The Swiss Mission to the EU in Brussels finds itself in the heart of Swiss-EU relations. This currently also means being in the midst of negotiations of a new package of bilateral agreements, which will be decisive for the future relationship between the Confederation and the European Union. Part of the package is the Swiss participation in EU-programmes, including five in the area of education, research and innovation (ERI), namely Horizon Europe, the Euratom training programme, the fusion reactor ITER, the Digital Europe Programme and Erasmus+.

After three years of exclusion of the Swiss ERI community from Horizon Europe and countless lobbying efforts and information campaigns with EU-Member States, the Science Counselor in Brussels now has the once in a lifetime opportunity of being part of the Swiss programme negotiation delegation and associated coordination efforts. The negotiations pursue the ambitious goal of securing a swift and at the same time long-term Swiss participation to the above-mentioned programmes, and the role of the Science Counselor is pivotal in facilitating interaction with the European institutions. At the same time, the preparation phase for the next research and innovation framework programme FP10 has started amidst a new geopolitical context and war on the continent and in its direct neighborhood. This means that calls for more science funding clash with voices for increased strategic autonomy, the careful selection of international partners and the integration of dual use aspects into a programme of a so far entirely civil character. Navigating this changing environment will present additional challenges for the Swiss ERI community and its representatives in Brussels alike.

Switzerland is geographically set in the heart of the European Union and shares a lot of its culture. Cooperation with EU partners thus comes naturally for Swiss ERI actors and is mostly not hindered by cultural and language barriers, large distances or time differences. In addition, EU-programmes such as Horizon Europe are complementary to Swiss national funding sources and provide an important opportunity for international competition with the best. This will likely not change in the future. On the other hand, if Europe wants to stay competitive globally in research and technology, it must bundle all its forces especially in high-tech areas such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence. The work of the Swiss Mission to the EU helps to facilitate and secure this mutually beneficial connection. On top, Brussels with its European Institutions, diplomatic representations of all EU-member states and beyond as well as a plethora of stakeholder and lobbyist organizations presents an ideal platform to network and support Switzerland’s bilateral relations with particular partners. The education and research ministries of EU-Member States are at your finger tips and a coffee in Brussels can often help arrange for a high-level meeting in countries in all corners of Europe, be it Lithuania, Cyprus or Spain. The large presence of international ERI stakeholders in Brussels also offers ample opportunities for joint events highlighting or reinforcing cooperation between Switzerland and a particular European partner and thereby increasing visibility and outreach.