Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Ordentl. Budget 2013 ( CHF million)

ETH Domain

2'271

• ETH Zurich
• EPFL

1'118 557

• PSI
• WSL
• Empa
• Eawag

286 51 92 54

The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research ( Empa short; French Laboratoire d' essai fédéral des Matériaux et de recherche ) is a Swiss research institution for applied materials science and technology. As part of the ETH domain it is assigned to the Federal Department of Home Affairs (DHA ). For more than 100 years since its founding in 1880, the Empa was a traditional materials testing. Since the late 1980s, it has evolved more and more into an interdisciplinary research facility. In public appearance Empa Empa itself, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science & Technology calls.

Research

Under the vision of " materials and technologies for a sustainable future ", it has Empa set the goal to develop solutions for priority problems of industry and society, in areas such as energy, environment, mobility, health and safety. Her research interests ( " Research Focus Areas " ) set, in the five thematic areas Nanostructured Materials, Sustainable construction and building technologies, natural resources and pollutants, energy technologies as well as health and performance.

The annual budget in 2010 was approximately CHF 97 million in federal funds and approximately 50 million francs to third-party funds, of which CHF 38 million on research applications and 12 million francs service revenues.

The change from the Materials Testing the research facility is also reflected in its name: Since 1988, the Empa is officially called Swiss Material Testing and Research Institute. Since 2001, the change of strategy is becoming increasingly clear: The number of scientific publications increased from 67 in 2001 to over 500 in 2010 The number of projects funded by the Swiss National Fund increased during the same period from 5 to 91 The third party funding. rose from CHF 33.8 million in 2000 to around 50 million Swiss francs (2010). Empa is currently involved in over 50 ongoing projects of the EU Framework Programmes.

In the center of Empa's activities is on application -oriented research and development, often in close partnership with industrial companies. The Empa pursues a multidisciplinary approach - working on most projects, scientists and engineers from many disciplines together. In addition, it supports the two Federal Institutes of Technology ( ETH) in Zurich and Lausanne as well as universities and colleges in teaching and involved through the Empa Academy in the organization of scientific meetings and training and continuing education events. Conferences, lectures, seminars and courses aimed at scientists, experts from industry and commerce, but also to the general public, such as in the series of " Science aperitifs ."

Directors

History

1880 takes the Institute for the testing of construction materials on their activities. Ludwig von Tetmajer, Professor of Building Materials Customer, its first director is. It is housed in the Polytechnic in Zurich (now ETH).

In 1891, Tetmajer the order to clarify the cause of the collapse, built by Gustave Eiffel railway bridge near Munich stone. He succeeded in a short time to show that the Euler hyperbola previously used may be used only in the elastic range of the steel under discussion.

1895, the name Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing Institute is used for the first time.

1937 will be added in 1911 to the Swiss Research Institute of St. Gallen advanced textile inspection post. Empa gets a new name: Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research Institute for industry, construction and trade.

1962 draws Empa Dübendorf of Zurich in the suburb. Focal points are there civil engineering, safety engineering, surface engineering, metallic materials, composites, non-destructive testing, chemical analysis, exhaust and outside air studies, building services, building physics, acoustics and noise abatement.

1988 marked a change of direction of research. Empa is called from now on Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research Institute.

1996 refers Empa St. Gallen at the site of the new building " in the moss ." In the center of the business are clothing physiology, personal protection systems, functional fibers and textiles, bio-compatible materials, material and image modeling and technology risk assessments.

In 2001, the Empa focus even more closely on research and innovative developments; However, knowledge and services remain an important part of the portfolio. An international research committee will be set that evaluates the research activities of Empa at regular intervals.

2003, the nanotechnology comes to the institution. The new department "nanotech @ surfaces" working on nanostructures, nanotubes as electron sources and quasi-crystalline layers. In Dübendorf department " Functional Polymers " is created.

2004 arises in Dübendorf another new department: " Nanoscale Materials Science". It focuses on the development and analysis of nanostructured surfaces and coatings.

In 2005 she founded together with the Warsaw University of Technology and the AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow, the " International PhD School Switzerland - Poland ", which is also the ETH Zurich, the Jagiellonian University and the University of Warsaw are now joined. Has this working with the new Member States of the EU in the meantime under the so -called " cohesion billion ," the Swiss contribution to EU enlargement, considerably strengthened, for example through numerous " Joint Research Project " as well as joint events such as the "Swiss- Polish Science & Technology Days ", which first took place in Warsaw in 2010.

Further research departments are established: " Material and Nano Mechanics ", " Mechanical Systems Engineering ", " Mechanics for Modelling and Simulation ," " Biomaterials ", " Materials-Biology Interactions ", " Hydrogen & Energy " and " Solid State Chemistry and Catalysis ». 2006 creates the "Center for Synergetic Structures " as a public- private partnership Empa and the Festo AG. The aim is to develop novel, ultra- light structures.

In 2008, the Empa founded the business incubator " glaTec » in Dübendorf, which is to promote and support the establishment of new innovative companies in the field of Empa. He is the counterpart to " tebo ", which exists since 1996 at Empa in St. Gallen. The Empa is expanding its activities in photovoltaics clearly. In addition, a collaboration with the Japanese National Institute for Materials Science ( NIMS ), it is agreed that a liaison office in glaTec 2010.

2010 agreed Empa with industry partners to develop new partnerships in the areas of fuel cells, medtech applications and mobility concepts. In addition to the activities in the five " Research Focus Areas " focused on the core task of implementing research and technology into marketable innovations.