Empa is the interdisciplinary research institute for materials science and technology of the ETH Domain and conducts cutting-edge research for the benefit of industry and the well-being of society. Empa works out the scientific basis for the sustainable development of our society and for political decisions. We actively engage in public debate about novel technologies and their wider societal implications – all this to one end: to shape our future economically successful and environmentally sustainable at the same time. To deliver solutions to today’s increasingly complex challenges, Empa has concentrated its efforts in four Research Focus Areas (RFAs):
- Energy, Resources and Emissions for a secure, clean and efficient energy supply and mobility concepts, a sustainable use of our natural resources and an intact environment
- Health and Performance to protect, safeguard and maintain personal health and well-being in a changing society, especially for the elderly
- Built Environment to develop solutions for the sustainable design, construction, renewal and preservation of the built environment
- Nanoscale Materials and Technologies as a cross-sectional RFA providing solutions for all of the above-mentioned challenges and research area
Recently, Empa has launched the large-scale research initiative “Mining the atmosphere” with its goal to develop a completely new global economic model and the associated industrial sector that converts CO2 as the raw material of the future into valuable materials to replace conventional building materials and petrochemicals.