Recognizing the transformative potential of quantum science and technology and the importance of cooperation among like-minded partners, Dr. Martina Hirayama, State Secretary of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation of Switzerland (SERI) and Mr. Minoru Kiuchi, Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy, Cabinet Office of Japan signed the MoC to further encourage cooperation between both countries’ research and innovation communities with a special focus on Quantum.

The agreement reaffirms both countries’ commitment to collaboration in this strategic field through research, talent exchange, and innovation. This milestone reinforces Switzerland’s role as a global leader in quantum integration across academia, industry, and government and builds upon a strong foundation of bilateral collaboration. It recalls the Memorandum of Cooperation of October 2023 between SERI and Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) on cooperation in science, technology and innovation, which was also signed in Kyoto. It further strengthens the framework established by the Agreement between the Swiss Federal Council and the Government of Japan on Cooperation in Science and Technology, signed in Tokyo in July 2007. The MoC with Switzerland is one of five such agreements Japan has concluded alongside similar partnerships with the United Kingdom, the European Union, Germany, and Denmark.

The signing was followed by an exchange where State Secretary Dr. Martina Hirayama and Minister Minoru Kiuchi discussed the importance of international collaboration and the benefits of joining forces to complement each other’s strengths and advance joint research and development initiatives. She outlined Switzerland’s strategic priorities in quantum science and technology, emphasizing the importance of international collaboration also in space innovation. Delegation members Dr. Alexandre Pauchard, CEO of the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), and Prof. Dr. Günther Dissertori, Rector of ETH Zurich, further developed these points by presenting their respective organizations and highlighting Switzerland’s vibrant research ecosystem. They referred to initiatives such as the Swiss Quantum Initiative (SQI), the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA), and the ETH Space Center, as well as to Switzerland’s network of world-renowned universities and federal institutes that attract global technology leaders including IBM, Google, Disney, and Sony. Altogether, the inputs highlighted Switzerland’s interdisciplinary approach to innovation and the strong potential to deepen future Swiss-Japanese collaboration in quantum science.

Press release (SERI): https://www.sbfi.admin.ch/en/newnsb/L7JVBgLQrQVPbWbHVbonK