CROSS 2025

Open to all topics.

iStock image, credits: beekeepx

The 2025 edition of the Collaborative Research on Science and Society (CROSS) program calls upon researchers at EPFL and the University of Lausanne to submit proposals that deal with current issues in society and technology, associating specialists in the human and social sciences on the one hand, with specialists in the life sciences, natural sciences or engineering on the other.

Through this annual call for projects, CROSS provides competitive grants to support new seed research endeavors that have the potential to grow into fullscale interdisciplinary research projects.

The 2025 CROSS call is open to all topics.


Selected projects

  • Prof. MANOLI Gabriele (IA – URBES – ENAC)
  • Prof. PELEG Nadev (IDYST – FGSE)

Climate-related risks are on the rise in urban areas. These risks can be reduced through the planning of greener cities. In the project, physical models and social planning demands will be integrated to optimize the planning of future cities under these two, sometimes competing, factors.

  • SCHMALE Julia (IIE – EERL – ENAC)
  • CHANTELOUP Laine (CIRM – IGD – FGSE)

This interdisciplinary project aims to enhance our understanding of climate change in the fjords of southern Greenland. It brings together research on the atmospheric processes that lead to local meteorological perceptions, air pollution issues and climate forcing.

  • HUGHES Josie (CREATE – STI)
  • SCHMID MAST Marianne (HEC Lausanne)

Soft robots are inherently compliant and have potential uses for assistive robotics. We propose to apply social science methods to study human perception and behaviors toward different types of robots and assistive tasks. This will contribute to research on adoption.

  • BOURI Mohamed (IBI-STI – BIOROB – STI)
  • MALATESTA Davide (ISSUL -DSB – FBM)

This project aims to evaluate walking assistance devices designed for power augmentation to enhance mobility and improve the quality of life for seniors. We aim to test these assistive devices among older end-users in real-world, daily-life scenarios. By assessing both these devices’ functional performance and user experience, we seek to determine their effectiveness in supporting independent living and promoting overall well-being for seniors. We plan to measure the energetics of walking and the benefits of the device, as well as study the usability, userexperience and acceptability of the technology.