History & Impact

Four new projects are approved in the last call for DSI Infrastructures & Labs.

14 DSI Communities are active at the same time – a new record.

The DSI Postdoc team is complete: twelve young researchers are working at the DSI at the same time.

Two Digital MasterClasses are successfully completed: one at the Zurich Cantonal Council and the second at the Federal Parliament in Bern.

The fifth DSI Strategy Lab is entitled «A Future with Quantum Computing» and addresses the question of what decisions need to be made in order to be optimally prepared for future scenarios in connection with quantum technology.

34 DSI Professorships are filled by the end of the year.

The first postdoc leaves her «nest» at the DSI and becomes a professor at the University of Lausanne.

After a one-year pilot phase, the DSI Minor/LAO Digital Skills master's program officially launches.

The first season of DSI Spotlights is produced and released. The short explanatory videos are viewed around 95'000 times between the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025.

Studium Digitale reaches a new high with almost 2000 participants.

«Disinformation» is the topic of the fourth DSI Strategy Lab. As part of the «Disinformation Month» series, the DSI holds several events in the fall.

For the first time, all seven faculties of UZH are represented on the DSI Board of Directors.

The DSI launches its media workshop. The format serves to provide media professionals with information on current topics related to digital transformation on a neutral basis.

The third DSI Strategy Lab tackles the topic of «AI in education, research, and innovation». This leads to the creation of the «AI Buddy» project, which aims to provide all UZH students with an AI assistant optimized for the university.

For the first time, the DSI hosts over 70 events per year. The high level of interest in AI is reflected in the large number of visitors to the DSI AI Week organized by the DSI Community Ethics and a panel discussion on ChatGPT and Co., which was booked out very early on.

Over 30 DSI professorships are approved, 25 of which will be filled by the end of the year.

Milestone: Following its annual meeting, the DSI has more than 1000 members.

The second DSI Strategy Lab addresses the question of how artificial intelligence should be used responsibly in medicine.

The Cyber Resilience Network of the Canton of Zurich (CYREN ZH) is being launched at the DSI. The project promotes cooperation in research and teaching in the field of cybersecurity between DIZH universities.

DSI now has 1000 followers on its fledgling LinkedIn channel.

Following a comprehensive update, the DSI website has been given a fresh new look.

Together with Parldigi, the DSI is holding its first Digital MasterClass in the Federal Parliament. This format allows members of the National Council and Council of States to engage in dialogue on topics related to digital transformation.

With the DSI Strategy Lab, the DSI is creating its own think tank, which will focus on digital transformation each year and develop analyses and scenarios for future developments. The idea originated from the «Manifest für eine digitale Demokratie». The topic of the first DSI Strategy Lab: «A legal framework for artificial intelligence»

Launch of the DSI Infrastructures & Labs with funding for the first four projects.

Launch of the Studium Digitale – a course offering for bachelor's students from all faculties that teaches basic digital skills from an interdisciplinary perspective.

The first four postdocs begin their work at the DSI.

The first cohort of the DSI Excellence Program is starting.

The DSI is holding a new theme week entitled «Artificial intelligence – what does it mean for our lives?».

The DSI moves into its own premises at Rämistrasse 69.

The DSI establishes an advisory board comprising ten prominent figures from the worlds of business, science, politics, and media.

The DSI founds the Digital Ethics Lab at UZH. The aim is to research ethical issues relating to cybersecurity, big data, and artificial intelligence.

The SNSF project Women in Big Data is based at the DSI.

The University Executive Board decides to fund 18 new DSI Professorships (including 10 assistant professorships) dedicated to various topics related to digital transformation.

The first of five DSI lecture series takes place this year. Topic: «Communicative Challenges in Digital Societies»

The DSI launches the «UZH Digital Forum» event series with «Is the open internet history?».

Start of the DSI Fellowship Program with UZH internal fellows in spring 2018 & start of the DSI International Fellowship Program in fall 2018.

On behalf of the Federal Council, the Swiss National Science Foundation announces the National Research Program «Digital Transformation» (NRP 77). The DSI is heavily involved in the program, which will run until 2026, with 39 projects involving DSI members and DSI Director Abraham Bernstein as president.

The target agreement between the UZH Digital Society Initiative and the University Executive Board is finalized.

The DSI welcomes 200 visitors to its first public event. The topic: «The impact of digitalization in the military sector» or «How NOT to build a Terminator». And in November, the DSI publishes its first white paper. It examines the question of how autonomous robotics systems can be ethically evaluated in areas of application such as the military, police, and disaster control.

The first column in the «DSI Insights» series appears in Inside IT under the title «Schafft die digitale Demokratie!». The author is DSI Director Abraham Bernstein.

The DSI develpos the «Manifest für Digitale Demokratie», a call for the conscious and positive use of digital tools to renew direct democracy.

With «Mapping Initiatives on Digital Societies», the DSI, together with the Collegium Helveticum, provides the first overview of all initiatives in the field of digitalization in Switzerland.

May 17: After a one-year pilot phase, the DSI is officially founded by the University Council – and is even «faculty-neutral».

The DSI receives its bylaws.

The first DSI roadmap is approved. The document sets out the planned strategic development of the DSI for the next two years. Updates will follow in 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025.

The DSI funding program is launched. From 2020, this will give rise to interdisciplinary DSI Communities, each focusing on a specific topic related to digital transformation.

On September 14, more than 300 people attend the launch of the UZH Digital Society Initiative. President of the Swiss Confederation Johann Schneider-Ammann praises the broad interdisciplinary focus of the project and wishes it every success in his opening speech.

On October 11, the DSI sends out its first newsletter.

At the DSI's first internal event, 42 researchers from the University of Zurich express their willingness to collaborate on scientific issues related to digitalization.

By the end of the year, the DSI already has 90 members.