The University of Bern, The Guild, and SwissCore jointly organised a Research and Innovation Briefing on ‘Africa – Europe 360° cooperation based on equitable R&I partnerships: role and contribution from Switzerland’. The event was hosted by the Mission of Switzerland to the EU. The African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) adopted in July 2023 the joint AU-EU Innovation Agenda to enhance cooperation in science, technology and innovation. Universities have been engaged and contributing to the priority areas of this agenda and can play an instrumental role in building a competitive, 360-degree approach for Europe’s international partnerships with colleagues in Africa and across the wider global stage. During this event, we look into the Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence (CoRE) launched by the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) and The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities and how this initiative contributed to creating equitable partnerships. Furthermore, leading scientists presented their ... Read more

This new edition of the EduCafé was co-organised by the Czech Liaison Office CZELO, the Academic Cooperation Association (ACA) and SwissCore. An international panel offered insights on how to prepare students and lifelong learners for life in the age of AI, where they will have to face not only technological challenges but also ethical issues. How can schools and universities develop students’ (and whole society’s) skills such as critical thinking and the ability to make thoughtful and ethical decisions, not leaving behind the important topic of technological literacy? The discussion also centred around the challenges AI brings to education and how education systems should prepare for it. How can students’ critical thinking skills be developed to make informed decisions when working with AI? What are the ethical issues related to AI and how can we teach about them? Venue: Kamilou, Rue Joseph II 36 Speakers: Simona Petkova, Policy Officer, Digital ... Read more

This event was jointly organised by the Mission of Switzerland to the EU, Paul Scherrer Institute, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and SwissCore. In light of the discussions towards FP10 and the new European Research and Innovation Area (ERA) Agenda 2025-2027, this Science Briefing explored how Research Infrastructures (RIs) can play a decisive role in advancing Europe’s competitiveness and addressing the acute skills gap in the age of AI. We presented examples of leading European research and competence centres that are shaping the future of science: the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), part of the ETH domain in Switzerland, offering a unique array of large research infrastructures and highly competitive research activities in basic and applied sciences, and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Europe’s only international life sciences research organisation and member of the European Intergovernmental Research Organisation Forum (EIROForum). In the panel we addressed the following questions: The event ... Read more

The policy event, co-organised by PolSCA, Helmholtz and SwissCore, titled “Brainstorming the Future of BRAIN HEALTH: Research, Collaboration, Impact” brought together various internationally renowned experts to explore new frontiers in brain health research, navigating yet unexplored terrain of European partnership in the field. Invited speakers and guests discussed ways to boost collaboration between European and global research efforts. Through this, we aimed to stimulate dialogue, inspire action, and drive initiatives towards the overarching objective of promoting brain health for all.The agenda included two thematic panels featuring leading figures such as Dr. Ulrike Busshoff (CSA Brain Health, DLR) and Prof. Leszek Kaczmarek (Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, PAS), and renowned experts from Germany, Poland, Switzerland and European institutions.Programme: here Summary of the event: here

    This year’s Annual Event focused on the importance of the development of chips for Europe’s digital transformation and economic competitiveness.The event provided a platform to discuss the role of research, innovation, and education in making Europe a leader in semiconductor development, offers the opportunity for exchanges between Swiss and EU actors – and with our audience in Brussels. The collaboration between European actors such as the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology CSEM, CEA-Leti, the Paul Scherrer Institute, and VDL Enabling Technologies Group is the focus of the keynote speech and the panel discussion. How can research, innovation, and education contribute – and how can Switzerland and the EU leverage their win-win collaboration to drive semiconductor development in Europe forward?You can find:

This event was organised by SwissCore and Norcore, together with Movetia, the Swiss Exchange and Mobility Agency, and HK-dir, the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. The higher or continuing VET sector in Europe is often mentioned when we discuss how to adapt the education and training offer to mend the skills gap created by the green transition or by demographic changes in society. By its flexible nature, these schools are close to the employers, and cater both to new students as well as to people who work, and who seek reskilling and upskilling opportunities. However, we do know that higher VET in Europe is a very heterogenous sector, and that it can be difficult to carry out joint projects and mobilities across national borders. In Erasmus+, they struggle in many countries to find their place within the larger categories of vocational education and higher education, as they may ... Read more

Harnessing the power of data to tackle AMR

Shaping a more inclusive future of VET in times of transition DLR Projektträger Brussels Representation, the Mission of Switzerland to the EU and SwissCore, organised on 12 March 2024 an event titled "The Brussels: FutureTalks on Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Europe: Shaping a more inclusive future of VET in times of transition. Since the Osnabrück Declaration at the latest, Vocational Education and Training (VET) has been high on the agenda of the European Union: The aim is to “develop the European Education and Training Area through future-oriented and innovative education and training systems in order to support the digital and green transition and improve employability and competitiveness and thus stimulate economic growth” (Osnabrück Declaration 2020).Today, the EU Skills Agenda bundles the efforts to improve the development of VET. Still, the potential of VET may not yet have been fully utilised, for example, to serve the central promise of ... Read more

Swiss Innovation Briefing - Creative Economies: Creation of innovation and values for a strong Europe