Strategic Initiatives 2018 to 2020

These days, major social challenges are rarely solved by a single discipline. Instead, cooperation between a range of disciplines often delivers novel solutions. In the world of work, for example, the ability to deal with disciplinary diversity is increasingly in demand, as is a high level of expertise and self-related competence. The FHNW’s disciplinary diversity makes it ideally placed in terms of interdisciplinary approaches. This is why it has been carrying out targeted interdisciplinary projects since 2009 – the Strategic Initiatives.

Through its Strategic Initiatives, the FHNW has built up skills for collaborations with partners in industry and generated new resources for teaching. As part of its cross-school approach, the FHNW has consolidated and developed its technical and methodological skills for interdisciplinary problem solving. And as a multi-disciplinary school with a scientific approach, the FHNW has made use of its competitive edge and forged a sustainable network across its disciplines and schools.

Some 170 members of staff were able to strengthen their interdisciplinary cooperation skills through the Strategic Initiatives in 2018-2020 alone. The knowledge thus generated was systematically integrated into the teaching: by the time the Strategic Initiatives were completed at the end of 2020, some 190 degree and continuing education modules and student projects had leveraged findings from them.

In addition, other cross-disciplinary teaching modules and degree programmes are being created. Also coming on stream are new initiatives, such as summer and winter schools that work across the schools and with interdisciplinary approaches.

The interdisciplinary cross-school approach is also continuing in the cooperation that exists in the «University Teaching 2025» strategic development priority and in new projects developed jointly by the FHNW’s schools.

Swiss Challenge Entrepreneurs' Programme

The FHNW runs the Swiss Challenge Entrepreneurs' Programme to promote entrepreneurial and sustainable activities among SMEs, students and other university members. The four promotional competitions known as the Swiss Startup Challenge, the Swiss Innovation Challenge, the Swiss Next Challenge and the Swiss Sustainability Challenge are free to enter and offer a comprehensive range of support. Find out more