this field to bear, Switzerland set up the Swiss Polar Institute (SPI) in 2016. The SPI, based at EPFL, is a consortium of five partners: EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), ETH Zurich, the University of Bern and Editions Paulsen. The SPI marked its launch by organizing the Antarctic Circum- navigation Expedition with the aim of assessing the impact of climate change and pollution in the Southern Ocean. At the end of December 2016, 55 researchers from 18 differ- THE AKADEMIK TRESHNIKOV WA S CHOSEN FOR THE THREE-MONTH ent countries set off onboard the Akademik Treshnikov, a SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION AROUND Russian research vessel. Twenty-two projects – ranging from ANTARCTICA. glaciology to climatology, biology and oceanography – were conducted during the three-month expedition. The 2016 Christmas party brought four EPFL presidents together on stage: Maurice Cosandey (almost 100 years old!), Jean-Claude Badoux, Patrick Aebischer and Martin Vetterli. #005 Personalia – 58 59 PROFESSORS APPOINTED 60 61 OR PROMOTED IN 2016 62

63 STÉPHANIE LACOUR 64 Full Professor of SARAH KENDERDINE Microtechnology and Full Professor of Digital Bioengineering in the School Museology in the College of Engineering (STI) at Campus of Humanities (CDH). Biotech in Geneva.1

GUILLERMO VILLANUEVA

P ersonalia MARYNA VIAZOVSKA Tenure Track Assistant Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Mechanical Professor of Mathematics in the Engineering in the School School of Basic Sciences (SB). of Engineering (STI). #005

JOHN KOLINSKI MARK PAULY Tenure Track Assistant Full Professor of Computer Professor of Mechanical Science and Communication Engineering in the School Systems in the School of Computer of Engineering (STI). and Communication Sciences (IC).

ROBERT WEST Tenure Track Assistant Professor MARTIN ROHRMEIER of Computer Science and Associate Professor of Digital Communication Systems in Musicology in the College of the School of Computer and Humanities (CDH).2 Communication Sciences (IC).

MELANIE BLOKESCH Associate Professor of Life ANNALISA BUFFA Sciences in the School of Life Full Professor of Mathematics Sciences (SV). in the School of Basic Sciences.

XILE HU ULRICH LORENZ Full Professor of Inorganic Tenure Track Assistant Chemistry and Coordination Professor of Physical Chemistry in the School of Chemistry in the School Basic Sciences (SB). of Basic Sciences (SB).

GIANCARLO FERRARI TRECATE MARINELLA MAZZANTI Adjunct Professor at EPFL in the Adjunct Professor at EPFL in the School of Engineering (STI). School of Basic Sciences (SB).

MARTIN JAGGI Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Computer Science and FRIEDHELM HUMMEL Communication Systems in Full Professor of Life Sciences in the School of Computer and the School of Life Sciences (SV).3 Communication Sciences (IC). SB: BASIC SCIENCES ENAC: ARCHITECTURE, CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING 59

SV: LIFE SCIENCES CDM: MANAGEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY 60

STI: ENGINEERING CDH: COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES 61 62 IC: COMPUTER AND COMMUNICATION SCIENCES 63

65 PAVAN RAMDYA ANDREW OATES Tenure Track Assistant Professor Full Professor of Life Sciences in of Life Sciences in the School of the School of Life Sciences (SV). Life Sciences (SV).4

CHRISTIAN THEILER

PAOLO RICCI Tenure Track Assistant P ersonalia Associate Professor of Plasma Professor of Plasma Physics Physics in the School of Basic in the School of Basic Sciences

Sciences (SB). (SB). 005 #

MAARTJE BASTINGS JEAN-PHILIPPE BRANTUT Tenure Track Assistant Tenure Track Assistant Professor Professor of Materials Science of Atomic, Molecular and Optical and Engineering in the School Physics in the School of Basic of Engineering (STI). Sciences (SB).5

VOLKAN CEVHER HOLGER FRAUENRATH Associate Professor of Electrical Associate Professor of Materials and Electronic Engineering in the Science and Engineering in the School of Engineering (STI). School of Engineering (STI).

AUKE IJSPEERT Full Professor of Bioengineering JEAN-PAUL KNEIB in the School of Engineering Full Professor of Astrophysics in (STI). the School of Basic Sciences (SB).

VÉRONIQUE MICHAUD SULIANA MANLEY Associate Professor of Materials Associate Professor of Physics in Science and Engineering in the the School of Basic Sciences (SB). School of Engineering (STI).

ZSOLT PATAKFALVI ALEXANDRE PERSAT Tenure Track Assistant Tenure Track Assistant Professor Professor of Mathematics in the of Life Sciences in the School of School of Basic Sciences (SB). Life Sciences (SV).

1 Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Neuroprosthetic Technology 2 Latour Chair in Digital Musicology LI TANG 3 Defitech Chair in Clinical Neuroengineering Tenure Track Assistant Professor 4 Firmenich Next Generation Chair in Neuroscience of Materials Science and 5 Sandoz Family Foundation Chair in Physics Engineering in the School of of Quantum Gases Engineering (STI). 64 63 62 61 60 59 58 #005 Personalia Board. chairman of the Group’s Executive Management position hehelduntilApril2016 whenhewasnamed Schindler. InJanuary2014,hewasappointedCEO,a market. Hethenhadabrilliant 20-yearcareer with 1994, overseeingtheGroup’s operations intheIndian Harvard BusinessSchool,Mr. NapolijoinedSchindlerin sor Courtine’slaboratory research. several EPFLstartups,andprovided fundingforProfes- MOOCs forAfricaprogram, investedinandhelpedrun in 2015.Mr. LoosthendevotedpartofhistimetoEPFL’s which wasacquired byPanasonic Avionics Corporation commercial success and merged with an American firm, tion solutions to major oil and gas groups. NewSat was a NewSat Communication, which provided communica Telecom PTT. In2000,hefoundedhisowncompany, the field of satellite communications with a job at she completedin2016. in internationalhistoryattheGraduate Institute,which current history. That led hertoearn a Master’s degree du Bois Foundation to support research inthe area of in Geneva,passedaway2007,shecreated thePierre husband, ahistoryprofessor attheGraduate Institute served onGivaudan’sBoard ofDirectors. Whenher environmental affairs.Afterretiring from Nestlé,she became deputydirector incharge ofregulatory and – 2016 AWARDS ALUMNI climbed the company ladder and climbed thecompanyladderand food regulation department. She 1970, beganworkingforNestlé’s chemistry degree from EPFLin Romania and,afterearninga Irina duBoiswasbornin Irina duBois,CGC'70 Germany and earning an MBA at Germany andearninganMBAat years atDowChemicalin in 1989.Afterworkingforafew with amaterialssciencedegree Rome. Hegraduated from EPFL Silvio Napoliwasbornin1965 Silvio Napoli,MX’89 the Canton of Vaud, he entered research andasanengineerwith After workingforafewyearsin ing atEPFLandgraduated in1987. Loos studiedelectricalengineer- A native of Luxembourg, Roland Roland Loos,EL’87 - – CAUSA 2016 DR HONORIS of academia. remarkable exampleofsomeonewhowentfarbeyondtheborders open online courses, and her entrepreneurial spirit. She is a the online education revolution, with the development of massive its applications in the biomedical sciences, her pioneering role in scientific breakthroughs inthefieldofartificialintelligenceand Daphne Koller (right),inrecognition ofherexceptional number ofbiotechnologyapplications. ways inwhichwestudythelivingworldandisbasisfora the greatest discoveriesinbiology, whichhastransformed the characterizing the underlying molecular processes led to one of passion forstudyingfundamentalprocesses andhertalentfor of thegenome-editingtoolknownasCRISPR/CAS9. Her contributions tothefieldofmicrobiology andinthedevelopment Emmanuelle Charpentier(left),inrecognition ofherremarkable EPFL’S 2016 GRADUATION DAY. WERE AWARDED HONORIS CAUSA DOCTORATES ON EMMANUELLE CHARPENTIER AND DAPHNE KOLLER 2016 ORGANIZATION AND HIS TEAM, WHO SERVED THROUGH THE END OF 2016. STARTED WORK ON 1 JANUARY 2017. THEY REPLACED PATRICK AEBISCHER MARTIN VETTERLI AND THE REST OF EPFL’S NEW SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM COLLEGE OFHUMANITIES C SCIENCES BASIC SB COLLEGES SCHOOLS 2016 SENIORMANAGEMENT PRESIDENT AEBISCHER PATRICK DigitalHumanities Area &Cultural Studies HumanitiesandSocialSciences Chemistry Physics Mathematics d H

SCIENCES LIFE SV SEPTEMBER 2016) (AD INTERIMFROM 1 INFRASTRUCTURE RESOURCES AND VICE PRESIDENTFOR MARCLAY ETIENNE AND INFRASTRUCTURE FOR RESOURCES VICE PRESIDENT SCHNEIDER ANDRÉ Bioengineering Cancer GlobalHealth Neuroscience

MANAGEMENT OFTECHNOLOGY C

Engineering Engineering ENGINEERING STI Technology andPublicPolicy Financial Engineering Management ofTechnology d FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS VICE PRESIDENT GILLET PHILIPPE Bioengineering Microengineering MaterialsScience Mechanical Electrical M

Systems SCIENCES COMMUNICATION COMPUTER & IC FUMAGALLI CORBOUD ADRIENNE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER FOR INNOVATION AND VICE PRESIDENT Communication ComputerScience

SYSTEMS FOR INFORMATION VICE PRESIDENT ABERER KARL Engineering ENGINEERING & ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHITECTURE, CIVIL ENAC Environmental CivilEngineering Architecture

65 64 63 62 61 60 59 #005 Personalia 64 63 62 61 60 59 58 #005 Personalia Bugnion Edouard Mortensen Andreas Kuyper Caroline 1 JANUARY 2017 TEAM ASOF NEW MANAGEMENT Vetterli Martin Gruber Marc Marclay Etienne Vandergheynst Pierre He joinedEPFLin 2005,holdingtheChairofEntrepreneurship and managing director ofthe school'sCenterforEntrepreneurship. the University of Munich’s Schoolof Management; he was also tion Research, Technology Management and Entrepreneurship at St. Gallen.Heservedasvicedirector oftheInstituteInnova- Marc Gruber holdsaPhDinmanagementfrom theUniversityof Vice President forInnovation MARC GRUBER Doctoral Schoolanddirector oftheMaterialsInstitute. Vice Provost forResearch in2015;healsoservedasdeanofEPFL's ture and mechanical behavior. Professor Mortensen was appointed metallic structural materials,includingtheirdevelopment,microstruc- oratory ofMechanicalMetallurgy (LMM).Hisresearch focuseson professor intheMaterialsDepartment,where heheads theLab- fessor and eventually full professor. Hejoined EPFL in 1997 asafull ten years,initiallyasassistantprofessor andlaterasassociatepro- sachusetts InstituteofTechnology (MIT),where healsotaughtfor Mines de Paris anda PhD in materials engineering from theMas- Andreas Mortensenholdsanengineeringdegree from theEcoledes Vice President forResearch ANDREAS MORTENSEN College ofHumanities. role in setting upa course on global issues in conjunction with the of theelectricalengineeringdoctoral program andthrough his dergheynst has pursued hiscommitment to educationasdirector of theReviewCourse.Throughout histimeatEPFL,Professor Van- he setinmotionanumberofreforms, includingtheintroduction appointed ViceProvost for Education in2015,a position in which of complex,high-dimensionandunstructured data.Hewas cessing Laboratory 2(LTS2), carryingoutresearch ontheanalysis Université CatholiquedeLouvain.Hecurrently runstheSignalPro- Pierre Vandergheynst holdsa PhDinmathematicalphysicsfrom Vice President forEducation PIERRE VANDERGHEYNST Science Foundation. president of the National Research Council of the Swiss National munication Sciences in2011 and2012. From 2013to 2016,he was to 2011,andservedasdeanoftheSchoolComputerCom- for International Affairs and then Institutional Affairs from 2004 has beenteachingattheschoolsince1995.HewasVicePresident Vetterli knowsEPFLinsideandout.An graduate himself, he is considered to be of major importance by his peers. Professor on thetheoryofwavelets,whichare usedinsignalprocessing, ual CommunicationsLaboratory (LCAV). Professor Vetterli’s work California, Berkeley, before returning toEPFLheadtheAudiovis- Electrical EngineeringandComputerSciencesattheUniversityof He wassubsequentlynamedfullprofessor intheDepartmentof University asanassistantprofessor andthenassociateprofessor. versity (1982)andaPhDfrom EPFL(1986).HetaughtatColumbia from ETHZurich,aMaster ofSciencedegree from Stanford Uni- Martin Vetterli holdsa Bachelor’sdegree inelectricalengineering President ofEPFL MARTIN VETTERLI presidency. the successofmanyprojects runbythisnewvice issues atEPFLandtheschool’sfunctioningiscrucialto he currently serves.Hisin-depthknowledgeofkey idency forResources andInfrastructure (VPRI),where then appointedactingvicepresident oftheVicePres- and general secretary forplanningandlogistics.Hewas neering, andlaterastheplanningfinancedelegate initially servedasdeanadjunctoftheSchoolEngi- services companies,hereturned toEPFLin2008.He and occupyingvariouspositionsatbothconsulting PhD inphysicsfrom EPFL.Aftercompletingapost-doc Etienne Marclay holds an undergraduate degree and a and Operations Vice President for HumanResources ETIENNE MARCLAY (UCS) forvirtualized datacenters. market launchoftheCiscoUnified ComputingSystem Virtualization BusinessUnit,which wasbehindthe president andCTO ofthegroup’s ServerAccessand ing teamintheNuova/Ciscogroup and becamevice 2005 to2011,hehelpedbuild themainengineer- Nuova Systems(whichwasacquired byCisco).From versity, andhelped foundtwostartups:Vmware and States aftercompletinghisstudiesatStanford Uni- fessor Bugnionworkedfor18yearsintheUnited Program launchedbytheETHBoard. Previously, Pro- is alsodeputyscientificdirector oftheDataScience director oftheDataCenterSystemsLaboratory; he from Stanford University. HejoinedEPFLin2012as Edouard BugnionholdsaPhDincomputerscience EDOUARD BUGNION deputy director. ShejoinedEPFLon1February 2017. 2015 sheworkedfortheFederal StatisticalOfficeas CFO oftheInternationalOlympicCommittee,andin tion andTechnology. In2012,Ms.Kuyper washired as head of finance and administration for R&D, Innova business units;in2008,shebecameNestléGroup’s in theNutrition/Healthcare andthenintheWaters joined Nestlétoworkincorporate controlling, first business developmentinEasternEurope. In2003,she held variousmanagementpositionsandhelpeddrive career at Philip Morris International in 1988, where she of Lausanne’sbusinessschool(HEC).Shebeganher ics and business administration from the University Caroline KuyperholdsaMaster’sdegree ineconom- Vice President forFinance CAROLINE KUYPER research journalinthemanagementfield. of theAcademyManagementJournal,leading nology in 2010. Since 2013, he has been deputy editor professor atEPFL'sCollegeofManagement ofTech- Technology Commercialization. Hewasmadeafull - 65 64 63 62 61 60 59 #005 Personalia 64 63 62 61 60 59 58 #005 Personalia by EtienneKrähenbühl Donation ofBingBang,asculpture Swiss LivingChallengeforSolarDecathlon2017 Extreme Environments (fundingcommitment) (creation andsupport);IngvarKamprad Chairof Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition(‘ACE’) for grants); Foundation fortheSupportof Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition(support Brain simulationMOOCs underground walkwayonthenorthsideofcampus) Project 24(three-dimensional fresco inthe Swiss Polar Institute Scientific expeditiontocircumnavigate Antarctica, Donation ofYuMi, acollaborative robot # DONORS A GROUP OF DONORS REPRESENTING LABOUCHÈRE, MRS. CATHERINE GROUPE E CENTER SA FERRING INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION PATRICK AND LINA DRAHI CARAN D’ACHE SA BNP PARIBAS SUISSE FONDATION ABB SUISSE SA 2016

(ROLAND AND FABIÈNE Swiss LivingChallengeforSolarDecathlon2017 EPFL ExtensionSchool walkway onthenorthsideofcampus) Project 24(three-dimensional fresco intheunderground Hassane Makkischolarship Loude ChairintheHistoryofScienceandTechnology research intospinalcord repair Support forProfessor Grégoire Courtine’s and eventprogram onPlaceCosandey Construction oftheLombard OdierFoundation Agora, and life on campus. and lifeoncampus. ment, theyhavecontributedtothequalityofresearch, studies, exceptional commitmenttoscience,educationanddevelop- School orjoinedtheSchool’sdonorcircle in2016.Through their and foundationswhohaveformednewpartnershipswiththe EPFL wishesto thank thefollowing individuals, companies, DONOR APPRECIATION LANDOLT &CIE SWISSUP FOUNDATION SICPA SA AND MR. JACQUES DE SAUSSURE MRS. IMAN MAKKI DE SAUSSURE HONORARY PROFESSOR MR. JEAN-FRANÇOIS LOUDE, LOOS-GOGNIAT) SONG TAABA ASSOCIATION LOMBARD ODIER FOUNDATION

WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS 61 AND ENTITIES FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND TRUST: 62

CHAIRS 63 BERTARELLI FOUNDATION MR. CLAUDE LATOUR 64 GROUP OF DONORS ADVISED BY CARIGEST SA MEDTRONIC EUROPE SÀRL 65 CONSTELLIUM MERCK GROUP DEFITECH FOUNDATION SWISS MOBILIAR EOS HOLDING SA NESTLÉ SA FERRING INTERNATIONAL CENTER SA PATEK PHILIPPE SA FIRMENICH SA PETROSVIBRI SA GAZNAT SA SWISS POST INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH IN PX GROUP SA P ersonalia PARAPLEGIA (IRP) RICHEMONT INTERNATIONAL SA

ISREC FOUNDATION SANDOZ FAMILY FOUNDATION #005 DR. JULIA JACOBI SWISS FINANCE INSTITUTE KRISTIAN GERHARD JEBSEN FOUNDATION SWISSQUOTE SA BANQUE LANDOLT & CIE SWISSUP FOUNDATION

PROJECTS AND FACILITIES ArtLab EPFL-ICRC Humanitarian Tech Hub CLAUDE NOBS FOUNDATION ROLEX SA PHILANTHROPIA FOUNDATION MONTREUX SOUNDS SA GANDUR POUR LOTERIE ROMANDE L’ART FOUNDATION (EXHIBITION: “NOIR EPFL Middle East FRANCE AND THIERRY C’EST NOIR? LES GOVERNMENT OF RAS LOMBARD OUTRENOIRS DE AL KHAIMAH PIERRE SOULAGES”) Moocs Africa Program LOGITECH Joint research program EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD with Stanford FOUNDATIONS Adrien Palaz Auditorium FIRMENICH SA MR. ANDRÉ HOFFMANN MR. JEAN LEBEL SR. “Metabolism, nutrition and health” Interdisciplinary projects in Research Program in Information program the field of biomimicry Security and Privacy KRISTIAN GERHARD JEBSEN MR. THIERRY PLOJOUX FOUNDATION AXA Swiss Living Challenge for Bertarelli Program in Translational Limnology Center Solar Decathlon 2017 Neuroscience and Neuroengineering FERRING INTERNATIONAL FEDERAL ENERGY OFFICE CENTER SA BERTARELLI FOUNDATION CANTON OF FRIBOURG SMART LIVING LAB Digitalization and promotion of Campus Biotech GROUPE E Montreux Jazz Festival Archives BERTARELLI FOUNDATION LANDOLT & CIE AUDEMARS PIGUET HANS WILSDORF FOUNDATION JPF-DUCRET HGST, A WESTERN DIGITAL WYSS FOUNDATION BRAND REGENT LIGHTING AMPLIDATA SWISS MOBILIAR Development Office ERNST GÖHNER FOUNDATION LOMBARD ODIER FOUNDATION MR. VASILIEV SHAKNOVSKY LOGITECH 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 #005 Personalia for Bio-andNeuroengineering; ZegnaGroup. Life-Spinal Cord Research Foundation; WyssCenter Symphasis Foundation; Velux Foundation; Wingsfor Heart Foundation; SwissNetworkforInternationalStudies; Foundation; Foundation forSustainableDevelopment;Swiss Foundation; S.A.N.T.E. Foundation; SimonsFoundation; Strauss Teofilo RosidiMontelera Foundation; TheRothschildCaesarea Panacée Foundation; Promex Stiftung fürdieForschung; of Korea; Novartis;World IntellectualProperty Organization; Transforming MentalHealth; NationalResearch Foundation Science Foundation; Gordon andBettyMoore Foundation; MQ: League; MédecinsSansFrontières; Pierre Mercier pourla The KavliFoundation; Leenaards Foundation; SwissCancer Insuleman Foundation; IRPFoundation; ISRECFoundation; Hasler Foundation; HumanFrontier ScienceProgram; Gates Foundation; GebauerFoundation; GebertRüfFoundation; Parkinson’s Research; TheAnnaFullerFund;BillandMelinda Raoul Follereau Foundation; TheMichaelJ.Fox Foundation for Swiss Federation ofArchitects; Ferring InternationalCenterSA; Foundation; European MolecularBiologyOrganization; Foundation; Chercher etTrouver Foundation; DePréfargier Alzheimer’s Association;Brain &BehaviorResearch Research Grants FundedbyFoundations: Innovation), CA Technologies Innogrants: Innovaud(Foundation forTechnological Foundation); GilbertHausmannAward Pierre-François VittoneFund;Mrs.StellaZorzet(WISH Master’s anddoctoral scholarships: Rescif-CARE, UPC-Cablecom,Werner Rodolphe andRenéeHaennyFoundation, Novartis, Excellence Scholarships: Foundation, CVCI Foundation Syngenta), LeisterFoundation, L’Oréal Suisse,SimplyScience Forschungsfragen (BASF, F. Hoffmann-LaRoche,Novartisand Member companiesofKGF-Kontaktgruppe für Science Outreach: Leenaards Foundation, Federal InstituteofMetrology Scientastic Festival: Education. Mr. DanStoicescu,UBSFoundation forSocialIssuesand Rappaz, Mr. JacquesdeSaussure, Mr. Andreas Schlaepfer, Foundation, NCCR-SwissMAP, PPGFoundation, Prof. Jacques Philippe andLiseGilgien,Mr. CharlesMaillefer, HenriMoser Anonymous donor, Prof. KathrynHessBellwald,Mr. andMrs. Euler CoursesforGiftedStudents: TO THEFOLLOWING PROGRAMS: THOSE WHODONATED WE WOULD LIKETO THANK

STUDENTS BSc 5,418 QUICK FACTS * Dataatend-February 2017.Thesefigures maystillchangeuntilMayorJune2017. FOUR FROM SNSF IN2014 ERC GRANTS(2007TO 2016) 137 REFERENCED)* (ISI WEBOFSCIENCE SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS 4,100 LABORATORIES 353 – 2016 FIGURES EPFL IN RESEARCH MSc 2,801 INFORMATION.EPFL.CH. GOVERNANCE REPORT ARE AVAILABLE HERE: THE 2016 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND CORPORATE

(NUMBER OFINDIVIDUALS) CAMPUS POPULATION P 2,124 h D

POSTGRADUATE 193

STAFF ADMINISTRATIVE 1,195 STAFF PROGRAMS MASTER 24 PROGRAMS BACHELOR 13 TEACHING STAFF TECHNICAL 713 (INCLUDING ASSISTANTS) RESEARCH &LECTURERS 3,625 PROFESSORS 346 ONCE INTHETOTAL ARE COUNTEDONLY 1,792 P POPULATION TOTALCAMPUS 14,623 (20 CREATED IN2016) SINCE 1997(AVERAGE) STARTUPS PERYEAR 13.3 FUNDING IN2016 MILLION CHFSTARTUP 397 IN THEINNOVATION PARK R&D UNITS 24 TECH TRANSFER STAFF + 2,085INNOVATION PARK MATH STUDENTS + 157 PREPARATORY TOTAL h D STUDENTS

73 72 71 70 69 68 67 #006 EPFL IN FIGURES 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 #006 EPFL IN FIGURES – BODY STUDENT 2016 1997 1982 AND STUDENT NUMBERS GROWTH INBUDGET(kCHF) AND DOCTORAL STUDENTS OVERVIEW OFBACHELORS, MASTERS MATRICULATIONS BS 1,847 APPLICANTS 2,780 AND CMS c ADMISSIONS 2,286 STUDENTS MATRICULATIONS 1,847 10,536 STUDENTS

STUDENTS 4,302 2,367

266 APPLICANTS 2,331 MATRICULATIONS MSc (EXTERNAL) k 163,142 CHF BUDGET* k 354,395 CHF BUDGET* ADMISSIONS 567 k 640,831

CHF BUDGET*

MATRICULATIONS 266 * Direct governmentfunding,excludinginternalrevenue

APPLICANTS 3,622 513 MATRICULATIONS PhD

ADMISSIONS 996 MATRICULATIONS 513 AND STUDYLEVEL STUDENTS BYFIELD Basic Sciences(SB) Chemistry andChemicalEngineering Physics Life Sciences(SV) Mathematics Engineering (STI) Materials Science&Engineering Mechanical Engineering Microengineering Electrical Engineering Sciences (IC) Computer andCommunication Communication Systems Computer Science (ENAC) Environmental Engineering Architecture, Civiland Environmental Engineering Civil Engineering Architecture Sustainability (MES) Energy Managementand Technology (CdM) Management of Management ofTechnology Financial Engineering Total Bachelors + Mastersstudents BACHELOR 5,418 1,060 1,403 1,610 460 802 620 692 850 245 543 328 225 355 491 157 141 8,219 311

2,801 MASTER 204 454 493 647 760 256 295 146 241 162 158 167 321 133 271 173 118 111 69 45 77 DOCTORAL 2,124 242 306 220 706 256 255 537 146 109 241 102 107 195 152 89 97 79 52 27 75

CONTINUING EDUCATION 193 176 176 17 17

10,536 2,090 3,076 2,373 1,054 1,497 1,072 1,259 1,019 TOTAL 443 964 660 405 838 580 592 305 533 401 671 96 45 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 #006 EPFL IN FIGURES 66 67 STUDENT 68 69 BODY 70 – 71 * SB: Basic Sciences 72 SV: Life Sciences STI: Engineering IC: Computer and Communication Sciences ENAC: Architecture, Civil & Environmental Engineering A DECADE OF GROWTH CdM: Management of Technology BY FACULTY* EPFL in figures

3,076

#006 STI 2,418 2,090 ENAC SB 1,705 1,629 STI ENAC 1,497 1,287 IC SB 1,068 1,054 IC SV 468 401 SV 179 CdM CdM

6,336 10,536 STUDENTS STUDENTS IN 2006 IN 2016

STUDENTS FROM OUTSIDE SWITZERLAND (EXCLUDING SWISS RESIDENTS)

79.8% 45.8% DOCTORAL BACHELOR (1,695) +MASTER (3,764)

BACHELOR: 2,259 − 41.7% MASTER: 1,505 − 53.7% 1 Full-timeequivalents – ON CAMPUS WOMEN WOMEN PROFESSORS, FTE OF WOMEN STUDENTS GROWTH INTHEPERCENTAGE FACULTY BY PROPORTION OFWOMEN STUDENTS 14.7% IC 7.6% FULL 11.8% 1982 16.8% 16.8% STI

ASSOCIATE 18.8% 1 (%) 27.2% SB 16.0% 1992 28.4% CdM 25.7% ASSISTANT PROFESSOR TENURE TRACK 2002 20.5% 39.7% ENAC 9.2% PROFESSOR SNSF 52.3% SV

ASSISTANT 2016 27.8% 40% 20% 20% 28% 30% 30% 50% 22% 25% 10% 10% 10% 16% 15% 0% 0% 5% 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 #006 EPFL in figures 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 #006 EPFL in figures – STAFF* (FULL-TIME EQUIVALENTS) EPFL STAFF BYFACULTY ANDDEPARTMENT Central services College ofHumanities(CdH) Financial Engineering Management ofTechnology Management ofTechnology (CdM) Architecture Civil Engineering Environmental Engineering Architecture, CivilandEnvironmental Engineering (ENAC) Computer Science Communication Systems Computer andCommunicationSciences(IC) Electrical Engineering Microengineering Mechanical Engineering Materials Science Engineering (STI) Life Sciences(SV) Chemistry Physics Mathematics Basic Sciences(SB) Transdisciplinary Units(ENT) Total corporate governance report. leads tosomedifferences withthefigures inthe contract maybeheld withtheotheruniversity. This rather thantheir contractual levelwithEPFL,astheir takes intoaccounttheiremploymentlevelatEPFL another universityinadditiontoEPFL.Thistable * These figures include professors whoworkat 5,443.4 1,267.0 1,343.1 744.4 724.4 629.2 168.2 421.7 248.8 264.2 520.0 474.7 117.4 272.0 332.2 194.8 216.4 218.0 172.9 185.5 561.5 TOTAL 28.1 45.6 71.8 Technical Staff Administrative Staff Administrative andTechnical Staff Scientific Collaborators Assistants Senior Scientists Adjunct Professors Research Scientists andLecturers SNSF AssistantProfessors Tenure Track AssistantProfessors Associate Professors Professors Full Professors (FULL-TIME EQUIVALENTS) STAFF BYCATEGORY Total 1,694.2 STAFF AND TECHNICAL ADMINISTRATIVE 31.1%

3,429.7 LECTURERS SCIENTISTS RESEARCH 63.0% AND 5,443.4 2,002.3 3,429.7 1,694.2 1,024.3 1,301.2 669.9 169.4 319.5 47.8 62.2 78.5 TOTAL 81.4 6.5 GOVERNMENT- PROFESSORS 5.9% 319.5 3,339.3 61.3 % 1,472.4 1,563.7 905.8 566.6 669.5 FUNDED 303.3 777.3 165.2 44.7 72.0 56.5 81.4 0.2 THIRD-PARTY 2,104.1 38.7 % (PUBLIC & 1,225.0 1,866.1 PRIVATE) FUNDED 631.6 221.8 103.3 118.5 16.2 0.0 4.2 3.0 6.3 6.5 5.7 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 #006 EPFL in figures 74

75 FINANCES* * These figures correspond to EPFL’s budgetary 76 accounting and may differ from the figures resulting from EPFL’s financial accounting, which includes 77 – closing entries with no monetary impact. 78

79 FULL-YEAR EXPENDITURES 80 BY FUNDING SOURCE1

33,890 INTERNAL 640,831 REVENUE2 FEDERAL BUDGET (EXCLUDING INTERNAL REVENUE) EPFL in figures 38,211 3 85,996 OTHER SWISS NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION4 #006

15,833 CTI 49,598 EUROPEAN PROGRAMS 12,956 PUBLIC SECTOR 64,501 CONTRACTS

Third-Party Funding

TOTAL 1 Total expenditure including construction (includes Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics [FOBL] allocation beginning in 2007) 941,816 2 Tuition fees, services, financial revenue, etc. kCHF 3 Sponsoring, foundations, committed and reserved funds, conferences, continuing education, etc. 4 Including NCCR and NanoTera/SystemsX project funding EXPENDITURE BY SECTOR (kCHF)

32,000 63,375 CONSTRUCTION INVESTMENTS 219,512 OPERATING COSTS

941,816 626,928 TOTAL kCHF STAFF Basic Sciences(SB) Physics Mathematics Life Sciences(SV) Chemistry Engineering (STI) Materials Science Mechanical Engineering Microengineering Electrical Engineering Computer andCommunicationSciences(IC) Communication Systems Engineering (ENAC) Architecture, CivilandEnvironmental Computer Science Environmental Engineering Civil Engineering Architecture Construction (BBL) Transdisciplinary Units Central services(includingEPFLMiddleEast) College ofHumanities(CdH) Financial Engineering Management ofTechnology Management ofTechnology (CdM) Total (kCHF) FULL-YEAR EXPENDITURE2016 626,928 137,789 139,723 49,740 80,836 24,073 27,889 72,666 27,630 27,902 21,444 50,075 14,038 65,575 112,112 26,510 24,712 46,717 32,531 18,815 19,815 8,605 3,234 5,433 STAFF 0 219,512 OPERATING 117,039 25,099 22,992 10,090 26,271 10,731 12,512 6,400 2,028 3,820 2,497 3,242 3,632 2,295 5,995 7,743 3,857 2,610 8,715 5,161 6,115 COSTS 582 912 0

95,375 32,000 25,394 10,406 15,441 INVEST- 9,596 2,670 4,537 9,510 2,015 1,673 5,791 1,525 MENTS 806 908 302 387 128 515 94 54

941,816 254,545 174,466 180,263 113,338 40,604 26,624 32,000 30,054 69,762 36,295 83,877 53,347 29,252 16,648 34,575 85,412 62,991 32,109 10,633 26,107 21,238 27,651 4,145 6,015 TOTAL 267,095 THIRD-PARTY 44,790 26,469 23,650 74,855 28,225 14,402 33,259 20,961 14,729 19,256 57,179 11,968 FUNDING 4,000 14,151 5,304 3,906 4,702 8,148 9,410 4,741 5,168 1,262 8,111 765 81 80 79 78 77 76 75 #006 EPFL in figures 80 79 78 77 76 75 74 #006 EPFL in figures launched in2020. (SAMARC), which isduetobe Manufacturing Research Center groundwork fortheSwissAdvanced projects. Itisalsolayingthe with aninterest inEPFL’s research university andindustrypartners Neuchâtel in2016.M2Clinksvarious (M2C), wassetupbyEPFLin Science andEngineeringCenter initiative, theMicro-Manufacturing 84 experimentalones.Another 804 commercial solarpanelsand incubator, ina building covered with EPFL andNeode,abusiness Microcity hoststeamsfrom both 8,035m 11chairs 230staff NANOTECHNOLOGIES MICROENGINEERING AND MICROCITY: NEUCHÂTEL activities andoperations. supports theplatforms'research The CampusBiotechFoundation also CHF 30millionintheseplatforms. have togetherinvestedover Foundation andtheWyssCenter Integration. TheCampusBiotech Microsystems andSystems Neuroscience, Neuronal Neuroscience, Preclinical to fourmajorplatforms:Human Campus Biotech,whichishome University ofGeneva,workat Geneva UniversityHospitalsandthe Some 850people,mainlyfrom EPFL, 26,000m 9chairs 320staff FOR NEUROPROSTHETICS BRAIN PROJECT, CENTER (WYSS CENTER),HUMAN BIO- ANDNEUROENGINEERING CAMPUS BIOTECH GENEVA – CAMPUS AN EXTENDED 2 2 : Energy Strategy 2050. the goalssetoutinSwitzerland's facilities astheyworktowards state-of-the artexperimental providing researchers with This buildingwillbealivinglab, hundred researchers by2020-2025. stages, isexpectedtohouseone building, whichisstillintheplanning smart livinglab.The University ofFribourg, workinthe Engineering andArchitecture andthe from EPFL,theFribourg Schoolof Sixty people,includingresearchers 520m 2chairsand1research group 19staff SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE CONSTRUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY, SMART LIVINGLAB: FRIBOURG GENEVA 2 +850m LAUSANNE 2 (workshop) NEUCHÂTEL years, to350employees. workforce intheValais inthecoming EPFL willconsiderably expandits Canton ofValais atthe endof2016, in principlesignedbyEPFLand the and onecollege.Undertheagreement in conjunctionwithfourEPFLschools of energy, healthand theenvironment research andinnovationinthefields EPFL Valais Wallis focuses on scientific 7,600m 10chairs+3research groups 176staff BIOENGINEERING BIOTECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL GREEN CHEMISTRY, INDUSTRIAL ENERGY, ENERGYPOLIS CAMPU SION FRIBOURG 2 SION S : 75 TECH 76 77 TRANSFER 78 – 79 80

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BY FACULTY

INVENTION & TECHNOLOGY PATENT STARTUPS DISCLOSURES REGISTRATION1 LICENSING CREATED EPFL in figures Basic Sciences (SB) 37 18 8 2 #006 Life Sciences (SV) 21 14 8 3 Engineering (STI) 82 55 31 11 Computer and Communication Sciences (IC) 21 7 8 3 Architecture, Civil & Environmental Engineering (ENAC) 4 4 1 0 Management of Technology (CdM) 0 0 0 0 Central services (including ENT and CdH) 4 2 2 1 Total 169 100 58 20

1 priority applications

36 STARTUPS GROWTH IN TECH TRANSFER EPFL + SMEs (1999 - 2016)

13 INVENTION & TECHNOLOGY PUBLIC DISCLOSURES 169 INSTITUTIONS AND 9 FOUNDATIONS 48 CORPORATIONS PRIORITY PATENT APPL. 100 23 58 LICENSES, TT AGR. 58 LICENSES AND TRANSFER & OPTIONS AGREEMENTS 19

STARTUPS CHF 43.2 13 20 MILLION VC FUNDING 397 INDUSTRIAL (CHFm) CONTRACTS MANAGED BY THE TTO IN 2016 17 74 75 SUSTAINABILITY 76 77 – 78

TOTAL CO2-EQUIVALENT EMISSIONS* (CAMPUS)

20,000 3,257 GAS 3,253 GAS EPFL in figures 891 OIL 793 ELECTRICITY 1,002 OIL 15,000 857 ELECTRICITY #006

7,728 COMMUTING 6,623 COMMUTING 10,000

5,000 6,892 BUSINESS TRAVEL 6,514 BUSINESS TRAVEL

0 * Carbon footprint calculated 19,561 18,248 using a life-cycle approach developed with the EPFL TONS CO2-EQ* TONS CO2-EQ* spin-off Quantis. Data missing 2015 2016 for Geneva outpost + Lugano data center

6% FINAL ENERGY 3% GAS BREAKDOWN OIL LIFE SCIENCES 7% GAS

2% SWISS ELECTRICITY MIX 2% SOLAR POWER

80% HYDROPOWER 75

ENERGY CONSUMPTION

2015 2016 Electricity 79,965 81,497 EPFL in figures Oil 2,616 2,941

Gas 13,519 13,501 #006 (MWh) 96,100 97,939

BUSINESS TRAVEL

2015 2016 By air 10,489 9,736 By train 1,435 1,337 By car 152 105 Total (km/FTE 1) 12,076 11,178

1 Full-time equivalent

COMMUTING

2015 2016 Public transportation 53.2 % 52.3 % Car 18.6 % 17.0 % Motorcycle/moped 2.2 % 2.6 % Bicycle 17.4 % 18.5 % On foot 8.1 % 9.3 % Other 0.4 % 0.2 % Total 100.0 % 100.0 % WWW.EPFL.CH

PROJECT: MEDIACOM EPFL DESIGN & ILLUSTRATIONS: ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION SA, GENÈVE-SUISSE PRINTING: COURVOISIER-ATTINGER, ARTS GRAPHIQUES SA, SUISSE ENGLISH TRANSLATION: SCALA WELLS SÀRL, LAUSANNE – PHOTOS - ©EPFL/ALAIN HERZOG, EXCEPT: BOB DE GRAFFENRIED - LHE.EPFL.CH (4); JAMANI CAILLET (9; 45); INFINI LAB (17); STEVEN DUENSING/NATIONAL CENTER FOR SUPERCOMPUTING APPLICATIONS, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, URBANA-CHAMPAIGN (18); ISTOCK (22; 39); S. BAEKKESKOV/EPFL (32); SHIN ALEXANDRE KOSEKI, CHÔROS – ALICE (34); AC IMMUNE (40); ADVENTURE SKI TOURING (44); MURIELLE GERBER (53); V. SENTIHLES PARAFILMS/EPFL, FLORIAN BRUCKER, AARI (55); CHRISTIAN BRUN (60).