For BFH, compliance means acting in accordance with its Profile and its Values and to abide by the legal foundations. The Swiss University Regulations, the Ordinance of Bern University of Applied Sciences and the Charter of BFH provide the legal basis for a university with holistic, high academic and practical standards.
Based on the guiding principles, new principles of conduct will come into force for the entire BFH from 2023. This Code of Conduct will be binding for all BFH employees. BFH-W and HKB already have their own Code of Conduct. The guiding principles and the principles of conduct serve as a normative framework of values. The school council and the BFH management, with the President as chairman, form the highest management bodies for their compliance and control. In the strategic areas of teaching and research, the President is supported by the Vice-Presidents’ Offices.
With regard to legal issues, the internal legal service provides advice to staff and students. Compliance with laws and regulations is a management task and part of the duties of those responsible for these areas.
Staff and students have the option of consulting various internal and external advice centres if necessary.
The planned establishment of a Code of Conduct creates a new basis in the areas of compliance and ethics. Corresponding implementation regulations will in future govern the procedure and responsibilities in the event of violations and infringements of the Code of Conduct.
Broad participation procedures are carried out for strategically important business, and there is an exchange channel between the associations of members' groups and the President, whereby concerns can be brought directly to the BFH management and the University Board. In addition, a university assembly is to be set up in future, in which all groups of members of BFH are represented and which has the right to submit proposals to the President and the University Board. The assembly will create an additional body and further institutionalise the possibility of obtaining advice and expressing concerns.
Within the framework of the institutional accreditation quality assurance in the area of governance is monitored on a recurring basis. In the wake of the last accreditation, the participation of the various groups of members of the BFH was reviewed and comprehensively revised.
An annual external audit by the Cantonal financial control ensures compliance with laws and regulations in accordance with BFH's performance mandate. The report of the financial control is discussed with the President of BFH and presented to the University Board. In addition, the financial control sporadically attends University Board meetings. The Bildungs- und Kulturdirektion of the Canton of Bern acts as the supervisory authority.
Additional internal measures ensure transparent governance, successful compliance and adherence to ethical principles. For example, annual controlling meetings are held with the departments, involving the President the Administrative Director and the heads of the departments.
In the event of violations of the principles of conduct, there are relevant regulations. Disciplinary law is decisive for students, for employees it is personnel law and, in particular, the authority of superiors specified there.
