2024 SATW Annual Congress - “How to safeguard the health of 10 million people in Switzerland, and 10 billion people worldwide, and ensure they have sufficient food?”

Sustainably safeguarding healthcare and the supply of food for the growing population, not only in Switzerland but also globally, constitutes a complex task that requires comprehensive multifaceted solutions.
As SATW has made ‘security of supply’ its topic of the year, the Annual Congress will focus on the link between health and nutrition. We will be looking into new nutrition trends with regard to how they interface with, and benefit, medicine. In particular, we will thematise the importance of technological innovations for overcoming supply bottlenecks. 

The congress will open with relevant input from Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin (Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research) and Dr Mark Schneider (CEO of Nestlé).

Functional food as a bridge between nutrition and medicine

In the first section, we will analyse the significance of functional food in the context of health. Can it serve as an alternative and be used preventively, or as a complement to medication? Prof. Stefan Palzer (CTO of Nestlé) and Prof. Marcel Salathé (academic co-director of the EPFL AI Center) will be providing insight.
This will be followed by a panel discussion with Prof. Laurence Genton (Head of Clinical Nutrition at Geneva University Hospitals), Prof. Stefan Palzer (CTO of Nestlé, by video link), Prof. Marcel Salathé (academic co-director of the EPFL AI Center) and Emeritus Professor Erich Windhab (ETH Zurich, Full Member of SATW).

Strengthening the security of supply: measures for nutrition and access to medicines in Switzerland

In connection with the second key topic of the SATW Annual Congress (security of supply regarding food and access to medicines) we will examine strategies with which Switzerland can ensure that enough food and medicines are available. We will also shed light on the currently possible courses of action for improving the security of supply in these critical sectors.
There will then be input presentations by Prof. Patrick Aebischer (former President of EPFL and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors at GESDA), Dr Catharina Boehme (Assistant Director-General of External Relations and Governance at the WHO) and Dr Jean-Marc Chappuis (Deputy Director of the Federal Office for Agriculture). These three speakers will subsequently be joined by Christina Senn-Jakobsen (CEO of Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley) for a panel discussion. The event will be attended by 200 people.

SATW welcomes 14 new members

Before the Annual Congress, the SATW General Meeting will be held. Individuals who make a special contribution to furthering the academy’s goals and/or the engineering sciences can be elected Full Members of the academy. This year, SATW has added 14 new Full Members to its network. They all have a considerable track record in the engineering sciences, including the new President of EPFL, Anna Fontcuberta i Morral.
SATW now has a total of 375 Full Members, as well as 9 Honorary Members. The ceremonial admission of the new members will take place as part of the Annual Congress and will conclude the event.

Registration for media professionals

Media professionals are cordially invited to attend the Annual Congress. We will also gladly help you to arrange interviews with the desired speakers. We look forward to receiving your registration email by Monday the 13th of May 2024 at info@satw.ch. 

More information: https://www.satw.ch/en/annual-congress-satw-2024 

Print-quality visual material can be ordered from Ester Elices.