The Swiss research system adheres to the principles of autonomy, academic freedom and scientific excellence. Global rankings reflect the quality of Swiss universities having them appear among the world-leading institutions. The publications of Swiss researchers themselves reach a high impact above average especially in natural sciences, life sciences and engineering. The academic workforce of Swiss institutions is highly international (more than half from abroad), and more than a third of researchers with a Swiss passport work abroad. The Swiss research system therefore substantially contributes to international brain circulation.
The main research funding body in Switzerland is the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). With a yearly budget of above CHF 1 billion, its funding policy mostly focuses on curiosity-driven research and the promotion of young academics. Thematic National Research Programmes amount to only a quarter of SNSF’s annual spending. The SNSF is well integrated in the European Research Area through participation in numerous partnerships. Research in Switzerland is mostly carried out within the ten cantonal universities, the two Federal Institutes of Technology – the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) – as well as in the four research institutes of the ETH domain. The nine Universities of Applied Sciences also play an increasing role in research.
Switzerland is fully associated to the eight Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020 (H2020). Swiss participation is strongest in the curiosity-driven instruments such as the European Research Council (ERC) and Marie Curie Actions. The thematic areas with above than average Swiss participation are Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), life sciences and nano-technologies, materials, biotechnologies and production technologies (NMBP). In 2018, Switzerland was the 8th most successful country in H2020 in terms of total funding received, with 3.5% of the total H2020 grant sum and the associated country most involved in the Framework Programme.
Advice and support to participation in European research and innovation programmes is carried out by SwissCore’s partner Euresearch, which is a country-wide network linking a Head Office hosting the National Contact Points (NCP) with ten Regional Support offices at local universities.
The Swiss Confederation has expressed its interest to associate to the ninth Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon Europe, starting in 2021. A respective dispatch for EU research and innovation has been approved by the Swiss Parliament in December 2020.
Swiss innovation ecosystem
The Swiss economy thrives on innovation and Switzerland regularly tops the global innovation indexes. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Switzerland is one of the most innovative countries in the world, and also leads in the OECD’s main innovation indicators such as employment in innovative firms. The number of patents, and registered trademarks and designs, is a clear indication of the high level of innovation in Switzerland, as is the number of people employed in knowledge-intensive sectors.
Much as in the field of research, there is a strong belief in the bottom-up approach when it comes to innovation in Switzerland. State support and policy focuses on providing the framework conditions for innovation to flourish without dictating technology or sector-specific investments in innovation. While the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) sets out overall (legal) framework for innovation support, Innosuisse (formerly CTI) is the Swiss innovation promotion agency. Its activities are based on article 64 of the Federal Constitution. It encourages scientific innovation in Switzerland by providing funding, advisory services, and networks to improve the Swiss economy. Swiss businesses undertake and finance the bulk of their Research and Innovation (R&I) activities, and the total amount of public funding for innovation activities is much lower than for basic research. Importantly, Innosuisse funding is distributed principally to publicly-oriented R&I partners, such as public universities and research and technology organisations carrying out applied research with or for Swiss enterprises. With this policy, Switzerland constitutes an exception amongst the member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Switzerland’s innovation policy starts from the assumption that the generation of innovation is a core task of industry and SME and that the businesses have to put, in large parts, their own efforts and money in it.
Apart from funding R&I projects, there is a strong emphasis on mentoring, coaching, teaching business knowledge and entrepreneurship skills as well as proving small companies and start-ups with a network of partners in the R&I sector and along their value chain. Support is also available for export and internationalisation. Apart from the federal institutions, the 26 cantons have their own innovation strategies and offer numerous regional innovation promotion initiatives. Their support mechanisms can vary according to geographic location, sector, or type of company.
Swiss Education System
Knowledge and talent are Switzerland’s most important resources. The country enjoys a high quality and permeable education system, which lies under the shared responsibility of the federal government and the 26 cantons. Together, the cantonal education ministers form the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK), which plays an important role in discussing and coordinating education policy with the federal level. The system is therefore at the same time flexible, i.e. cantonal specificities can be taken into account, and well-coordinated. Education in Switzerland has been harmonised for compulsory education e.g., the school starting age, compulsory school attendance, the duration and objectives of the levels of education and the transitions between the levels of education.
Upper-secondary education includes two main paths: general upper-secondary-education, leading to the baccalaureate, and Vocational Education and Training (VET). Around two-thirds of a cohort of Swiss pupils pursue the VET pathway, which is of high quality and enjoys a good reputation. The majority of Swiss VET programmes follow a dual approach that combines practice with theory, i.e. students share their time between a company where they are hired and vocational school. The Swiss VET system is based on cooperation between the confederation, i.e. the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), the cantons and the professional organisations. A strong asset of the Swiss education system is that there is no ‘dead-end path’, i.e. bridges between VET and higher education exist.
On average, 90% of young people in Switzerland complete upper secondary education at the age of eighteen or nineteen and either start working or continue their education at a higher education institution. Switzerland counts ten cantonal universities, two federal institutes of technology, nine universities of applied sciences and fourteen universities of teacher education. Also situated at tertiary-level, Professional Education and Training (PET) provides already qualified workers with further professional qualifications that enable them to handle challenging specialised or managerial tasks.
In 2012, The Swiss Confederation expressed its wish to get associated to the European Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport (Erasmus+) from 2014 to 2020. Following the adoption of the initiative against mass immigration on 9 February 2014, the negotiations between the EU and Switzerland on the association of Switzerland to Erasmus+ were suspended. You will find the latest update on the status of Swiss institutions in these programmes here.