The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, forms a community of 18,000 people from 80 nations who study, do research or are employed there. About 360 professors in 15 departments teach mainly in the technical, mathematical and natural sciences areas and carry out research that is highly valued worldwide.

ETH Zurich has the important task of maintaining and developing its top standing in the international competition among top universities. They fulfil this forward-looking task in service to the Swiss nation as a nationally grounded but internationally oriented institution of higher learning. Twenty-one Nobel Prize winners are connected with ETH Zurich.

ETH Zurich was founded in 1855 as the Eidgenössisches Polytechnikum (Federal Polytechnic Institute). At that time, as the "child" of the new federal government, it was the only national university of Switzerland. Today, ETH Zurich, EPF Lausanne and four research institutions have been linked together to form the national ETH domain.

• Eidgenösische Technische Hochschule Zürich