Project Start: 30 January 2026
At the heart of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Genesis are three central questions: How do simple molecules evolve into living systems? What conditions foster biological development, and how does life shape its environments? How can we identify places that might enable life? Driven by breakthroughs in exoplanet discovery, biochemistry, and Earth sciences, this field has evolved from speculation into a rigorous scientific discipline, prompting us to reconsider Earth’s place in the cosmos and explore the possibility of life under a vast range of environmental conditions.
Co-led by ETH Zurich and University of Lausanne, NCCR Genesis brings together 23 principal investigators from various universities and research institutions across Switzerland, including the University of Bern. Researchers at the University of Bern lead four of the 20 research projects.
Three of the projects fall into the third research question dealing with how to identify planets that may enable life: What defines a planetary environment as a cradle of prebiotic chemistry, and how do we refine the search for geological and biological signatures?
At the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH), Prof. Dr. Brice-Olivier Demory leads the project “Remote sensing of microorganisms.” At the Space Research and Planetary Sciences Division (WP) at the Physics Institute, Prof. Dr. Audrey Vorburger leads the project “Prevalence of life in our Solar System,” and PD Dr. Andreas Riedo leads the project “In situ detection of organics.”
The fourth project is related to the second research question regarding the conditions for biological evolution and the impact of life on a planetary environment: What are the conditions that enable biological evolution, and how does life impact planetary environments? Prof. Dr. Thomas Frölicher at the Climate and Environmental Physics Division (CEP) at the Physics Institute leads the project “Climate and biogeochemical response to catastrophic events.”
NCCR Genesis offers a transformative interdisciplinary approach that brings together physics, chemistry, biology, and Earth sciences to investigate the conditions and mechanisms that enable life to arise, evolve, and persist. A central objective will be the development of robust biosignatures and innovative methods to detect them, whether through remote observations of distant worlds or direct in situ measurements.
Beyond advancing scientific knowledge, Genesis will establish new research infrastructures, foster strategic partnerships, train the next generation of scientists, and strengthen Switzerland’s position as a global leader in this rapidly emerging field. Through outreach and public engagement, it will also invite society to participate in one of humanity’s most profound scientific endeavors: understanding our origins and our place in the Universe.
Additional to the contributions in research, the Center for Space and Habitability also leads the education platform of NCCR Genesis.
