Swiss-Wide Mental Health Survey (SWiMS)

Position papers and press releases, Survey, Uncategorized

The results of our survey on the mental health of academic mid-level staff in Switzerland are alarming.

After two years of work, today, we can finally publish the results of the Swiss-Wide Mental Health Survey (SWiMS)! SWiMS was conducted in collaboration with 13 mid-level staff associations across Switzerland in 2024. We surveyed more than 2,500 mid-level academic staff across Switzerland – primarily doctoral researchers and postdocs – about their mental health and working conditions.

The findings are alarming:

  • 22% show critical levels of depressive symptoms
  • 24% feel burned out on a weekly basis
  • Lack of career prospects is the most cited stressor (39% report being “completely” stressed about this, 59% among postdocs only)
  • Over half are unaware of available mental health resources or doubt their effectiveness

This situation threatens not only individual well-being but also the quality of research and teaching. In a statement accompanying the publication of the survey, the co-presidency of actionuni proposes structural measures to the federal government, the cantons, and higher education institutions aimed at sustainably improving the mental health of mid-level faculty and their career prospects, as well as maintaining the quality of research.

The SWiMS 2024 report and a statement by actionuni’s co-presidents are available here.

The actionuni survey team consists of Zoran Kovacevic (ETH Zürich), Neele H. Heiser (University of Geneva), Patricia Eiche (University of Basel), and Dr. Timon Elmer (University of Zurich). Many thanks to them and the 13 partaking mid-level staff associations for their work on this survey. 

REFLEKT’s article on the abuse of power in Swiss academia

Uncategorized

“«Have you experienced abuse of power at your university?» we asked in a nationwide survey. Within a very short time, 180 people responded. Their accounts reveal a structural problem in academia.”

We are well aware of this and have been fighting against it for years, yet we can never become accustomed to the sheer scale of abuse of power in academia.

Recherche-Team REFLEKT’s investigation has given our colleagues a voice and thoroughly investigated the causes of this widespread abuse of power, for which we are extremely grateful.

These are not isolated cases, but rather systemic dysfunction that allows a few people to destroy others with complete impunity, and it must stop!

You can find the article in English and German on REFLEKT’s website.

Action Day – thank you

Events

We would like to thank everyone that took part in the action day on October 1st, be it in Bern or in their place of residence. Together, we expressed a clear no to the budget cuts!

Our board was present on the demonstration in Bern. Our co-presidents, Laure Piguet and Joanna Haupt, delivered a speech in French and German, respectively. In case you missed it, you can find the text of the speech here.

Action day – October 1st

Events

From 2026, the Swiss Federal Council plans to slash federal contributions by 460 million francs per year in universities, the ETH domain, universities of applied sciences, and funding bodies such as the SNSF

If Parliament accepts these cuts, the consequences will be devastating:

  • More job insecurity – disappearance of 1,500 SNSF positions and 500 projects
  • Higher tuition fees – education is a right, not a privilege
  • Lower education quality – fewer resources, overworked lecturers
  • Weaker research – erosion of the reputation of Swiss higher education institutions

We urge politicians to reconsider these cuts and protect funding to preserve academic excellence, high-quality research and teaching, and accessible education for all!

actionuni and its member organisations are organising an action day to protest against these planned budget cuts on October 1st. The national event will take place in Bern. We will meet at 17:00 on 01.10.2025 at the Federal Square. Please join us and say no to budget cuts!

If you want to take part in the protest in your city, please visit the website or contact your local mid-level staff association: see our member organisations. If you want to spread the word, please feel free to share our flyers available in different language versions:

DE | FR | IT | EN

actionuni has a fresh new look!

Uncategorized

If you spot our new logo out in the wild, don’t worry – your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you! We have given ourselves a much-needed makeover with a brand new logo and corporate identity.

But rest assured, behind the shiny new look, we are still the same actionuni you know:  fighting for the rights of mid-level academic staff at research institutions across Switzerland.

Response to the austerity measures consultation

Position papers and press releases

Actionuni has responded to the consultation on the federal government’s austerity measures. We strongly reject these unfair and counterproductive cuts, which threaten the Swiss higher education and research system. There is no justification for such drastic spending cuts: Switzerland’s finances are healthy, and now is time to invest in the future. The rationale given by the report’s authors  as to why certain areas have been targeted appear arbitrary, and their arguments are flawed. If we do not push back, these unfair cuts will fall entirely on the precarious mid-level staff and students. Please find actionuni’s response in the links below:

FR | DE

Anti-austerity meeting

Uncategorized

The Federal Council confirmed today it will proceed with the plans for the major federal budget cuts (approximately 500 million per year). These reductions will significantly impact (among others):
– The ETH
– The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), affecting future doctoral candidates, postdocs, and Ambizione fellows
– The students, by affecting the teaching quality and student mobility funding

Today, actionuni and Swiss universities’ mid-level staff associations held their first meeting to address these austerity measures. More information will follow.