On April 2, a major step was taken with the initialisation of the agreement. It paves the way for Switzerland’s retroactive association with the European research and education programmes as of January 1, 2025, subject to the agreement’s signature in November 2025.
European Research Programmes and Erasmus+
The agreement includes provisions enabling Switzerland’s participation in several major European programmes: Horizon Europe, Euratom, ITER, and Digital Europe. These programmes are essential to address today’s scientific and technological challenges. They promote enhanced cooperation between academic, industrial, and institutional stakeholders across the continent, in strategic fields such as energy transition, digital transformation, health, basic research, and technological sovereignty.
Beyond research programmes, the agreements negotiated with the EU will also allow Switzerland to participate in Erasmus+ as of 2027. This programme is of equal strategic importance for higher education institutions. In addition to student mobility, it serves as a pillar of European cooperation in education, allocating a significant share of its resources to building networks of universities through alliances and advancing the digitalization of the european education area.
Support for Stable and Sustainable Relations with the EU
Mobility, exchange, and knowledge transfer: bilateral agreements benefit society as a whole and strengthen the competitiveness of the Swiss economy. For these reasons, Swiss higher education institutions reaffirm their support for stable and sustainable relations with the European Union.
For more information and positions regarding EU programmes.