Switzerland has been swiftly and successfully reintegrated into Horizon Europe, the European Union’s flagship research and innovation programme, according to the

State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).

Government officials describe the initial outcome as encouraging. “The interim balance is positive,” a SERI spokeswoman told the Keystone-SDA news agency, noting that Swiss researchers have regained access not only to EU funding but also to the coordination of European research projects.

Swissuniversities, the umbrella organisation representing Swiss higher education institutions, said the renewed association has already strengthened Switzerland’s position within Europe’s research landscape.

Switzerland had been fully associated with previous EU research programmes until 2021. Its exclusion followed the collapse of negotiations on a broader institutional framework agreement with the European Union. The situation changed after the conclusion of new bilateral agreements, allowing Switzerland to rejoin Horizon Europe retroactively from January 1, 2025.

As part of the arrangement, Switzerland is expected to contribute around CHF600 million to the programme, according to SERI.

Early figures suggest strong participation by Swiss researchers. This year alone, they have successfully secured funding in around 80 cases, with approximately €160 million (CHF149 million) allocated, an official from the European Research Council (ERC) said. However, most funding contracts for the approved projects have yet to be formally signed.

The return to Horizon Europe is widely seen as a crucial step in restoring Switzerland’s full participation in European scientific collaboration after several years of uncertainty. Photo by Ank Kumar, Wikimedia commons.