CSS Partners
Since February 2020, the Center for Security Studies is a national task assigned to the ETH Domain by the Federal Council. It has maintained a strategic partnership with the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection, and Sports (DDPS) since 2004 and a similar partnership with the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) since 2012. Other partnerships likewise constitute an important resource for the CSS.
The CSS’s partnerships provide access to complementary expertise, facilitate the transfer of its own knowledge, and foster synergies across disciplinary, administrative, and national boundaries. They also serve as a potential talent pool and offer CSS staff valuable bridges to subsequent career opportunities beyond the CSS.
These partnerships fall into four categories: Strategic Partners, Institutional Partners, "Whole-of-Switzerland" Partners, and International Partners.
Strategic Partners
The CSS has two long-standing strategic partners: the DDPS and the FDFA. The strategic dimension of these partnerships is based on the four-year framework agreements and an advisory board staffed by representatives of both institutions supports the management of the CSS in the strategic direction of the Center's activities.
Institutional Partners
The four institutional partners are the ETH Board; ETH Zurich—particularly its Executive Board; the Albert Einstein School of Public Policy ESPP; and the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences (D-GESS).
The CSS is anchored within D-GESS at ETH Zurich. Since 1997, together with the chairs of Political Science at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich, it has formed the Center for Comparative and International Studies (CIS).
«Whole-of-Switzerland» Partners
In Switzerland, the CSS maintains three formalized partnerships with the following institutions:
- external page swisspeace
- external page Center for Eastern European Studies (CEES), University of Zurich
- external page Military Academy (MILAC)
In addition, the CSS engages in exchanges with comparable research institutions. These include the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF), and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). The Think Tank also includes additional team-specific partnerships.
International Partners
The CSS has an extensive international network. The Think Tank is currently establishing three institutionalized partnerships in Brussels, Washington, and Asia.