Community exchange

The support from SwissCollNet for Experience and Methodology Exchanges is aimed at persons working with natural history collections in Switzerland, who want to host their own event/workshop to allow collection communities to exchange experiences and knowledge gained in the SwissCollNet programme. For instance, best practices in natural history collection management, digitisation of collections, data registration and management etc. can be shared.

Rental costs of conference rooms, board costs of international experts as well as food and beverage costs during the workshop are covered.

At least 1 member of the organisation committee of the event has to be part of a SwissCollNet granted project or participate in a committee or working group of SwissCollNet. The amount requested by the applicant is limited to a maximum of CHF 2000.- . If accepted, the grantee will have to submit a short activity report once the event has taken place.

The complete application must be sent to swisscollnet@scnat.ch at least 2 months before the event. Events can take place until the end of December 2025.

More information, all application documents, forms and guidelines are available in the banner on the right!

Bringing visibility to earth sciences collections in Switzerland

This workshop will take place on October 31, 2025, at the Naturhistorisches Museum Bern. The aim is to clarify the needs and define the action plan for bringing visibility to earth sciences collections and data of Swiss institutions within the framework of SwissCollNet and beyond. Developments at European level will be presented with the participation of Laura Tilley (CETAF) and Olle Hints (TALTECH, Estonia). For more information (registration and program), visit the page of the event.

Strengthening Collaborations between Swiss Herbaria

30.04.2025 | Conservatory and Botanical Garden of Geneva

This 3rd workshop adressed the topics of collection disinfection and pest control in herbaria, followed by a discussion forum on developing the work programme, the transfer of the group to Musnatcoll.ch, and the identification of activities that the group can do together in the short term. The afternoon focused on visits to the different collections in the host institution.

PFC2024 - Preservation of Fluid Collections

07-08.10.2024 | MUZOO, La Chaux-de-Fonds

This International Conference focuses on the challenges of conserving wet collections. The goal is to gather specialists and practitioners to exchange best practices and discuss ongoing research projects. During SwissCollNet, several questions were raised that will be addressed in PFC24. There will be 23 conferences, each consisting of a 20-minute presentation followed by a Q&A session. The event will be held both in-person and online. The scientific community is eager to engage with these discussions as wet collections can be found in Swiss and international museums.

3D scanning of insect specimens

20.06.2024 | Entomological Collection of ETH Zürich

The workshop covered all technical aspects of the scanning process with the DISC3D scanner and demonstrated an efficient setup for bulk 3D scanning. Prof. Dr. Michael Heethoff and Dr. Sebastian Schmelzle of Small World Vision discussed the challenges in object digitization and diverse applications of the DISC3D scanner.

Strengthening collaboration between Swiss Herbaria

05.06.2024 | Botanical Garden of the University of Bern and Herbarium

The workshop aimed to better connect Swiss herbaria and establish a lasting network beyond the conclusion of the SwissCollNet projects. It was a joint event between the herbaria of Fribourg and Bern as part of the SwissCollNet project SCN113-FR. The first workshop was held on December 6, 2023, in Fribourg, and the second on June 5, 2024, in Bern. The next herbarium workshop is scheduled for February/early March 2025 at the Conservatory and Botanical Garden of Geneva.