Michela Canevascini, Pascal Diethelm & Sophie Lonchampt
A recent investigation by the Swiss Transparency and Truth initiative, led by OxySuisse, reveals widespread collaborations between tobacco companies and Swiss universities. The report documents 29 partnerships involving 16 academic institutions between 2019 and 2024. These findings raise important concerns. The tobacco industry uses scientific collaborations to gain legitimacy, influence research agendas, and shape policy debates.
This is not new: historically, the tobacco industry has repeatedly engaged with academic and scientific institutions to cast doubt on evidence, delay regulation, and manufacture credibility, for example by funding research to question the health impacts of smoking or by supporting scientists and institutions aligned with its interests. In Switzerland, similar patterns have been documented, notably in the case of Ragnar Rylander, whose academic work was linked to tobacco industry interests, as well as the case of fraudulent research on plain packaging undertaken by the University of Zurich for Philip Morris. Understanding the scale and nature of these partnerships is essential to protect the integrity and independence of research and public health policy.
Switzerland: a fertile ground for tobacco industry influence
Tobacco industry interference is widely recognised as a major obstacle to effective tobacco control. Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) calls on governments to protect public health policies from industry influence. Switzerland, however, continues to operate without the safeguards against industry interference offered by the FCTC. Although Switzerland signed the convention in 2004, it is one of a handful of nations that has not ratified it, leaving significant gaps in protection of public health against the tobacco and nicotine epidemic. In March 2026, the Swiss parliament voted against allowing the government to start the FCTC ratification process.
This situation is compounded by the strong presence of major tobacco multinationals in Switzerland, including Philip Morris International (PMI) and Japan Tobacco International (JTI). These companies conduct extensive sponsorship and lobbying to influence policy decisions in the country. This weak regulatory framework is reflected in the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index : in 2025, Switzerland ranked 99th out of 100 countries.
In this context, universities can become key entry points for industry influence. Academic partnerships allow tobacco companies to benefit from institutional credibility and engage with researchers to shape debates on nicotine and tobacco products regulation. All collaborations with the tobacco industry are inherently problematic, as the tobacco industry cannot be regarded as an “ordinary” industry partner. Its flagship product, the cigarette, kills on average one in two regular users and is responsible for around 9,500 deaths each year in Switzerland.
Mapping tobacco industry collaborations in Swiss academia
The “Transparency and Truth” report provides the first systematic overview of such collaborations in Switzerland. Researchers contacted 31 academic institutions, including universities, universities of applied sciences, federal institutes of technology and university hospitals. They found that 16 institutions had engaged in partnerships with the tobacco industry, resulting in 29 documented collaborations since 2019, 23 of which involved Philip Morris. The collaborations took various forms, including joint research, publications, industry-funded workshops, teaching activities and consulting mandates. The actual number of collaborations may be higher, as some were only identified through additional investigation by the researchers beyond what universities initially disclosed.
The case of the University of Lucerne: a cynical and opaque study
Some collaborations raise particularly serious concerns. A striking example is a study conducted by Professor Schaltegger from the University of Lucerne. While the University claims the work was carried out as a private contract by the professor, the report prominently displays the University’s logo and was presented in the press as a study of the institution, leaving this point ambiguous. The study, entitled “The External Costs of Tobacco Consumption in Switzerland”, suggests that smoking may generate a net economic benefit for Swiss society, notably because the premature deaths of smokers reduce expenditures for the Old Age and Survivors’ Insurance system. The author claims, for example, that the death of a 50-year-old female smoker results in lower healthcare costs of approximately 325,000 francs. The study was neither peer-reviewed, nor published in a scientific journal (not to mention the moral repugnance of celebrating premature death as an economic saving). Nevertheless, its findings were made public in 2022, a few weeks before the vote on the “Children without Tobacco” initiative. This case raises important ethical and scientific concerns, particularly regarding the independence of academic research and the use of scholarly work for political purposes.
Transparency gaps raise concerns
One of the most troubling findings of the Transparency and Truth report concerns the universities’ lack of transparency.
Although Swiss universities are subject to freedom of information laws, several institutions refused to disclose details of their collaborations or withheld contracts. In some cases, OxySuisse had to initiate legal proceedings to obtain documents, with courts consistently ruling in favour of disclosure.
Such opacity is problematic. Undisclosed partnerships may conceal conflicts of interest and undermine trust in research. Stronger safeguards are needed, including greater transparency, clearer ethical guidelines and stricter oversight of partnerships with industries whose products harm health. To support this, OxySuisse has launched a secure whistleblowing platform to support confidential reporting of concerns.
A call for scientific independence and transparency
This investigation raises critical questions about transparency, conflicts of interest and scientific independence in Switzerland. Given the role of academic research in shaping public health policy and regulation, ensuring independence from tobacco industry influence is essential, particularly given the industry’s history of manipulating research to further their own aims. Strengthening transparency and limiting such collaborations would be a key step toward protecting both academic integrity and public health.
Authors:
Michela Canevascini, Pascal Diethelm & Sophie Lonchampt – OxySuisse