After nearly five years, Sarah Bühler, Senior Advisor and Deputy Head at SwissCore, leaves Brussels with deep gratitude and lasting collaborations.
It has been an incredible journey at SwissCore of five years. In my role as Senior Advisor for Research and Deputy Head of Office, I had the privilege of contributing to strategic initiatives on international science cooperation, primarily between Switzerland and Europe, but also in a broader global context. Working closely with EU and Swiss partners and a highly collaborative team has been very inspiring.
During my years at SwissCore, I had the opportunity to engage in high‑level strategic processes and events, including a breakfast with Members of the European Parliament within Science Europe, where we discussed possible amendments to the FP10 regulation. At the same time, I co-organised more than seven events to position Swiss-EU collaboration in science, ranging from topics of academic freedom, science and space cooperation for water resilience, biodiversity, agroecology, brain health and AMR, and Widening, in collaboration with different funders and partners. Moreover, it was very inspiring to chair the European Research Council (ERC) Informal Group of R&I Liaison Offices (IGLO) working group, but also to be responsible for a total of four other IGLO working groups, such as International Cooperation, Implementation of Horizon Europe, Health, MSCA, but also stepping in from time to time in IGLO Core. Moreover, I also appreciated the opportunity to represent the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) in the Horizon Europe Working Group as well as the Taskforce for Widening, and the engagement in the SNSF International Programme Committee (ProCo).
Another important milestone was successfully completing my PhD in Social Sciences at the University of St. Gallen in February 2025, during my maternity leave. My doctoral research focused on the motivation of actors to get engaged in initiatives of dual vocational education and training (VET) in Colombia specifically, but also in the broader context. Moreover, I also had the privilege to pursue further education at NADEL at the ETH Zurich, including courses on VET, project management, impact evaluation of policies and programmes, and theories of international cooperation, as well as to enhance my French skills.
A warm thank you to all the funders and partners I had the pleasure to work with, including, among others, colleagues from the SNSF, the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), Innosuisse, the Swiss Mission in Brussels, swissuniversities, the ETH Board, Euresearch and its network, the Academies, Movetia, universities and research institutions, but also the IGLO network and Science Europe.
I am especially grateful to the whole SwissCore team. It was a real pleasure to support the office as Senior Advisor for Research as well as Deputy Head of Office in different topics, dossiers and initiatives. It was also inspiring to coach and to supervise nine trainees on topics ranging from EU internationalisation strategies to the impact of AI in research funding.
Looking ahead, I am excited to join Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) as a next step and to return to Lucerne with my family. In my new role as Senior Advisor for Research and Innovation for the Research Office as well as the Grants Office / Euresearch Regional Office, I will focus on connecting research policy with practice, developing strategies grounded in university realities and supporting researchers through advice. I am looking forward to engaging in international cooperation activities within the CARPE Network, while also taking on responsibilities related to CoARA, the IDN Carte Blanche Interdisciplinarity network, and beyond. Alongside my position at the university, and building on my previous experience at the Leading House for Latin America, I will continue to contribute over the coming months, in a personal capacity as an expert, to the field of international research funding.
Finally, international cooperation remains particularly close to my heart, especially because of my childhood in both Colombia and Switzerland, and experiences during my studies in Spain. This personal background continues to motivate me to contribute to international cooperation, including through personal initiatives in Colombia.
I am very curious about what lies ahead and excited to continue to engage in international science co-operation, now from Switzerland, after several years abroad in Belgium, Spain, and Latin America. With that, it is time to say thanks for all the nice collaborations and shared experiences and I hope to see many of you soon, whether in Switzerland, Brussels or somewhere else.