The International Foundation High Altitude Research Stations Jungfraujoch and Gornergrat (HFSJG) is a foundation in accordance with Article 80 ff. of the Swiss Civil Statutes book. It has its headquarters in Bern, Switzerland, and is under the auspices of the Swiss Federal Department of the Home Affairs.
Members of the Foundation are:
The aim of the Foundation is to make possible scientific research that must be carried out at high altitudes or in high alpine climates. The Research Station and Sphinx Laboratory at Jungfraujoch, together with the two astronomical observatories, Gornergrat South and Gornergrat North, are run for this purpose. Scientists from universities, schools of technology, and research institutes of the member countries, and exceptionally from other countries, can carry out research experiments in the laboratories and observatories provided by the Foundation.
HFSJG is under the direction of the Foundation';s board. The board meets every two years and is composed of the president and two representatives from each member country. The president must be a Swiss citizen. He and the director are nominated by the Jungfraujoch Commission of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SAS) and elected by the SAS. One of the two Swiss representatives acts as treasurer.
Headquarters and addresses of the Foundation's administration:
The Research Station at Jungfraujoch is the property of the Foundation HFSJG and comprises five laboratories, two of which are equipped for chemistry experiments, a mechanical workshop with a small equipment room, dark room, library, a dining and recreation room, kitchen, ten bedrooms, bathroom with shower, and the custodians’ apartments. An air compressor is also available to supply liquid nitrogen as a coolant.
The Sphinx Laboratory is part of the Sphinx building and belongs to the Sphinx AG Jungfraujoch, a subsidiary company of the Jungfraubahn Holding AG. It is at the free disposal of the Foundation. It has an astronomical dome, two large and two small laboratories, and a weather observation station. The observation instrument in the astronomical dome is a 76 cm telescope with Cassegrain and Coudé focus, and is part of the solar spectrometer of the Institut d'Astrophysique et de Géophysique de l’Université de Liège, Belgium, and the LIDAR experiment run by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland.
All laboratories of the Research Station and the Sphinx Laboratory are equipped with 220 V / 50 Hz / 10 A and 380 V / 50 Hz / 15 A and with outlets with analog and digital phone connections as well as internet connections. The laboratories are also supplied with cold water.
Two custodian couples alternate in supervising the Research Station on site.
The Jungfraujoch is accessible all year round by the Jungfrau railway. Possible routes are:
The train ride from Interlaken Ost to Jungfraujoch by either route takes about 2.5 hours.
Hochalpine Forschungsstation
CH-3801 Jungfraujoch, Switzerland
Phone +41 (0)33 856 89 50
Fax +41 (0)33 856 89 51
Researchers who are allocated a working place in the Research Station or in the Sphinx Laboratory must bring with them all necessary instruments, auxiliary equipment, and tools. They are also personally responsible for setting up and carrying out their experiments. Two workshops are at their disposal for small mechanical, electrical, and electronic work. The custodian will assist, if possible, with the mechanical work that is carried out in the Research Station's workshop. The equipment and instruments in these workshops are the property of the International Foundation HFSJG, the "Physikalisches Institut der Universität Bern”, and the "Institut d'Astrophysique et de Géophysique de Liège”. A refrigerator is available to the scientists in the Research Station. For experiments that need cooling, liquid nitrogen is available from the custodian.
The researchers are responsible for their own meals. A well-equipped kitchen and a dining room, which also serves as a recreation room, are at their disposal. Orders for food and drinks can be given to the custodian from Monday through Friday. The provisions will be ordered from the valley and will normally be delivered at Jungfraujoch within 1-2 days. The library, which serves as a reading room, is also open to all researchers.
If possible, each researcher will be given a single bedroom. The room will be looked after by the custodians. Emergency accommodations can be installed when there is a large number of researchers in the Research Station.
Because of the high altitude and the isolation, life and work at Jungfraujoch make great physical and psychological demands. Experience has shown that in general the researchers at Jungfraujoch do not have the same working capacity and are more irritable than at lower altitudes. If possible, researchers should not stay at Jungfraujoch for longer than approximately four weeks at a time.
If any research work could disturb or encumber the operation of the Jungfrau railway, effect tourism, or conflict with the guidelines of the UNESCO World Heritage Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn (JAB), or any ongoing experiments, it may only be carried out after obtaining permission from the director HFSJG. In particular, work should be planned such that the location’s environment be restored to its original condition after the conclusion of the experiment or field campaign. The director may require a written statement thereto from the principal investigator after the conclusion of the experiment.
Researchers who go out on the glacier are asked for their own personal safety to inform the custodian in advance. We strongly recommend use of proper equipment and clothing, a mobile telephone and if necessary a guide. The Research Station cannot be held responsible for accidents.
Applications for new research projects are welcome at any time. Scientists who intend to work at Jungfraujoch should contact the director’s office in Bern well in advance. A simple written inquiry is required at least three weeks before the starting date of the project. In general, a reconnaissance visit at Jungfraujoch with a representative of the Research Station is required. If the direction HFSJG approves the project, the researcher will receive an application form from the secretary’s office for the final, binding details concerning the research and its duration. As soon as this form has been reviewed and approved by the director, the secretary’s office will issue “legitimation” cards for the project. The legitimation cards not only authorize work and stay at the Research Station Jungfraujoch but, moreover, oblige adherence to the conditions contained in these regulations. The legitimation cards also permit the holder to purchase reduced-priced railway tickets to Jungfraujoch at the railway stations in Interlaken Ost, Grindelwald Grund, and Lauterbrunnen.
If any changes occur in the travel plans or in the composition of the group before or during the stay at the Research Station Jungfraujoch, the secretary’s office should be informed immediately. The stay at the Research Station may only be prolonged by authority of the director.
Researchers involved in approved projects at the Research Station Jungfraujoch must ask for the administration’s approval prior to any stay that is not explicitly listed on the application form. This includes work done during the daytime without overnight stays.
Medical experiments are required to provide further information.
The director has the authority to make special agreements.
Sensitive measurements are in progress at the Sphinx that may easily be jeopardized by the activities of researchers or visitors. For details see the important information in the appendix. Researchers are required to be familiar with the contents of this information sheet.
Luggage and equipment must be sent by train for at least the last lap from Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald Grund to Jungfraujoch. Address all luggage and goods as follows:
(Name of research group or person responsible)
Hochalpine Forschungsstation
CH-3801 Jungfraujoch, Switzerland
For the transportation of dangerous goods, special requirements must be adhered to.
Current Information on transportation with the Jungfrau Railways can be obtained from the secretary's office or from the custodians in the research station.
The administration HFSJG can facilitate the import and export of scientific equipment and instruments on the Swiss side. This requires that at least two weeks before goods are to enter Switzerland, the researchers give the secretary’s office in Bern a list of the items to be imported, including weight, dimensions, value, and country of origin for each item, as well as the port of entry and expected date of arrival of the goods. With this information, the secretary’s office will fill out an official declaration (Form 11.32) for duty-free importation of the listed goods and send this form to the Swiss customs office in Bern. In almost all cases, the Swiss customs will grant duty-free import of equipment and instruments for research purposes at Jungfraujoch. The 11.32 form will then be sent from the Swiss customs back to the secretary's office for the preparation of an additional form (Form 11.030) for exportation of the instruments and equipment. No further information from the researchers is needed for the 11.030. The secretary's office will forward the 11.32 and 11.030 to the designated researchers or transport company responsible for the shipment.
The 11.32 must accompany the instruments and equipment upon importation, the 11.030 upon exportation. The 11.030 must be presented at one of the larger customs offices at the Swiss border during customs office hours. Please consult this link for more information: (http://www.ezv.admin.ch/dienstleistungen/01808/index.html?lang=en)
The customs office in Bern will provide one day processing of the 11.32, and our office will forward the 11.32 and 11.030 within one working day. That means that it will take 3-4 working days from the time we have all the information needed for the 11.32. Nevertheless, it is important that the researchers provide all information with sufficient time for mailing the forms. A processing time of 3-4 days cannot be guaranteed if the secretary is absent.
The costs of operation and upkeep of the Research Station and the Sphinx Laboratory are only to a small degree dependent on the number of occupants, which may vary considerably. For this reason, the financing of the Foundation is on a subsidy basis rather than on a consumption basis. Accordingly, all member countries make an annual contribution. For the use of the Research Station a nominal fee is charged in the form of an overnight tax.
Scientists from member countries:
| Single room | for 1 person | CHF 30.00 |
| Single room | for 2 persons (total) | CHF 48.00 |
| Room with several beds or cot in a laboratory | per person | CHF 18.00 |
Scientists from non-member countries and visitors (relatives of researchers or visiting scientists):
| Single room | for 1 person | CHF 75.00 |
| Single room | for 2 persons (total) | CHF 120.00 |
| Room with several beds or cot in a laboratory | per person | CHF 45.00 |
The railway station at Jungfraujoch has its own post office. Every day the custodian collects the mail for the researchers and delivers it to the addressees. Mail address:
(Name of research group or person responsible)
Hochalpine Forschungsstation
CH-3801 Jungfraujoch, Switzerland
The researchers are responsible for their own outgoing mail.
The Research Station and the Sphinx Laboratory have a central telephone installation with a number of direct dial lines. The telephone and fax numbers at the Research Station office are:
Telephone: +41 (0)33 856 89 50
Fax: +41 (0)33 856 89 51
Every group working at the Research Station will receive a cordless phone with its own number during its stay. The phone calls will be invoiced.
All working places in the Research Station and the Sphinx Laboratory are equipped with two analog connections, one ISDN phone connection and a connection to the network of the University of Bern. IP addresses can be obtained from the Foundation's technical assistant. The rental of these connections per day is as follows:
| Analog connection | CHF 0.50 |
| Digital connection with individual number | CHF 0.80 |
| Each additional individual number | CHF 0.15 |
| Connection to the network of the University of Bern | CHF 1.65 |
The use of the University of Bern's network is subject to the university's security regulations.
For experiments that consume large amounts of electricity, water, or liquid nitrogen, or that require special services by the custodians, the administration can ask for a contribution toward the expenses.
If a research group foresees a long-term research project in the Research Station or Sphinx Laboratory that will occupy a working place or laboratory even in the researcher's absence, this must be clearly stated in the application for a working place.
As a rule, contracts made with research groups require an indemnity for long-term occupation of a working-place.
A research group that plans to run automatic apparatus that is continually in operation and that needs supervision by the custodian must state this clearly in its application for a working place. The application can only be approved by the direction HFSJG if the supervision work by the custodian is within reasonable limits of time and effort. Upon granting the application, a contract will be drawn up between the Foundation and the research group stipulating the duration of the experiment, the duties of the custodian, and the indemnity.
All research work and equipment, including transportation, installation, maintenance, and supervision by the custodians, is at the entire risk of the respective research group. Group leaders are responsible for enforcing the safety rules in handling dangerous goods. Neither the Foundation nor the custodians can be held responsible for damage or accidents. Adequate insurance is the sole responsibility of each research group.
All publications about research carried out entirely or in part in the Research Station Jungfraujoch must acknowledge this fact in an appendix at the end or in the title, e.g.:
"We acknowledge that the International Foundation High Altitude Research Stations Jungfraujoch and Gornergrat (HFSJG), 3012 Bern, Switzerland, made it possible for us to carry out our experiment(s) at the High Altitude Research Station at Jungfraujoch.”
Optional: "We also thank the custodians Mr. and Mrs. ... ... for the support of our activities."
Research groups must send three copies of all such publications to the Foundation's office in Bern.
In accordance with the rules of the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Foundation HFSJG requires that all published and peer-reviewed journal articles listed in the activity reports be accessible in their entirety on internet – either on the research institution's home page or other server – as long as there are no legal restrictions to this access.
Each year the Foundation may request that a summary of each research project carried out at the Research Station be submitted by the principal investigator. This summary may be included in the Foundation’s annual activity report that will be available in hard copy and on the Foundation’s web site. This activity report is an integral part of the Foundation’s annual report and the periodical grant applications to the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Approved on October 2nd, 1981 by the Foundation board,
updated in June 1999, November 2002, April 2004, and December 2008 by the Direction HFSJG.