Switzerland: KTVE Appoints New President and Adopts Revised Regulations

At its meeting in November 2025, the Swiss Commission for Animal Experimentation Ethics (KTVE) set important directions for the future. The SAMW Senate elected Professor Michael Hottiger (University of Zurich) as the new President of the KTVE. He will assume office in summer 2026. Until then, Vice President Professor Michael Schmid will lead the commission on an interim basis. At the same time, a revised set of regulations came into force. Professor Hottiger succeeds Professor Hanno Würbel (University of Bern), who chaired the commission from 2018 to 2025. Under his leadership, the KTVE developed key foundations, including the revised ethical guidelines for animal experimentation, the guidance document for harm–benefit assessment in research applications, and the recent discussion paper on possible reforms of the authorisation process. The Commission for Animal Experimentation Ethics (KTVE) is a joint body of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMW) and the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT).