After five years as Head of Office, Simon Marti bids farewell to the SwissCore team at the end of the month and will hand over to his successor Laurin Reding.
My time with SwissCore went by incredibly fast – and yet so much has happened during that time. A full legislative period went by since I arrived in Brussels and joined SwissCore just after the last European elections back in 2019. The circle is also almost closed in the case of one of the main topics SwissCore covers – the framework programme for R&I: While the preparation and implementation of Horizon Europe was the main topic during my first years in the Brussels R&I circles, now when I’m leaving, the debates on FP10 are already in full swing. During my time here, I got to work with the dedicated colleagues at SwissCore and the R&I and education community in Brussels, dive into a broad range of captivating science policy topics and follow the broader EU developments, which all made the time in Brussels so worthwhile for my professional and personal life alike. While the time at SwissCore is coming to a close, the rewarding experiences, invaluable memories, and inspiring encounters will remain.
It was a great privilege to work with the research, innovation, and education community in Brussels, in particular in the IGLO network, an amazing community to work with, and a truly supportive one too. This was especially the case during the time when Switzerland was participating in Horizon Europe as a non-associated third country from 2021. My journey has been both challenging and enriching, and I am grateful for the experiences and lessons learned. I believe in the power of research, innovation, and education to bring people together and think that Europe can only benefit if the fragmentation of its R&I and education landscape is hopefully overcome soon.
It is with a mix of sadness and excitement that I bid farewell to my time with SwissCore. I want to thank everyone who was part of my journey here – your friendship, support, and camaraderie have meant a lot. I look forward to staying in touch with the SwissCore team and the Brussels R&I and education community that are both close to my heart. I also want to thank SwissCore’s funders, SNSF, SERI, and Innosuisse, our partners, Euresearch, Movetia, swissuniversities, and the Mission of Switzerland to the EU, as well as all our stakeholders, especially from the ETH domain, the Academies of Arts and Sciences, and many individual organisations for their trust and the fruitful collaboration over the years.
It was one of the highlights of my time in Brussels to look beyond the capital region and getting to know this amazing country Belgium! I will miss this while I’m also looking forward to move back to Switzerland for my next position at the European University Association where I will be heading the Council for Doctoral Education in Geneva. I’m wishing everyone at SwissCore and my colleagues in the Brussels community a lot of success in all possible challenges and opportunities ahead and only the best for the future! I wish especially my successor, and SwissCore colleague during the past years, Laurin Reding, much success and fulfilment in the position!