It is one of the world’s most prestigious universities, training the top engineers and scientists of the future.
But a recent move by Switzerland’s ETH Zurich (Federal Institute of Technology Zurich) to restrict admission of students from countries including China has been heavily criticised, with one Chinese scientist who spent years working in the country labelling the act “discriminatory”.
Last Thursday, the university announced its latest security screening policy, set to affect applications from doctoral and master’s students, guests and new staff.
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For student applicants, there are four evaluation criteria. These include country of origin – both nationality and place of residence, previous education at an institution deemed a security risk, and any scholarships received from a sanctioned state, among others.
It is recommended to reject anyone with more than one “yes” on the checklist.
It is an unexpected move considering Switzerland’s principle of political neutrality has been deeply enshrined in its history for more than 500 years.
ETH Zurich said the rules are being implemented to “minimise the risk of misuse” of technology and knowledge developed at the institute that could be used for military purposes, something it calls “dual-use”.
“If certain foreign students, employees or guests could gain access to dual-use goods or key technologies, a security screening of their applications must therefore be carried out,” the university told the Post on October 31.
“There are neither hard exclusion criteria nor automatic mechanisms; each application is examined individually.”
But not all students are treated the same. If candidates are from one of 23 listed countries – including China, North Korea, Russia and Iran – the screening procedure is automatically triggered.
According to the policy, these countries are included because they are “subject to sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council, the US or the EU” – even though Switzerland is neither a member of the European Union nor an ally of the US.
“This is unprecedented and simply ridiculous,” robotics scientist Geng Tao, founder of the start-up Qibo Robot Company said.
Geng said that, as far as he knew, this was the first time a Swiss university had publicly announced such a wide-ranging scrutiny of Chinese students. He now fears other universities might follow suit.
“ETH itself does not impose sanctions,” the university said, stressing that the regulations are published “to ensure compliance with the rules in view of the rapidly changing geopolitical environment”.
“ETH Zurich and its employees must comply with Swiss export control regulations and sanctions in their work, but are also directly and indirectly affected by corresponding measures of third countries or international organisations,” it added.
There are 17 Chinese research institutions that are considered to pose a “security risk”.
These include the seven universities affiliated with China’s industry and information technology ministry – known as the Seven Sons of National Defence – such as the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Harbin Engineering University. Other key research institutes are also listed, including the China Academy of Engineering Physics.
A total of 23 universities and research institutes in Iran, Russia and North Korea have also been named in the list.
ETH Zurich is currently ranked seventh in the QS World University Rankings, and focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Its most famous alumnus is Albert Einstein, who studied there from 1896 to 1900 when it was known as the Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich. He also later taught there as professor of theoretical physics between 1912 and 1914.
“ETH represents the highest level in European polytechnic higher education,” said Geng, who once also worked at a British university. “Much of the research doesn’t just end up being published in academic papers, but is really closely related to industrial development.”
But the university said that as most of the technologies it focuses on are either considered key technologies or can also be used for military purposes, “almost all subject areas at ETH” are subject to the security screening.
The list of subjects is long, ranging from additive manufacturing, applied chemistry and applied physics to nanotechnology and information technology. Fundamental research is generally not affected, the university added.
Qu Yunpeng, who spent four years as a material senior scientist at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, another top Swiss university, said that, as far as he was aware, this kind of rigour in screening international students was previously “unseen”.
“European universities like ETH Zurich used to be very open to international students and emphasise diversity, but now, influenced by external dynamics such as rising international tensions and technological sensitivity, candidates are being screened not only on the basis of their academic performance but also on other factors such as their origin,” he said.
Qu believes that such measures will have wide-ranging consequences.
He said European universities may face challenges attracting top international talent, which will then impact local innovation.
On a broader scale, he said, there could also be damage caused to international cooperation as trust and communication channels between researchers are disrupted, which could in turn slow down global scientific and technological progress.
While this was an autonomous decision by the university and does not reflect a national position, Geng said the measures would inevitably create an unfriendly image of Switzerland.
“China is on the rise, and this impression of hostility towards China could hurt Switzerland,” he said.
For example, he said, many wealthy Chinese people may decide not to put their money in Switzerland’s UBS Group – which is now the world’s largest private bank.
Commenting on the university’s policy page online, one person called it “one of the most shameful moments in the history of ETH Zurich”.
“This institution, once celebrated for its independence, autonomy, commitment to science and fairness, has now lost those very values,” the commenter wrote.
Last year, a German university decided to stop accepting researchers funded by a Chinese government agency “to reduce the risk of industrial espionage”.
And this year, restrictions on Chinese students have been spreading to more European universities. Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands announced in July that it would no longer admit candidates who had received scholarships from the China Scholarship Council.
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