Projects
20.05.2025
The SAMW is ending its co-funding of the Cochrane Library
At the end of 2024, the SAMW renewed its financial commitment to national license for the Cochrane Library for another year. This means that healthcare professionals and the entire Swiss population will continue to have free access to evidence-based information that helps them make informed healthcare decisions. However, the Academy will withdraw from this funding in 2026.
There are two main reasons why the SAMS has decided to end its financial commitment. Firstly, in its role as a catalyst, the Academy only funds projects for a limited period of time. Secondly, the development of federal contributions for the period 2025–2028 necessitates budget cuts in certain areas. Until the end of the year, the SAMS will continue to cover two thirds of the licensing costs. Unfortunately, we have not found an institution through our contacts willing to take over this share. If you have any questions or are interested in co-financing, please visit our website for more information and contact details.
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Academy
29.04.2025
The SAMS Annual Report 2024 is online
The year 2024 of the SAMS has featured inspiring ideas, revealing insights and successfully completed milestones. As a result, the Academy's activities attracted significant attention.
The retrospective continues to be the heart of our online annual report. It provides an overview of past year's activities. The different colours by department show the variety of our activities and our commitment to science, medicine and society. Scroll through the eventful year 2024 once again or download a printable PDF of the report (available in French or German).
Download the report, in French (PDF)
Academy
24.04.2025
CAS One Health: Sustainable health for humans, animals and the environment
To successfully tackle the complex problems of our time, all disciplines, sectors and population groups must work together. This also applies to medicine. That is why the One Health approach aims to restore the balance between humans, animals and ecosystems. The University of Bern is launching Switzerland's first CAS on this topic. The program starts in September 2025 and the application deadline is 31 May 2025.
The One Health approach, which the SAMS supports in its position papers, proposes to extend the recognition of the ecosystem-animal-human interconnection into professional actions, aiming at sustainably maintaining health in the broadest sense. Among others, the «Network for Transdisciplinary Research» (td-net) of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences (a+) supports the CAS One Health at the University of Bern. Detailed information is available on the program website. The SAMS’ position paper «Promotion of health services respecting planetary boundaries» can be downloaded in French and German.
Position paper, French/German (PDF)
Projects
23.04.2025
smarter medicine: Top 5 lists for occupational therapy and pharmacy
The association «Smarter Medicine – Choosing Wisely Switzerland», of which the SAMS is a member, is committed to optimising healthcare in Switzerland. It encourages professional societies to draw up Top 5 lists defining interventions that should be avoided altogether or only used under specific conditions. In April 2025, the Swiss Association of Occupational Therapists (ASE) and the Pharmaceutical Care Network Switzerland (PCN-S) published their Top 5 lists.
The publication of these two lists continues a welcome development: the ASE and PCN-S – in collaboration with the Swiss Pharmacists Association and the Swiss Association of Public Health and Hospital Pharmacists – are two further non-medical health associations that have each compiled a Top 5 list. This clearly shows that there is also a problem of under- and over-treatment in these fields. The associations aim to counteract this phenomenon and to promote knowledge transfer between the various healthcare sectors. All Top 5 lists are available on the smarter medicine website (French or German).
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Funding
01.04.2025
Young Talents in Clinical Research: Call 2025
With the Young Talents in Clinical Research program, the Gottfried and Julia Bangerter-Rhyner Foundation and the SAMS wish to encourage young medical doctors to start out in clinical research. In 2025, CHF 1 million is made available to finance protected research time and small research projects for junior researchers. The submission deadline is 30 June 2025.
The YTCR program comprises two funding instruments: Beginner Grants and Project Grants. Its target audience are residents who wish to be freed from clinical duty to gain a first experience in clinical research. Applications must be written in English and registered online. More information on the participation criteria, submission and evaluation procedure can be found in the program regulations, on our website, and in the FAQ.
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Publications
25.03.2025
Real-world studies in medicine: opportunities and risks
Health-related activities, such as those of hospitals and insurance companies, generate large amounts of data every day. This so-called «real-world data» can be used in various ways for health research and is attracting a lot of attention. In the lead article of the current SAMS Bulletin, Dr Michaela Egli, philosopher and project manager at the Swiss Personalized Health Network (SPHN), discusses the opportunities and risks of real-world studies.
Bulletin 1/2025 also features the first editorial by Prof. Arnaud Perrier, who, as SAMS President, puts the importance of health data and SPHN into perspective. Prof. Urs Frey reflects in a «Carte blanche» on his time als SPHN-president and the role of the SAMS. Information from the Careum event on the Federal Health Act and news from our Departments Ethics and Promotion round off the first issue of the year.
SAMS Bulletin 1/2025, French version (PDF)
SPHN
17.03.2025
Swiss Personalized Health Network ensures continuity
The development phase of the Swiss Personalized Health Network (SPHN) was successfully completed at the end of 2024. Over the next four years, the network will focus on maintaining and establishing its services and infrastructures. From 2029, SPHN aims to become an integral part of the national data infrastructure.
For the 2025–2028 funding period, SAMS will be responsible for the mandate of SPHN’s Data Coordination Center (DCC) and will continue its successful collaboration with the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics. The federal government plans to support the DCC with CHF 20.7 million over the next four years. In the future, the network partners will also be increasingly involved financially. This will broadly support the transition from a national funding initiative to an integral part of the data infrastructure. More information on the future of SPHN can be found in our newsletter.
Further information
Academy
13.03.2025
«Science et politique à table!»: Is assisted suicide in Switzerland sufficiently regulated?
With «Science et Politique à table!», the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences (a+) invite members of parliament to discuss current topics with experts from the scientific community. On March 4, 2025, the discussion focused on the appropriate legal and institutional framework for assisted suicide in Switzerland. The summary of the discussions, the speakers' presentations as well as relevant contacts are now available on the a+ website.
In recent years, the number of assisted suicides relative to all deaths has increased significantly in Switzerland: from 0.2% (1999) to 2.1% (2022). If this trend continues, the proportion is likely to be 5% in 10 to 15 years. The legal framework for assisted suicide is defined by the Swiss Criminal Code and the Narcotics Act. The medical-ethical guidelines of the SAMS provide guidelines for physicians, but assisted suicide is largely in the hands of private institutions. At what point does self-regulation reach its limits? What options are there for action? Related documents and contacts can be found on the a+ website.
Summary of the discussion, in French (PDF)
Projects
06.03.2025
Forum of the ETHICH Consortium: Save-the-Date and Call for Abstracts
On September 2 2025, the Swiss Consortium for Sustainable Health and Ecological Change in the Health System (ETHICH), founded by the SAMS, is organizing a national forum in Bern. New projects and initiatives will be presented, and the exchanges initiated during the two previous editions will be continued and strengthened. Abstracts of projects can now be submitted.
Projects may be specific to the topic of this year's Forum «Resource consumption in the healthcare sector - from oversupply to a circular economy» or on one of the seven proposals of the position paper «Promotion of health services respecting planetary boundaries» (SAMS, 2022). Abstracts can be submitted in English, German or French until May 31 2025. Further information can be found on the website.
SAMS position paper, in French (PDF)
SPHN
03.03.2025
SPHN: New group leader of the SIB Personalized Health Informatics Group
Dr. Davide Chiarugi joins SPHN as the new leader of the SIB Personalized Health Informatics Group (PHI), succeeding Katrin Crameri. With a PhD in Computer Science and extensive leadership experience, he brings strong expertise in data management and coordinating multi-stakeholder projects.
In the past years, Dr. Chiarugi led different groups in the domain of data-driven research, scientific computing, and data management in the context of prestigious institutions such as the Max Planck Society and the University of Cambridge (UK). In his new role, Dr. Davide Chiarugi will oversee the part of the SPHN Data Coordination Center (DCC) that is hosted by the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics in Basel. The general management of the SPHN DCC is under the responsibility of Thomas Geiger. More information can be found on the SPHN website.
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SPHN
27.02.2025
New SPHN guidance for genomic data in human research
The secondary use of human genomic data not only offers significant opportunities for research, but also entails considerable responsibility. The new guidance of the Advisory Group for Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSIag) of the Swiss Personalized Health Network (SPHN) offers practical ethical recommendations.
The guidance particularly addresses challenges regarding autonomous decision-making and the responsible communication of genetic findings, privacy protection and data access conditions for genomic data. It also emphasizes the importance of active participation of patients and citizens in genomic research. The guidance aims to promote a harmonized national approach to genomic data governance, enabling both national and international collaboration. By adopting these recommendations, stakeholders can help establish a trustworthy framework for genomic research.
Guidance (PDF)
Academy
25.02.2025
Focus on interprofessionality and patient involvement
In our last Newsletter in 2024, we invited our readers to express their wishes regarding the SAMS. From the responses we received, the three most common themes were: promoting all health professions, involving patients and the public, and strengthening primary care.
«If you were to take over from Prof. Arnaud Perrier as head of the SAMS in 2025, what topics would you focus on?» This was the question we asked. Even before the detailed evaluation it was clear that the promotion of all health professions was high on the list of concerns. For example, there is a desire for an MD-PhD program like the one available for doctors interested in research. More ideas can be found in our newsletter published today (available in French or German).
Further information
Funding
19.02.2025
Call open: For Women in Science
«For Woman in Science» is the successful global cooperation of UNESCO and L'Oréal. Since 1998, these two partners have been promoting women in science, fostering gender equality and highlighting the visibility of women in research as role models. The Swiss Program is launched in 2025 in partnership with the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW).
For this first edition, the program will award a total of CHF 100’000 distributed in 4 endowments of CHF 25’000 each to postdoctoral female researchers conducting exceptional work in STEM fields in Switzerland. The call for applications is also open to medical professionals. Registration is possible until 31 March 2025. Details can be found online.
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Projects
18.02.2025
Federal Health Act: time to debate
The SAMS is convinced that the major challenges in the healthcare system cannot be solved with the current governance mechanisms and legal basis. It has therefore launched the idea of a Federal Health Act. The advantages and disadvantages of such an Act were discussed at a meeting organized by the Careum Foundation in Zurich in early January and again by the Population council in Neuchâtel in mid-February.
Staff shortages, uneven distribution of services, poor digitalization, lack of a national strategies for health promotion and prevention, ever-increasing costs – the list of challenges is long and the concern is great. New solutions to these problems are regularly proposed, but they are almost never implemented due to a lack of governance instruments. The competences between the Confederation and the cantons are intertwined, and the Swiss Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG/LAMal) as the most important legal basis is reaching its limits. A Federal Health Act could clarify competences and create a basis for the necessary reforms. Read more on our project page, which also contains the discussion report of the Careum Foundation.
Discussion Report Careum, French version (PDF)
Funding
13.02.2025
National MD-PhD program: Call for proposals thanks to new partners
Since 1992, the SAMS, together with private foundations and until 2024 with the SNSF, has awarded each year a limited number of competitive MD-PhD grants. Thanks to new partnerships with foundations and associated faculties, the national MD-PhD program can be continued. The submission deadline for applications is 15 May 2025.
National MD-PhD fellowships offer young physicians interested in research the opportunity to complete a doctorate in natural sciences, public health sciences, clinical research or biomedical ethics. Thanks to partnerships with foundations and all major medical faculties as well as the EPFL, the program can be continued. The objectives remain unchanged, but the regulations and evaluation procedure have been slightly adapted. The most important changes and all information on application submission can be found in the FAQ and on the program website.
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Ethics
12.02.2025
The SAMS guidelines in use: Collaboration between medical professionals and industry
For over 50 years the SAMS medical-ethical guidelines provide a theoretical basis and practical guidance on ethically challenging situations in everyday clinical practice. The SAMS illustrates the guidelines on an ongoing basis using concrete practical examples. The current issue focuses on «Collaboration between medical professionals and industry». It is now available on our website in French and in German.
Medical-ethical guidelines need to be put to the test in practice. In this context, not only one's own experiences are important, but also those of professional colleagues. It is for this reason that, since 2018, «Primary and Hospital Care» has published a series of case studies illustrating how various SAMS guidelines can be applied in practice. Previous topics have included for example cardiopulmonary resuscitation, coercive measures in medicine and assessment of capacity in medical practice. As of 2025, the «Gazette médicale» will carry on the series with part 9, dedicated to the collaboration between medical professionals and industry. Download this article here. All the previous articles are available on our website.
Download the article, French version (PDF)
Ethics
11.02.2025
Workshop on the revision of the guidelines «Coercive Measures in Medicine»
The Central Ethics Committee of the SAMS has set up a subcommittee to revise the guidelines «Coercive Measures in Medicine». As part of this revision, a discussion on the medical-ethical issues open to all professionals will take place in Berne on 22 May 2025. Registration is open until 30 April 2025.
The workshop, which will be held in French and German, presents the interim results of the revision process and provides a forum for in-depth discussion among experts. Take this opportunity to contribute your expertise to the medical-ethical debate, and play a role in the direction of the revision. Detailed information can be found in the programme (pdf). Participation is free but registration is compulsory.
Programm (PDF)
Publications
07.02.2025
Federal Health Act: report presents pros and cons
At the invitation of the Careum Foundation, an event was held on January 9, 2025 in Zurich to debate the pros and cons of a Federal Health Act. Conclusion: the healthcare system needs a «combination therapy» of immediate measures and long-term structural reforms. Find out more about the arguments put forward by the audience in the report published today by Careum.
Having launched the idea of Federal Health Act in 2024, the SAMS accepted the Careum Foundation’s invitation to explore the subject in more detail at an event. Representatives of various stakeholders in the healthcare system discussed the need for a paradigm shift and possible approaches. For further details, please consult the report (in French or German) and our topic page.
Download the Report, French version (PDF)
Funding
24.01.2025
Update of the Swiss Health Care Atlas with data for 2023
Our healthcare system gives cause for concern: costs keep rising, the shortage of healthcare professionals is an issue, and the number of chronically ill people is increasing. Can we identify a link between a given service and a region? Are there indicators to examine in order to improve the system? Can services be bundled regionally? The Swiss Health Care Atlas can provide answers to such questions.
The Swiss Health Care Atlas uses over 100 indicators to document the use of health services in Switzerland. Designed as a learning system, it is to be continuously updated. The indicators were recently expanded to include data for 2023. This creates a basis for health services research and can help to plan and manage resources according to needs. The SAMS had co-financed the first version of the Atlas and continues to promote its use. Visit the website for further information.
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Projects
14.01.2025
Cochrane Library: Renewal of the national licence
The SAMS renewed the national licence for the Cochrane Library for the year 2025. The Cochrane Library is available free of charge to professionals, but also to the Swiss population, enabling everyone to make informed health-related decisions thanks to reliable information.
The Cochrane network has been working together for almost 30 years to produce systematic reviews without any commercial funding. It summarizes research findings in the field of medical care and serve as a reliable basis for evidence-based medicine. The national licence is financed by the SAMS, the Federal Office of Public Health, the Swiss Medical Association as well as university libraries and hospitals. More information can be found on our website.
Further information
Academy
09.01.2025
Become a member of the Swiss Young Academy
The Swiss Young Academy (SYA) brings together young researchers from a wide range of scientific disciplines. It creates an inspiring environment for inter- and transdisciplinary exchange. The current call for applications, with submission deadline on 28 February 2025, offers the opportunity to apply for a five-year membership.
The Swiss Young Academy consists currently of 42 members from different scientific disciplines and universities. They are regarded as the young voice of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences and can raise concerns relevant to the next generation of researchers. Are you interested in becoming actively involved in the largest scientific network in Switzerland? New members with a background in medical sciences are welcome to apply. Please visit the JAS website for more information on the requirements and application procedure.
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Academy
02.01.2025
Handover: Arnaud Perrier is now President of the SAMS
At the beginning of the year, Arnaud Perrier (left) took over the presidency from Henri Bounameaux. The latter will remain on the SAMS Executive Board as Vice President in order to actively support his successor. This ensures continuity within the SAMS.
Arnaud Perrier was elected as the new President of the SAMS by the Senate in June 2024. He has since familiarized himself with the Academy's tasks as a member of the Executive Board. The General Secretariat looks forward to working with this experienced clinician and clinical researcher, who was Medical Director at the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) until the end of 2024. Visit our portrait page to get to know all members of the SAMS Executive Board.
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