Swiss universities warn of “high price” of not associating to EU R&D and education programmes
Universities in Switzerland have called for urgent solutions to end the political disagreements that have frozen the country out of the EU’s research, innovation and education programmes.
For the past two years, the EU has prevented Switzerland from associating to its Horizon Europe R&I programme and its Erasmus+ academic exchange programme, because the Swiss government walked away from broader talks on the country’s relationship with the bloc over disagreements on issues including legal jurisdictions and the free movement of citizens.
‘High price of exclusion’
On 26 May, the umbrella group Swiss Universities said “the price for standing on the sidelines for the past two years has already been high”.
Researchers and organisations in the country can still access around two-thirds of Horizon Europe calls but they are only allowed to take part in projects when backed by national funding as they cannot receive money from the EU. They also cannot lead on projects.
As a result, some projects are not going ahead as planned and some researchers and projects are relocating to other countries, Swiss Universities said. Universities are losing out on millions of euros in funding, it added, especially from no longer being able to receive European Research Council grants.
‘Damage cannot be undone’
“The damage to Switzerland as a centre of knowledge cannot be undone, but it can be mitigated with a decisive step towards a negotiated solution,” the group said.
It set out the consequences of various scenarios, including association this year or next, which it said would avoid further damage.
But if association were to happen only from the start of the next versions of the EU programmes in 2028, the Swiss government would have to put in place longer-term alternative funding to prevent an “exodus” of researchers, the group warned.
Even if such funding were forthcoming, Swiss Universities said that “the consequences of non-association under Horizon Europe would also be felt in the long term, well after a renewed full association in 2028, with a weakening of the innovative strength of the Swiss economy and society”.
Goal of ‘rapid association’
The Swiss government has been providing funding to substitute for the EU money and the off-limits parts of Horizon Europe. It announced on 24 May that it will provide a further €645m (625 million Swiss francs) for Switzerland-based researchers to take part in 2023 calls.
Announcing the funding, the government reaffirmed that its goal is “rapid association” to Horizon Europe. In March, European Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič said that Swiss association was a priority, but that it could only go along alongside progress on the broader political arrangements.