Research Policy

It’s a good thing if animal testing is widely discussed in society, says Detlef Günther, but it’s important that these discussions are fair and fact-based.

What no one expected – genetically modified organisms in which no foreign DNA has been inserted are to be exempted from the moratorium on genetic engineering. This was decided by the Council of States during the winter session of parliament. On the other hand, the lower house's rejection of the proposal to double the EU cohesion billion was predictable.

The Europe dossier continues to occupy Parliament in the current winter session. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council is proposing to double the cohesion contribution  if the EU allows Switzerland to participate fully in Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ by mid-2022. The Council of States is also discussing the moratorium on genetic engineering. It is discussing exceptions for procedures in which no foreign DNA is introduced into organisms.

No access to prestigious grants. Limited opportunities to have a say in European research policy. Less interest from partners and researchers. These are just some of the ways in which ETH Zurich and Switzerland as a whole are being affected by the country’s exclusion from the Horizon Europe programme.

The National Council and the Council of States approved the cohesion contribution in the autumn session, which ended on October 1. The road to this point was rocky and full of twists and turns. A report.

Since 13 September the autumn session is in full swing. Over the course of three weeks, the National Council and the Council of States will deal with issues that are equally important for the ETH Domain, such as the release of the cohesion billion to selected EU states or the Gene Technology Act.