UBS is allowed to advertise almost exclusively at the University of Zurich
Neue Details des Sponsoring-Vertrags zwischen der UBS und der Universität Zürich sind Anfang dieser Woche veröffentlicht worden. Die zuvor eingeschwärzten Teile zeigen auf, dass die Uni der UBS am Institut für VWL eine beträchtliche Werbepräsenz ermöglicht.
UBS is financing the establishment of a research center in the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich with CHF 100 million. In return, the bank will have a far-reaching presence at the university - and not just the "UBS Foundation", which was created as a sponsor for the new center. This emerges from the partially redacted contract, which was posted on the Internet on Monday. The disclosure of the previously secret contract had been enforced by two journalists of the weekly newspaper (Woz) and the Swiss edition of the Zeit.
UBS-labeled lecture halls "to be tested"
The agreement provides for extensive integration of the UBS Center into the Department of Economics - both in terms of location and content. For example, according to the agreement, the university is to "consider" setting up a lecture hall labeled "UBS International Center Lecture Hall" in which all of the department's lectures are to be held. According to the university, however, there will be no such lecture hall. The contract states that the bank will "reasonably benefit." This includes that professors and assistants sponsored by the bank will have to attend events of the new center, but also appear at the bank's "UBS International Economic Forum." In addition, selected clients and employees of the bank will be given privileged access to events of the new center, and the bank-sponsored researchers are to regularly exchange ideas with specialists from the bank. With these arrangements, not only the new UBS center but the entire Department of Economics at the publicly funded university would be strongly associated with the bank's brand in the future.
No other major sponsors
The contract states that the Department of Economics may not enter into other sponsorship arrangements that are "of comparable size or similar visibility." Individual chairs may be sponsored. For third-party sponsorships at the UBS Center itself, UBS approval must be obtained. The contract guarantees sponsored researchers to be allowed to "conduct their teaching and research activities autonomously." The university may also appoint professors independently and also finance them - UBS has no influence on personnel decisions. However, the UBS Foundation decides which subject area it sponsors. The contract continues to be blacked out, especially passages with information on financial regulations. The contract should have remained secret until the two journalists demanded its disclosure via the cantonal information law. After the university refused to do so, they succeeded in getting the Appeals Commission of the Zurich Universities (Reko) to require that the other provisions of the contract be disclosed as well. (SDA)
