Switzerland and Russia discuss joint cooperation in research and innovation
Bern, 15.03.2017 - The Joint Commission on Scientific and Technological Cooperation, which was instituted by the Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation signed by Switzerland and the Russian Federation in December 2012, held its third meeting this Tuesday 14 March 2017 in Bern.
The Swiss delegation, comprising members of the Swiss academic and research community and headed by Ambassador Mauro Moruzzi, welcomed a Russian delegation of ten from the Ministry of Education and Science, research funding agencies and academic institutions.
Discussions focussed primarily on the current state of cooperation in research and its development potential. The Commission was informed of the implementation progress of the 25 joint research projects that started at the end of 2015, and discussed modalities for a new call for proposals. It also addressed the topic of cooperation in innovation, which could be further strengthened by the end of the year under the multilateral EUREKA initiative.
Switzerland and Russia are long-standing partners and strong ties exist between the respective scientific communities. Between 2011 and 2016, more than 130 direct collaborations were supported for an amount of over CHF 14 million on the Swiss side. During the same period, researchers of 120 projects funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation indicated collaborating with colleagues from Russia. Since 1968, more than 300 young Russian researchers have benefited from Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships. Furthermore, Switzerland and Russia are members of major international research organisations in material analysis, the ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility) in Grenoble and the European XFEL (X-ray Free Electron Laser) in Hamburg.
Address for enquiries
Anouk De Bast
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI
International Relations Division
Tel. +41 58 463 31 76
anouk.de-bast@sbfi.admin.ch
Publisher
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation
http://www.sbfi.admin.ch
