New regulation for dual-use export controls
The Federal Council has amended the Goods Control Ordinance and issued rules for dual-use goods in the field of new technologies.?These came into force on May 1 and affect various areas of research and teaching at ETH Zurich.
The Federal Council has amended the Goods Control Ordinance (GCO). The aim of the amendment is to bring Swiss regulations more into line with those of its most important trading partners. This affects all goods, technologies, and software in areas such as quantum computing, advanced semiconductor manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and additive manufacturing that can be used for both civilian and military purposes (dual-use). These goods are subject to an export license requirement from May 1, 2025.
With this amendment, the government aims to take technical progress into account and harmonize Swiss export controls internationally. The aim is to ensure that the Swiss economy and research continue to have access to the technologies concerned.
Researchers are responsible
All ETH Zurich employees who work with the technologies concerned in research and teaching are responsible for complying with the new rules. They must bear in mind that
- the transfer of technical knowledge (from TRL 4) and
- physical goods, such as prototypes, resulting from these new technologies
may be affected by the regulations for exchange and shipment abroad. Basic scientific research (below TRL 4) is generally not affected but physical prototypes developed from it for proof of concept are.
The Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) has published a list of the newly regulated technologies. If you have any questions about the new Goods Control Ordinance or need assistance in applying for export licenses, please contact the Export Control Office at ETH Zurich.
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