From June 30 to July 5, 2024, more than 30 Nobel Laureates and around 600 young scientists gathered in Lindau for the 73rd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, which this year was dedicated to the field of physics.

The annual meeting rotates between the disciplines of physics, chemistry, medicine, and economics, as well as interdisciplinary themes. It offers a platform for networking and features a diverse program designed to encourage interaction and exchange among young scientists and Nobel Laureates.

Florina Marxer successfully passed an international selection process and had the great honor of participating in the meeting with support from the University of Liechtenstein. She is a doctoral student at ETH Zurich, where she researches how proteins self-organize into functional larger structures during cell division within the field of biophysics. According to Florina Marxer, the exchange with students and Nobel Laureates at the Lindau Meeting was inspiring and will shape her both as a scientist and as an individual.

At the conclusion of this year's meeting, attending Nobel Laureates signed a declaration warning against the use of nuclear weapons. The first such “Mainau Declaration” was initiated in 1955 by German Nobel Laureates Otto Hahn and Max Born, also warning against nuclear arms. This year’s declaration marks only the third Mainau Declaration in the history of the meeting—truly a historic moment.

This year, the annual conference of the American Association of Wine Economists took place at the EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne. Over the course of a week, leading researchers in the field of wine economics exchanged ideas on current topics. The latest studies and findings were presented during various sessions.

Among the attendees was University of Liechtenstein alumnus Marco Lauber, who represented the University of Liechtenstein at the event. In Lausanne, he presented the results of his master's thesis, which he completed during his Master's program in Entrepreneurship & Management at the University of Liechtenstein. In his research, Marco explored how small and medium-sized wineries (SMEs) in Switzerland apply entrepreneurial marketing. He was supported by his supervisor Dr. Stefan Wilhelm from the University of Liechtenstein and Prof. Dr. Stefan Güldenberg from EHL.

Together, they developed the academic paper titled "Entrepreneurial Marketing 2.0 within the Swiss Wine Industry". Marco presented this work at the conference in Lausanne. The study revealed that many wineries in Switzerland often apply entrepreneurial marketing unconsciously in order to conduct effective marketing despite limited resources. Furthermore, the study found that entrepreneurial marketing could generally be a promising marketing strategy for small wineries worldwide.

The in-house trainings and workshops as part of the SWISS Operations Leadership Development Program have officially begun. This marks the start of the cooperation between Swiss International Air Lines AG (SWISS) and the Chair of Entrepreneurship and Leadership at the University of Liechtenstein, representing a significant advancement in the further development and consolidation of leadership training for SWISS pilots.

Further Development of the Existing Leadership Journey

Through this partnership supporting the SWISS Operations Leadership Development Program, the Chair of Entrepreneurship and Leadership, led by Prof. Dr. Marco Furtner, strengthens the existing leadership development initiatives.

Based on the four pillars of Self-Leadership, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Followership, the training program accompanies and supports SWISS Captains and First Officers throughout their entire leadership journey. The customized in-house trainings, specifically tailored to SWISS’s needs, include topics such as:

• Support in designing the SWISS Leadership Development Program
• Workshops and seminars in Zurich/Kloten and at the University of Liechtenstein
• Conceptual and academic guidance
• Consulting and coaching

Unique Demands Call for a Unique Leadership Concept

The focus of the Leadership Development Program goes beyond aviation skills and emphasizes leadership within the complex environment involving flight crews, cabin crews, ground staff, and passengers.

Leadership of employees is to be embedded as a core element in the ongoing internal training of SWISS pilots. These pilots regularly operate in changing teams, take on leadership over specialized crew members, and work together to reach common goals. All of this occurs under tight time constraints and great responsibility, where effective teamwork must be ensured and correct conduct upheld. Due to this unique setting, an equally unique leadership concept is required.

Successful Kickoff and Outlook for Synergies

This program phase was launched in June 2024 with a day-long workshop at the University of Liechtenstein, opened by the university’s rector, Dr. Christian Frommelt. The official part of the program was followed by a shared meal and a short tour of the university, rounding off a successful start to the project.

With the start of in-house trainings and workshops, the University of Liechtenstein marks a key milestone in its collaboration with the SWISS team, led by Martin Stüssi, creating ideal conditions for gaining new insights in leadership development and contributing to scientific advancement.

On June 19 and 20, 2024, building professionals from all over Germany gathered in Potsdam for the "Convention of Building Culture". This year's workshops and discussions will focus on the conversion, expansion and design of infrastructure.

Dr. Wolfgang Schwarzmann, Craft & Structure, Liechtenstein School of Architecture, took part in the Convention of Building Culture as a speaker on the topic of "Knowledgeable building materials and craftsmanship". In his lecture entitled "Simple building - 5 suggestions for a low-threshold introduction", he presented examples using the "Werkraum Häuschen". The Werkraum Häuschen was part of Wolfgang Schwarzmann's doctoral thesis and also part of the FFF project "Digital Masters" at the Liechtenstein School of Architecture.

Another focus of the Convention of Baukultur was building heritage, which is also a high priority at the Liechtenstein School of Architecture: "Maintaining, renovating and expanding existing infrastructure is the task of our time," says Reiner Nagel, Chairman of the Board of the Federal Foundation of Baukultur. "Roads, wind and hydroelectric power plants or switch boxes are never purely functional - they also have a social and aesthetic component: Infrastructures shape spaces and people. The way schools, hospitals, bridges and sidewalks are designed has an impact on us. This is where we can make a positive impact with Baukultur in order to actively shape an environment worth living in, in which people are at the center." The event was extremely well attended politically and therefore provided an excellent platform for the Liechtenstein School of Architecture.