“The professor’s role is protected in the same way that a judge’s role is protected, to safeguard academic freedom,” says Andreas Mortensen, Vice President for Research. “We can only select the fields in which we hire professors, allocate resources, or time.”

At EPFL, the tenure system ensures this academic freedom. A professor keeps their chair until retirement and can only be dismissed for breaking the law, institutional rules, or ethical standards. New professors are either already tenured or put on the tenure track, a practice from the US, where EPFL was a pioneer in Europe. “The tenure track guarantees that a person will only be judged on the quality of their contributions, not whether the institution has the money for the position. The system’s ethics require EPFL to make a financial commitment for the person’s entire career,” assures the Vice President.

The Right to Fail

Another advantage EPFL professors have is a basic endowment. This invaluable fund, especially at the start, “gives the professor the right to fail. With their ordinary credit, they can conduct experiments and launch ideas. If successful, they can write a research proposal. If not, it’s of little consequence,” observes Andreas Mortensen.

Although academic freedom is sacred, certain values guide research direction. “It’s important for us to be recognized and have an impact, especially in Switzerland, as we benefit from taxpayer money,” says Mortensen. “More broadly, we aim for a positive impact on the planet, which is why we focus on the UN’s strategic goals. Essentially, in their work, professors are expected to clean up rather than pollute the planet, consume less rather than burn more, and so on.”

International Rankings and the Michelin Guide

There is no strategic decision to excel in one particular field only. “We aim for excellence in all the fields we are active in,” continues the Vice President. Do rankings indicate success? “The issue with rankings is that people read them – and often take them too seriously. In any case, they are far less precise than Michelin stars are for restaurants. Just consider that in academia, the time constant is extremely long: some universities have reputations built over 500 years. Applying a fluctuating measure, akin to a sports bulletin, to academia isn’t very appropriate.”

How then can we measure the School’s excellence? “When we are competing with the best universities to hire a professor and we are chosen, we know we’re good. The same goes for students: if they’re competing to come here, we know we’re recognized. Sold patents are also important indicators, as are publications, our ability to attract funding, or more recent impact vehicles like the volume of data published online or initiatives followed by citizens, for example.”

How then can we measure the School’s excellence? “When we are competing with the best universities to hire a professor and we are chosen, we know we’re good. The same goes for students: if they’re competing to come here, we know we’re recognized. Sold patents are also important indicators, as are publications, our ability to attract funding, or more recent impact vehicles like the volume of data published online or initiatives followed by citizens, for example.”