The signing of an agreement on trade and science by the EU and Switzerland in November was welcomed by researchers. It meant that academics could once more participate fully in scientific programmes such as Horizon Europe, Euratom’s nuclear energy research and training, and the Erasmus+ youth education scheme.
The agreement gives the Swiss the same status as EU member states, allowing them to lead projects and receive EU funding. This concludes a détente agreed in December 2024 and readmits the Swiss after a three-year absence, though the arrangement is provisional and depends upon subsequent talks.
A political dispute had relegated the country to third-country status in July 2021, after the Swiss government decided against signing an agreement with the EU that would have aligned it most closely with the bloc’s rules.
The EU was seen to leverage access to scientific programmes in its dispute. ‘It was a political decision at the time that we deplore but understand,’ says Michael Hengartner, a Swiss–Canadian biochemist and president of the board that oversees the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology in Zurich and Lausanne. He says recent progress ‘was an easy way to generate a quick win and generate goodwill on both sides’.
Swiss schemes couldn’t replace EU programmes’ prestige and scale
Following the country’s ejection from Horizon Europe and other EU science programmes, Swiss funders set up replacement schemes and ran prestigious awards along the lines of the European Research Council (ERC). ‘The selection was tough and everything was tried to keep it to ERC standards,’ says Charlotte Aumeier, a biochemist at the University of Geneva.
Researchers in Switzerland welcomed the funding, while noting that it did not offer the same benefits as an ERC award. ‘You cannot completely negate the negatives of not being associated with such a massive and important a programme as Horizon Europe,’ says Jason Holland, an inorganic chemist at the University of Zurich. It also meant that ERC grant winners could not relocate to Switzerland to take advantage of Swiss infrastructure and research. ‘It put Switzerland at a competitive disadvantage in attracting top talent,’ says Holland.
‘We’re a ski nation. Imagine if our top skiers couldn’t compete in the world cup competition because they’re Swiss, and then we tell them they can have their own little ski competition,’ says Hengartner. ‘If you get an ERC [grant], everybody knows about it, and young people might decide to do a PhD with you.’ The reputational rewards are somewhat intangible, but viewed as significant by investigators.
ERC grants are won on scientific merit, regardless of geography, and Switzerland performs exceptionally well. A government report in 2018 put Swiss success rates at 22%, compared with a European average of 13%. In principle, the Swiss version ‘was exactly the same,’ says organic chemist Stefan Matile at the University of Geneva, ‘except administration was easier to manage’. Yet he compares it to being kicked out of the Champions League. ‘The ERC community regretted that Switzerland was not participating,’ says Matile. ‘It was like the Champions League played without English or German teams. It’s not the same.’
Hengartner runs with this analogy too. ‘If you play in the Champions League, people notice you, they might want to recruit you. People might want to work with you.’ Younger researchers and small- and medium-sized enterprises also missed out on networking, whereas senior scientists and large companies could tap pre-existing contacts more easily.
‘The Horizon programme gives great visibility, it’s competitive and it funds forward-looking science,’ says Aumeier. ‘Swiss funding is generally a little bit more conservative.’ She heard rumours of researchers in other countries viewing Switzerland’s exclusion from the ERC as advantageous, as it gave them a better chance of landing a prestigious grant.
Exclusion may have damaged Swiss science in the short term
The exclusion may have ‘deflected some researchers to other countries although this is difficult to quantify,’ admits Edwin Constable, a chemist at the University of Basel and president of Euresearch, which provides information and guidance to Swiss researchers. There are even suspicions that some countries leveraged Switzerland’s exile to poach investigators.
However, the impact of three years’ exile from the EU’s science programmes has not yet been fully quantified but is something the science ministry might soon explore.
Another downside to Swiss exclusion was being locked out of policy decisions. ‘We were not at the table when discussions were taking place about the next framework programme,’ says Hengartner. ‘Leading consortia means steering,’ says Constable. ‘Switzerland has its own research agendas and ideas,’ explains Holland. ‘If you are a coordinator you can help set the research conversation and the agenda for research for years to come.’ Being at the helm also provides more visibility for researchers and their institution.
The return to the fold, at least for now, has been widely welcomed. ‘There’s a positive spirit. We are glad to be part of the team again,’ says Hengartner.
Some, however, are critical of the Swiss government and the EU. ‘The EU overreacted,’ says Matile. ‘Science funding is the basis of prosperity, and the EU cut this off just because of a political argument.’ Constable admits that some in the community felt ‘confused, frustrated and dispirited’ after finding themselves thrown out of EU programmes for a second time – the first was in 2014 due to an immigration spat.
Swiss science as a neutral victim is a recurring theme. ‘We were not the ones to leave. We were kicked out,’ says Hengartner. ‘We’re pawns on a chessboard, and the players simply played the way they thought best. We’re not the player. We suffer the consequences.’ He compares it to the situation with UK science after the Brexit referendum.
The mood now though is upbeat in the Alpine nation. ‘This is a win–win situation,’ says Constable. ‘The EU benefits from the excellence of Swiss institutions and Switzerland benefits from the excellence of the Horizon Programme and the EU ecosystem.’
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