Empa is an interdisciplinary research institute of the ETH Domain for materials science and technology. Its application-oriented, cutting-edge research focuses on solutions for industry and business in the fields of energy, mobility, building technologies, environment and health, as well as «smart» materials and surfaces.
Empa in Thun is a major partner to industry and is the only campus of the ETH Domain in the canton of Bern.
Research activities
Empa’s research in Thun focuses on Advanced Material Processing as well as Mechanics of Materials and Nanostructures. Its resulting expertise in the field of application-oriented materials sciences is highly relevant to «advanced manufacturing» in particular. Research into the processing of metal alloys and ceramic materials has expanded in the past six years. The canton of Bern and the city of Thun have supported Empa in this to the tune of almost 10 million Swiss francs.
Laboratory: Advanced materials processing
Research is conducted into methods and processes for reinforcing and changing the function of materials using radiation- and plasma-induced processes. The research looks at areas such as 3D-printing, multi-scale modeling, real-time monitoring and large-scale laser micro-machining.
Laboratory: Mechanics of materials and nanostructures
Analyses of the mechanical properties of materials are carried out on the nano to macroscale using experimental, analytical and mathematical methods. This involves the development of both metal model materials as well as tools for microanalysing materials with an increasingly high resolution.
Bridging the divide between research and practice
Empa in Thun maintains and promotes an extensive network of national and international partners from science and industry, thus supporting technological innovations through the entire value chain. This allows Empa in Thun, together with its partners from industry, to develop marketable innovations from its research results.
Companies from the fields of medicinal technology, precision engineering and watchmaking based in the canton of Bern in particular benefit from these research results. They can consolidate their cooperation with Empa in 3D manufacturing processes at the Additive Production center of excellence. Empa in Thun thus makes a significant contribution to boosting the innovative capacity and international competitiveness of industry, both in the canton of Bern and right across Switzerland.
Facts & Figures Empa Thun
- 2 laboratories
- 70 employees
- approx. 100 academic publications per year
International networking in research
Empa in Thun is the only ETH campus in the canton of Bern and is a «beacon of cutting-edge research» in the canton thanks to its strong international networks.
Creation of jobs through the establishment of spin-offs and startups
Partnerships
- UniBE / sitem-insel
- Swiss m4m Center
- UniBE: Involved in Precision Engineering master’s course
- 7 Empa scientists have lectureships (EPFL, ETH, UniBE)