Science, Economy and Society in Dialogue on Future Crises
“Blind Spots” is a series of events that brings together experts from science, economy and society to discuss potential crisis situations in Switzerland and to identify blind spots in the current state of knowledge. The series is sponsored by the Mercator Switzerland Foundation, the ETH Board and economiesuisse.

Second Event on Global Challenges (November 2025)

The second event in the Blind Spots series focused on the global challenges that small states like Switerland face, with a particular emphasis on its position in an increasingly fragmented world.
Experts from economics, science and society converged on the following 10 key blind spots:

  1. Non-alignment comes at a price for Switzerland
  2. The erosion of the rules-based order weakens Switzerland’s approach
  3. Distant conflicts challenge the Swiss economy
  4. Swiss neutrality should not be overestimated
  5. Neutrality is not a shield for Switzerland
  6. Investments in future technologies are needed
  7. Current crises must be viewed holistically
  8. Switzerland underutilizes its leverage
  9. Scientific expertise in politics and administration
  10. Academic freedom is at risk

Find the poster with the more details here.



First Event on Cybersecurity (April 2025)

The first event took place in Zurich on April 2025 and was dedicated to cybersecurity. 
Here the key findings of the experts. Find the full report here.



Blind Spots is organized by the ETH Board, Foundation Mercator Schweiz and Economiesuisse: