20 years University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland FHNW

The FHNW has 3 400 employees.

The FHNW has around 15 000 students.

The FHNW has six campuses in four cantons (AG, BS, BL, SO).

The FHNW has ten Schools.

The FHNW offers 58 degree programmes.

To date, the FHNW has launched 48 500 trained specialists on the market and has further trained around 54 000 specialists as part of market-oriented CAS, DAS and MAS continuing education programmes.

Since its foundation, the FHNW has implemented 13 000 applied research projects with industry partners, etc., generating solutions to specific problems in practice.

Increasing automation in companies and the use of artificial intelligence are leading to a new division of tasks between humans and machines. This presents opportunities and challenges for employees as well as SMEs and large companies. The FHNW School of Applied Psychology is developing practical solutions to support and actively shape such change processes, for example in a highly acclaimed project with the SBB and BLS. 

The merging of railway operations into a small number of operation centres changed numerous work processes and areas of responsibility. Changes in the organisation of work were necessary to guarantee safe control and fault operations, as was the further development of the technical infrastructure to ensure an optimal division of tasks between humans and technology. The FHNW School of Applied Psychology provided support with concepts and methods for human-centric work and technology design. 

With a view to future technological developments, the FHNW School of Applied Psychology also formulated specific recommendations on how companies can best exploit the potential of automation. 

Windows are often disposed of after around 30 years and replaced with new ones. The FenSanReuse research project run by the FHNW School of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geomatics shows how existing windows can be technically upgraded and reused. Barbara Sintzel, Head of the Institute for Sustainability and Energy in Building: «Today, buildings are supplied increasingly with renewable energy. That’s a good thing. Our project shows how we can reduce further emissions, particularly in the production of building materials and components». 

Here’s one example: Glass reinforcement, in which a third, coated pane is integrated into an existing double insulating glazing, causes around 80% less emissions than replacing it with a new plastic frame window.  

The world is changing more and more quickly. But what do we actually want? How do we shape our future and by what means? The Mesh Festival, a collaborative project between the FHNW Academy of Art and Design, HEK (House of Electronic Arts) and iart AG (Studio of Medial Architecture), focuses on key questions at the intersection of technology, art and society. For five days, Freilager Square in Münchenstein/Basel will be transformed into a pulsating meeting place for artistic exploration and open dialogue, with projects by artists, creators, academics and students. 

Founded in 2024, just one year later the Festival won the Xaver Award 2025 in the category «Best Public Event». This award recognises projects that impress with their creativity, quality, innovation and impact.  

The next Mesh Festival entitled «urban actions | spatial utopias» is dedicated to the future of urban living spaces. From 14 to 18 October 2026. Save the date! 

How did life come about? The SKA, the world’s largest radio telescope, will provide answers to this question from around 2029. SKA looks deep into the past of the universe, as far back as the Cosmic Dawn, when 13 billion years ago the very first stars glowed and the first galaxies were formed.  

With its cutting-edge data science expertise, the FHNW School of Computer Sciences is involved in this important research, which is supported jointly with other Swiss universities and research centres as well as on an international basis. 

The FHNW team, led by professor André Csillaghy, is working on the most innovative methods for handling the vast amounts of data that the SKA will generate at its two sites in Australia and South Africa.  

At the FHNW School of Life Sciences, scientists conduct research along the entire healthcare value chain. In addition, the School is dedicated to developing resource-saving technologies and processes in the environmental sector. The WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) research group of the Institute for Ecopreneurship makes an important contribution to health and quality of life. One of the international projects is hands4health, which improves hand hygiene and sanitation in healthcare facilities and schools without a functioning water supply. 

Coordinated by the FHNW, eleven partner organisations from research, the private sector and NGOs work hand in hand on simple, cost-effective and resource-saving solutions. These range from new infrastructure and specific behavioural changes to efficient management and systematic success monitoring. 

What does a jazz standard reinterpreted by classical music students sound like? What musical treats can be heard when the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and the Jazz Institute join forces? The Spiegelungen Festival, which has been held every two years since 2015, in collaboration with the bird’s eye jazz club in Basel, is dedicated to such extraordinary musical encounters. 

Students from the three institutes of the FHNW Academy of Music – classical music, Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and Jazz – work together to produce unique crossover programmes in which at least two musical variations always come together. The Festival will take place again from 2 to 7 November 2026. 

Ed Williams: Renaissance Compost (section)  

In this semi-improvised ensemble piece, a group of students from the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and sonic space basel dismantle Nicola Vicentino’s experimental composition «Musica Prisca Caput» from 1555 in real time. Conceived at the time as a project to revive ancient music and apply its power to contemporary compositions, Vicentino’s musical piece is now broken down like organic matter by musician enzymes. Together, the musicians improvise, weaving a tapestry of timbres, intervals and silence, which emerges from the diffraction, repetition and savour of the original notes.  

Schools and the FHNW School of Education (UTE) are jointly responsible for qualifying teachers. As a result, prospective teachers are familiar with two key study locations – the UTE and its practical instruction locations. Based on scientific knowledge and conviction, the FHNW School of Education launched the partner school concept almost 15 years ago. What started out as a pioneering project rapidly and consistently proved to be a model for success.  

During the partner school year, students get to know the teaching profession in all its facets. They help shape day-to-day teaching and are involved in all school activities (school trips, parents’ evenings, etc.). The students assume joint responsibility and are accompanied and supported by experienced and qualified practical teachers. The close partnership and collaboration between the schools, the UTE and their students is proving to be a win-win situation and keeps everyone up to date.  

More than 60 partner schools at all levels from kindergarten to upper-secondary level are currently involved in the four sponsoring cantons of the FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland.  

Digital media has become an integral part of the lives of young people. But what role does it play when young people are placed in an intensively supervised setting in the case of danger to themselves or others? 

The research and development project “re:connect – Digital Media in the Everyday Lives of Young People in Intensively Supervised Inpatient Facilities for Youth Welfare and Youth Psychiatry” addresses these questions. The project was carried out between 2023 and 2025 by the Institute for Studies in Children and Youth Services of the FHNW School of Social Work in cooperation with BFF – Competence Education Bern as part of the MEKiS initiative (MEKiS: Media competence in social work). 

The overall results are available in a research report as well as in a practice-oriented brochure. The latter shows how digital media can be professionally addressed and used wisely in inpatient settings. Help services and practical tips exist for this purpose.

What started as a small project in 2021 became a sensation in 2024: World champions! The FHNW Rover team – consisting entirely of students – prevailed against 27 strong teams in the European Rover Challenge (ERC), the international competition for space robotics. With fifth place in the summer of 2025, the Mars Rover also proves that it is one of the serious players. 

Collecting soil samples, navigating autonomously over rough terrain and even dispatching a drone? The Mars Rover has to master new, challenging tasks every year in order to qualify at all. The recipe for success – the close collaboration of an interdisciplinary team of students in electrical and information technology, mechanical engineering and computer sciences. 

Since spring 2025, the Mars Rover has had its own training area at the Brugg-Windisch campus. The Martian-like landscape is also a place to chill out as well as a habitat for native insects and plants. 

In 2015, the FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and the Baselland Chamber of Commerce founded the Swiss Innovation Challenge, a three-stage competition that guides start-ups and SMEs along the challenging path of establishing a business. The ceremony culminates in the Award Winning Ceremony as part of the Business Day.  

More than 1 300 funded projects from a wide range of sectors such as medical technology and pharmaceuticals, IT, construction and agriculture, culture and tourism have so far created more than 1 850 new jobs. Since its inception, prize money totalling CHF 400 000 has been awarded and accompanying services equivalent to CHF 800 000 have been provided. 

With practical coaching sessions, valuable discussions with experienced mentors and tailor-made seminars, the Swiss Innovation Challenge strengthens the innovative capability of the Swiss economy and inspires founders to boldly turn their visions into reality on a sustainable basis.