ETH Zurich recently hosted the one-year anniversary of ETHAR, bringing together researchers from ETH and Google to showcase a successful first year of collaboration, project pitches and a lively hallway poster session.
On 28 May 2026, ETH Zurich hosted the one-year anniversary event for ETHAR. Bringing together researchers from various ETH labs and research scientists from Google. The well-attended event showcased a highly successful first year of collaboration.
The day kicked off with introductory speeches by Christian Holz (Co-Director of ETHAR, Associate Professor ETH Zurich) and Guru Somadder (Senior Director Google XR). Following the openings, project groups introduced all eight current initiatives.
During the networking break, the discussions moved into the hallway, where the groups presented posters detailing their first-year milestones.
The event concluded with inspiring remarks from Uwe Sauer (President ETH Research Commission), Christine Antlanger-Winter (Site Lead Google Switzerland), and Effy Vayena (Vice President for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations ETH Zurich). Thomas Hofmann (Co-Director ETHAR, Professor and Head of Computer Science Department ETH Zurich) closed the official program with his final reflections and an outlook on the 2nd call for projects, which will be announced soon.
Guests enjoyed catering provided by SV-Service. Reflecting ETH's commitment to eco-friendly practices, the gathering was proudly awarded the Sustainable Event Silver label by ETH Sustainability.
