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actionuni Celebrates 25 Years of Advocacy

On December 12, actionuni celebrated its 25th anniversary with a panel discussion on the future of mid-level academic staff. The event brought together Katja Wirth, founding member of actionuni, and Fanny Georgy, former VAUZ (mid-level staff association at the University of Zurich) in discussion with Laure Piguet, actionuni co-president, and Philipp Walch, board member. Timon Elmer presented results from the Swiss-wide Mental Health Survey (SWiMS), which served as a starting point for the discussion.

Former co-president Joanna Haupt opened the event by reflecting on actionuni’s history and continued role. Actionuni was founded exactly 25 years ago, on December 12, 2000, when six young researchers from Neuchâtel, ETH Zurich, and the University of Bern came together to create a national organization representing mid-level academic staff.

Since then, actionuni has marked several key moments in its history, including:

  • 2001–2002: Launch and submission of the petition “for fair and effective research”, calling for standard employment contracts, salary increases, improved supervision, permanent positions, and national mediation.
  • 2003: actionuni became a national umbrella organization.
  • From 2006: actionuni is a member of the European Council for Doctoral Candidates and Junior researchers, Eurodoc.
  • From 2007: actionuni regularly represents academic, mid-level staff in Switzerland in national bodies related to higher education and research, including the SNSF and federal authorities
  • 2012: Presentation of Vision 2020 to the Commission for Education, Science, and Research, calling for more tenure-track positions, higher doctoral salaries, and better organisation of supervision
  • 2014: A Federal Council report echoed several long-standing actionuni demands, reinforcing the legitimacy of our work
  • From 2020: We see renewed mobilization for stable academic careers with the launch of Petition Academia, and actionuni itself launches and publishes the SWiMS survey, focusing on the mental health of mid-level academic staff.

As emphasized in the speech, actionuni’s history shows that progress in academia is the result of long-term mobilization and collective effort. Despite recurring challenges, actionuni has persevered over the past 25 years, because a strong national voice for mid-level academic staff continues to be necessary.