Our story

The association COMPASS (Creating Openness and Mental health Promotion Amongst Scholars in Switzerland) was founded late 2023 in Basel-Stadt by a group of staff and students from the Biozentrum, University of Basel.

Our mission

The purpose of the association COMPASS is to promote mental health, increase awareness about the prevalence of mental health issues, and offer tools and support in navigating the process and professional assistance among Swiss higher educational institutions. This includes Universities, Universities of Applied Sciences and other research institutes. Although the association is mostly composed of PhDs and Postdocs, we aim to reaching the entire academic population, from undergraduates to professors, including technicians, admins and interns. Additionally, the association strives to increase awareness about neurodiversity and personality traits, and foster general inclusivity.