Has the SystemsX.ch initiative reached its goals?

SystemsX.ch, the Swiss Initiative in Systems Biology, is entering its conclusion phase. For this reason, the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) has mandated SystemsX.ch to carry out a self-evaluation, which should examine the goals reached by the initiative as well as the extent of the development of systems biology research in Switzerland over the past nine years. The SERI will commission an external assessment based on this self-evaluation, which will be carried out by the Swiss Science and Innovation Council (SSIC).

Which main goals will be examined?
• The structural impact on SystemsX.ch institutions
• Impact on collaboration, networking and partnerships
• Scientific impact (excellence in science)
• Educational impact (promoting young scientists)

Which sources and methods will be used to analyze the impact?
• SystemsX.ch documents (e.g. annual reports, calls for proposals)
• Surveys to be completed by PIs, co-PIs, postdocs (TPdF), PhD students (IPhD) and partner institutions
• Bibliometric and network analysis of publications

When will the impact analysis be carried out?
The SystemsX.ch self-evaluation report will be written and submitted before the end of March 2017. Based on this report, an external expert panel and the SSIC will assess the impact of SystemsX.ch. The final report will be published by the SERI at the end of February 2018.