The Steering Committee The Steering Committee is responsible for conducting NRP 58. It takes on primarily strategic responsibilities for the entire duration of the programme. The tasks of the Steering Committee range from selecting the research projects for approval by the Research Council to monitoring adherence to the quality standards set by the Swiss National Science Foundation for all national research programmes. The Steering Committee is the shaping force behind the programme and as such is responsible for lending it a specific profile and for the continuity and coherence of its decision-making. The Steering Committee also evaluates the interim and final reports.

Prof. Dr. Christoph Bochinger (President) Chair of Religious Studies with a focus on contemporary religious culture, University of Bayreuth, Germany

Prof. Dr. Maya Burger Chair of Religious Studies, University of Lausanne, Switzerland

Dr. Werner Haug Swiss Federal Statistical Office, Neuchâtel, Switzerland

Prof. Dr. René Pahud de Mortanges Chair of History of Law and Canon Law, University of Fribourg, Switzerland

Prof. Dr. Jean-Paul Willaime Directeur d’Etudes, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris, France

Prof. Dr. Hans-Georg Ziebertz Chair of Religious Education, University of Würzburg, Germany

Prof. Dr. Luzius Mader Vice-President in the Federal Office of Justice, Bern, Switzerland

Expert Advisor of the Research Council:

Prof. Dr. Claire Huguenin Chair for Private Law, University of Zurich

Observer of the Federal Administration:

Dr. Marc Schinzel Federal Office of Justice, Bern, Switzerland

Programme Coordinator:

Christian Mottas Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), Berne, Switzerland

Implementation Officer:

Almut Bonhage Bonhage PR AG, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs, Bern, Switzerland

Vrin, August 2004:
Village chamber of the dead. (Photo: Strates/Vanessa Püntener)