After six months as Advisor for Research, Fabienne Forster bids farewell to the SwissCore team and hands the role back to Sarah Bühler.
With Switzerland rejoining Horizon and discussions already underway in Brussels on the next EU Research Framework Programme, I feel fortunate to have gained insights into the world of European research policy at such a pivotal moment. During my time at SwissCore, I could collect valuable knowledge about the complex R&I policy landscape. I have also observed first-hand the strong commitment of research stakeholders to actively advocate for what they regard as the core values of European research and innovation.
During my time in the replacement position at SwissCore, I had the opportunity to witness the launch of the Competitiveness Compass and to follow the European Commission’s numerous efforts to enhance the global competitiveness of European research and innovation. In recent months, the future of the Framework Programme dominated the discussion in Brussels, alongside ongoing debates on how funding mechanisms and the protection of academic freedom should evolve in response to a shifting geopolitical context. Keeping track of these developments and providing timely information was both challenging and rewarding.
A particular highlight of my time at SwissCore was the opportunity to meet policymakers, politicians, as well as researchers and innovators from across Europe. Participating in the IGLO network was especially enriching. It was also a great pleasure to welcome the new President of the SNSF Research Council, Torsten Schwede, to Brussels during this dynamic period. I appreciated the chance to engage with our funders and partners in Switzerland, as well as with the Swiss Mission to the EU. Most of all, I truly valued being part of the SwissCore team. I was consistently impressed by my colleagues’ expertise and professionalism, and the collegial atmosphere they cultivated. I would like to thank them all sincerely for their support and for making our collaboration so enjoyable.
I will continue to follow the discussion about the future of the Framework Programme, albeit from a somewhat greater distance. Whether I will make a contribution to European competitiveness in my future position in academic philosophy is questionable. However, philosophy does sometimes at least provide us with some catchy quotes. One such intellectual snippet comes from the philosopher and scientist Charles S. Peirce, who once noted: “True science is distinctively the study of useless things. For the useful things will get studied without the aid of scientific men.” It was the same Peirce who, in the course of his “useless” studies, proposed that logical operations could be implemented using electrical switching circuits. In doing so, he anticipated an electrical logical machine – effectively foreshadowing the computer in 1886. Because the economic and, above all, social value of scientific research is neither immediately evident nor easily calculable over the long term, I hope that “useless things” will continue to have their place in European research funding.
SwissCore would like to thank Fabienne Forster very much for her excellent work and contributions to Swiss-EU collaboration and wish her all the best in her academic career. It was a great pleasure to work with her this semester.