From print magazine to online news portal

It all began in 2022 with a survey readers of SERI News, the magazine in which SERI has been reporting on current activities relating to national education, research and innovation (ERI) policy since 2013. The respondents' feedback on the choice of topics, topicality and clarity was generally very positive. However, it was also made evident that the magazine format as it appeared online was unsatisfactory: not user-friendly enough and with inadequate digital features. We also learnt that more people are interested in reading the magazine online. 

Focus on digital version

So it is clear: there is demand for something more up to date; for something modern, with its own visual appearance and, above all, user-friendly. For a news portal that exploits the diverse possibilities of digital communication, including multimedia, networking with other digital communication channels and up-to-date news. We have decided to discontinue the print magazine so that we can focus our resources and ideas fully on the new digital format. This is also in line with goal of reducing paper consumption within the Federal Administration. The idea is not to make changes to the content; we will continue to focus on reports relating to ERI policy, and E² will bring you information first hand. 

The search for a name

When we first started to look for a name for the new portal, we asked ourselves: can we find something that incorporates all of SERI's topics? That's quite a tall order: SERI's 300 or so employees deal with a wide range of topics on a daily basis, from the approval of VPET ordinances to Switzerland's participation in international research infrastructures or programmes, or from the organisation of the federal baccalaureate examinations to the drafting of national legislation on space. And if this question wasn't challenging enough, the name also had to work in four languages and be as memorable as possible. 

In short: we explored various avenues before deciding on E². This is an abbreviation of Einsteinstrasse 2, address of the SERI premises. Admittedly, this is 'insider knowledge' and the reference won't be immediately obvious to people outside SERI. Nevertheless, we felt that this name also symbolises education, research and innovation – not least because of its similarity to Einstein's famous formula, E = mc². And it works in all languages without having to be translated. 

Feedback permitted

'E² – the SERI news portal' has been online since February 2024. We will spend the first few months trying out and testing new formats and adapting old ones. SERI Communication welcomes feedback of any kind, preferably by email to info@sbfi.admin.ch. And now, we wish you an interesting read!