As an an interdisciplinary research institute of the ETH Domain, Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, conducts cutting-edge materials and technology research. Empa’s R&D activities focus on meeting the requirements of industry and the needs of society, and thus link applications-oriented research to the practical implementation of new ideas. As a result, Empa is capable of providing its partners with customized solutions that not only enhance their innovative edge and competitiveness, but also help to improve the quality of life for the public at large. Through an efficient technology transfer Empa is turning research results into marketable innovations. The Empa Portal is the contact point for clients and partners who are seeking innovative solutions to specific problems or who wish to undertake research projects in cooperation with EMPA.
EMPA’s vision is as simple and straight-forward as it is bold and ambitious. It is a beacon of sorts that shows us where we ought to be heading and what we should strive for. It serves as a gold standard for many if not all its activities. To cope with the manifold challenges that loom ahead, it will be crucial to deliver solutions with the help of science and technology. At Empa, they are taking on the task of developing and sketching out paths into a livable future for the coming generations.
To assume this role responsibly Empa has elaborated, based on the institute’s vision,a comprehensive mission statement spelling out its goals, core values and corporate culture, which guides all of us in our endeavor to excel and to contribute to making the world a more sustainable place. Empa employs about 958 staff. About 516 employees are engineers and scientists with advanced university degrees, 25 are professors, 131 are doctoral students and 38 are apprentices. Empa consists of 5 departments with 31 research laboratories and 8 internal support divisions.
Insitution’s long history roots date back to 1880 when the “Building Materials Test Institute” started to work in the cellars of Zurich’s polytechnical university, the forerunner of ETH Zurich. Over the following years, the institute developed into a general purpose, testing institute for the construction and mechanical engineering sectors. In 1928, the Swiss Federal Fuel Testing Institute was incorporated, as was, in 1937, the textile testing organisation «Swiss Test Institute, St. Gallen», which had been founded in 1885. The establishment was named the «Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research for Industry, Construction and Commerce» in 1938, but had already long been known by the acronym Empa. Since 1988, Empa has focused less on materials testing and more on research and development; routine testing, which provides little scope for interdisciplinary synergy, now plays second fiddle to applied research and development. In 1994, the takeover of a specialist section of the Armaments Services Group, which had previously carried out military materials testing, gave Empa a third site at Thun to augment its existing sites at Dübendorf and St. Gallen. Now, the workload of the Materials Technology Section at Thun is almost exclusively civilian.
