The European Institute for Safe Communication (EISC) works globally to establish interpersonal communication as a systematic mechanism for promoting safety and resilience. This effort is based on the SACCIA competency model — which is scientifically validated and applicable across all fields and professions, with measurable impact.
THE FOUNDING STORY
My interest in safe communication in high-risk environments grew out of years of research on safety and interpersonal communication in high-risk settings. Again and again, I observed that communication problems — not technical errors — were at the root of serious, preventable harm. In healthcare, in emergency rescue, and even in aviation, I encountered cases where a delayed message, an ambiguous phrase, or a false assumption had catastrophic consequences. These experiences convinced me that communication itself is a critical safety mechanism, one that deserves to be studied and safeguarded with the same rigor as medical procedures or technical protocols.
In 2024, Professor Thierry Girard of the University Hospital Basel, Erika Ziltener (sQmh), Paul Truffer and I jointly founded the European Institute for Safe Communication (EISC) in Altdorf, Switzerland. The Institute was established as a neutral and independent platform that connects science, society, and politics, free of vested interests. Its mission is to reduce vulnerability to safety risks across high-stakes domains such as healthcare, aviation, emergency rescue, and crisis management.
From the beginning, EISC was designed as both a research and implementation hub. We collect and analyze data in real-world contexts, translate scientific findings into evidence-based training programs, and formulate safe practice guidelines for professional application. Our first projects examine communication vulnerabilities in Swiss hospitals, in close collaboration with the Basel University Hospital and the Kantonsspital Uri.
Beyond these sector-specific efforts, EISC also addresses systemic challenges through initiatives such as the International Crisis Resilience Summit. Its first summit positioned communication as a safety resource in the face of modern threats such as disinformation, social polarization, and digital attacks. By bringing together experts from science, politics, journalism, and civil protection from eleven countries, the summit advanced immediately actionable plans to strengthen resilience across multiple domains: communicative resilience, digital civil protection, scientific policy advice, and journalism.
The decision to locate the Institute in Altdorf was deliberate. At the geographic center of Switzerland and symbolically shaped by the values of William Tell, Altdorf represents neutrality, independence, and civic responsibility — values that reflect the Institute’s own foundation.
At its core, EISC is guided by a principle that has accompanied my research for years: communication is not merely the transfer of information, but the creation of shared understanding — the very foundation on which safe actions can unfold. Today, the stakes are higher than ever. The capacity to remain in dialogue and to engage in safe collective action is being eroded by polarizing conflicts and organized disinformation campaigns. EISC exists to safeguard that capacity. By ensuring that evidence-based knowledge not only informs practice but also penetrates everyday living, the Institute strengthens resilience, enables safe collective action, and protects the very conditions on which human safety depends.