University Research Priority Programs
A postive outlook and results
Program directors at the closing event of the second series of URPPs. Back row, from left to right: Elisabeth Stark, Alex Borbély, Ueli Grossniklaus, Mike Martin, Robert Weibel, Johannes Kabatek. Front row: Maries Van den Broek, Maria J. Santos, Norman Backhaus, René Algesheimer, Greta Patzke, Kentaro Shimizu. In the foreground: Rolf Sethe.
To maintain its standing at the forefront of international research and scholarship, UZH has established University Research Priority Programs (URPPs). They foster interdisciplinary research in selected areas.
On 8 May 2024, UZH celebrated the completion of the eight specializations of the second series, marking the conclusion of a successful 12-year run. The eight URPP topics were: social networks, the dynamics of healthy aging, the interplay between global change and biodiversity, the evolution of organisms, converting sunlight into chemical energy, regulating the financial market, the connection between language and space, and translational cancer research.
The positive outcome is not only due to outstanding research results, but also to sustainable and effective networks and structures that continue to play a part in subsequent projects.
The Discover section of the annual report offers a glimpse into the research findings of the URPPs.