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Diversity and equal opportunities

Diversity means variety and variety requires individuality.

The School of Life Sciences is not only committed to offering innovative and future-oriented teaching but also pursues a diversity policy to harness the opportunities presented by the diversity of its students and staff and their qualifications, approaches and talents. A gender- and diversity-based audit helps identify any action required as well as linking activities and developing services for students and staff.

Promoting young talent and developing careers

In its drive to achieve equal opportunities, the School is launching projects and campaigns relating to support and career development opportunities for women in technical and scientific fields (so-called MINT subjects: mathematics, computer sciences, science and technology).

Regional partner companies help support women in the MINT sector early on and put on one-day events to initiate dialogue between women and industry and provide an insight into their future professional field.

Equally successful are campaigns in which women with experience of working in technical fields share their experiences with interested young talents as role models and share how they built their careers as part of presentations and workshops.

Getting more young women interested in MINT careers is one way of counteracting the lack of specialists and demographic change. As part of the special "Women – Technology – Go" and "Women – Computer Sciences – Go" projects, the School of Life Sciences takes part in the annual National Future Day to give the next generation an insight into the world of technical and scientific work too.

Staff at the School of Life Sciences have access to continuing and advanced education by way of targeted workshops on topics such as public speaking skills, intercultural communication and organisational and self-management. 

University cooperations

With its equal opportunities action plan entitled "FHNW 2017-20", the FHNW is involved in the four-year "P-7 Equal opportunity and university development" programme being run by the Diversity delegation of swissuniversities. The programme also facilitates joint projects.

International orientation

The School of Life Sciences already welcomes staff and students from a broad spectrum of different countries as part of everyday life, as reflected in its location in the trinational city of Basel and in its fields of research too. Since the FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland adopted its diversity policy in late 2011, issues like these have been having more of an influence on current projects.

FHNW School of Life Sciences

FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland School of Life Sciences Hofackerstrasse 30 CH - 4132 Muttenz
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