The Zurich–Basel Plant Science Center (PSC) is a competence center that connects and supports the plant science research community at the University of Zurich, ETH Zurich, and the University of Basel. The center promotes plant and environmental research, education, and outreach, and provides platforms for exchange among researchers, policymakers, industry, stakeholders, and the public.

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The PSC coordinates the structured PhD Program in Plant Sciences, an internationally recognised doctoral training program, and oversees over 40 courses each year. The curriculum evolves continuously by monitoring technological developments and responding to community needs. In the field of plant phenotyping, training activities cover a range of scales, from plant-level imaging and 3D microscopy to camera- and drone-based phenotyping, image analysis, and earth-observation approaches at the field and ecosystem level. In addition to subject-specific training, the PSC offers courses that strengthen digital skills, including data management, data visualisation, and machine learning, as well as transferable skills such as scientific writing, presentation skills, and project management.

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The PSC organises targeted training events such as machine learning training schools and scientific symposia. The center has successfully hosted thematic training schools at the interface of plant phenotyping, data science, and machine learning, including the 2022 Summer School and the 2025 Winter School, which were focused on machine learning.

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These activities provide scalable templates for future SPPN- and EMPHASIS-related training initiatives and demonstrate the PSC’s capacity to contribute to content development, coordination, and delivery of training activities at scale.