State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation
Bern, 27 October 2022 – The fifteenth meeting between the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research took place in Bern on 26 and 27 October ( BMBF). Swiss-German cooperation in the fields of education, research and innovation was at the heart of the meeting, chaired for the first time by State Secretary Martina Hirayama and German Parliamentary State Secretary at the BMBF, Jens Brandenburg.
The two high-ranking delegations, made up of representatives from universities, umbrella organizations and research and innovation funding agencies, exchanged views on current developments in the fields of education, research and innovation (ERI). Among other things, the effects of ongoing political events on international research cooperation and higher education issues in both countries were discussed. Also on the agenda is the European Research Area and a possible future association of Switzerland with Erasmus + and the European Framework Program for Research and Innovation Horizon Europe. The numerous direct collaborations between universities, researchers and research infrastructures were highlighted and the intense bilateral cooperation in the ERI area was appreciated. Various options for intensifying scientific cooperation between the two countries were also discussed in the context of the talks.
A scientific meeting held on the sidelines of the official talks offered the opportunity to exchange ideas with experts, students and researchers on topical issues in research and innovation policy. The meeting concluded with a company visit on 27 October 2022, during which the focus was on direct contact between delegations and apprentices, as well as on the issues of innovation transfer and the shortage of skilled labor.
Germany is by far Switzerland’s most important partner in education, research and innovation. The numerically significant cooperation and excellent networking between researchers and research and innovation institutes from the two countries are reflected in the nearly 2,000 German-Swiss project collaborations funded under the EU’s Framework Program for Research and Innovation ” Horizon 2020 “(2014-2020). In addition, between 2017 and 2021, the Swiss National Science Foundation funded over 4,500 projects by Swiss researchers with German participation. With around 12,300 students (2021/22; Bildungsauslaender only), German students also make up the largest group of foreign students in Switzerland; In contrast, around 3,700 Swiss (2019/20) study in Germany.
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State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation
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State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation
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