The International Committee of Military Medicine, the ICMM Reference Centre for Education of International Humanitarian Law and Ethics, and the Swiss Armed Forces Medical Services Directorate offer a course on Military Medical Ethics (MME) to Military Medical Personnel, Military Medico-Legal Officers, and Chaplains as well as other interested members of the armed forces.
14-19.09.2025
Hotel & Bildungszentrum Matt, Schwarzenberg Lucerne (Switzerland)
The venue of the course has changed and it will now take place in the facilities of the Hotel and Bildungszentrum Matt in Schwarzenberg Lucerne, Switzerland. The venue offers both modern hotel facilities as well as an up-to-date teaching infrastructure. Some of Switzerland's most famous sights are located in the immediate vicinity of the course location.
General Information on the Military Medical Ethics Course
This advanced course aims at qualifying the participants to make correct decisions in situations where competences in international law and ethics are similarly relevant. The capacity is built and trained by means of case studies which are drawn on situations and reports from recent deployment.
The concrete cases and topics can vary from year to year and will reflect current needs. Cases from the experience of course participants are welcome but should be made in advance to allow for a sound preparation of the analysis
The course aims to
- Enable participants to recognise and analyse situations that present ethical and legal dilemmas in contemporary military operations.
- Equip participants with the tools to make legally and ethically sound decisions in situations where competencies in international law and ethics are equally relevant.
Course Program
- The provisional Course program can be downloaded here (PDF). Changes to the program may occur.
Information about the mandatory e-learning before the course further below on this page! - All participants must complete the preparatory e-learning and some assignments before the main course in weeks 35-37 (starting August 25, 2025). A total of 5-7 hours will be required to complete the e-learning.
- For questions regarding the course or the registration, please contact
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Hybrid Classroom Course 2025
The 13th ICMM Course on Military Medical Ethics in Times of Armed Conflict (Military Medical Ethics/ MME) will be the held as a hybrid classroom course with participants both on-site in Schwarzenberg LU, Switzerland and online.
In preparation for the course, participants will get access to an e-learning tool and will have to follow some exercises online. Participants are free to schedule when they do these tasks (which amount to about 5-7h in total) within three weeks before the course.
The main course will be held on-site and via videoconferencing and the participants and teachers will meet during fixed times in the virtual environment. Hence, the usual format of the course that includes some lectures and much groupwork and discussions will be transferred into a hybrid classroom. In addition, external experts may join the course for lectures. Thus, the hybrid course shall be as close to the onsite course format as possible and shall offer as much direct exchange between the participants and the teaching team as possible.
Application for the course
Please carefully read the course information on this page before applying. For your application, you will need a short letter of motivation and a very short CV. They will help us in selecting participants if we receive more applications than we can accommodate. Participants will be selected with the aim of putting together a well-balanced group of participants to allow for productive discussions.
Criteria for selection
- The motivation and previous knowledge/ expertise/ experience of applicants
- The function and institutional role of applicants
- Date when the application is received
- The number of participants per country is usually limited to 2.
For questions regarding the course or the registration, please contact
Language
- The course is held in English language. Participants must have sufficient knowledge in English to read texts, understand presentations, and to participate in discussions.
Course Fee
On-site-participation
- A fee of 1'100.00 CHF will be charged and has to be paid by course participants in advance. Details about the payment modalities will be communicated to confirmed participants.
It includes- Accommodation in the hotel, all meals, non-alcoholic beverages for the course duration.
- Access to the online material and the preparatory e-learning session.
- Extensive course documents, cultural events and excursions with transfers are free of charge for participants and will be paid by the Swiss Confederation.
- Participants shall bear their travelling costs to and from Switzerland.
- The course organization can financially support a small number of participants. In this case, we normally cover the course costs and the hotel, while the participants bear their own travel costs.
The application for financial support must be submitted online and include a letter of motivation and CV.
A limited number of sponsorships are available, and these are allocated in such a way as to ensure a balanced overall group. There is no entitlement to sponsorship.
Online-particpation
- The online course can be attended free of charge.
- A motivation letter is required and the online class will be limited to 15 participants in order to allow for discussions and excange among the participants.
Certificate & Accreditation
Successful participants will receive a certificate issued by the Swiss Armed Forces Medical Services Directorate and the ICMM Center of Reference for Education on IHL and Ethics. We will also seek the accreditaion by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME®) as in previous years. Details will be communicated.
Conditions to participate online
The following conditions must be met by everybody who wishes to participate in the 2025 MME hybrid classroom course. Even though the course is held as a hybrid classroom course, it is not a passive e-learning course, but all participants and teachers will meet online during fixed times in a closed videoconference room.
Course Schedule – mandatory sessions
- All participants must complete the e-learning individually and complete some tasks online in weeks 35-37 (starting 25 August 2025). A total of 5-7 hours is needed to complete the e-learning.
- The main course will be run from Sunday, September 14 to Thursday, September 18, 2025. All participants are expected to participate in the daily fixed hours are between 0830 to 1600 CEST (Zurich time). Certificates will only be handed to participants who actively participate in the course.
Technical requirements for online participants
- A computer or tablet with a webcam and microphone with the software zoom installed. A mobile phone is not sufficient.
- Internet access with sufficient bandwidth for videoconferences.
- Unrestricted access to “zoom conferences” and the websites https://e-courses.melac.ch/ and https://scenarios.militarymedicalethics.ch must be guaranteed during the whole course. Potential restrictions by security settings or military firewalls must be checked beforehand by the participants.
Teachers of the 2025 course
Ethics teachers
IHL/ LOAC teacher
- COL Cord von Einem
