Research Policy

During the summer session, the National Council adopted several interventions related to Switzerland's participation in Horizon Europe. It asked the Federal Council to negotiate with the EU an immediate association with the framework programme and to launch a comprehensive research and innovation programme.

From the perspective of those involved in education, research and innovation (ERI), Horizon Europe is at the centre of the summer session. Two committees of the Federal Parliament are calling on the Federal Council to act on this issue.

In this episode of the podcast, ETH researchers and the former Director-General of Research and Innovation at the European Commission talk about Switzerland's exclusion from Horizon Europe.

The Federal Council is to submit a proposal to Parliament by mid-2024, on how new breeding technologies can be authorised on the basis of their risk. The National Council and the Council of States took this decision in the spring parliamentary session as part of the so-called "elimination of differences" process.

The extension of the moratorium on the cultivation of genetically modified organisms in agriculture by another four years until the end of 2025 is a done deal. However, there could be an exception for new technologies. The National Council and the Council of States are looking for compromises in the spring session.