‘Special scenarios’ to tackle long term H2020 participation

The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has announced that it is considering the implementation of special measures if the country is not able to resolve its long term participation in Horizon 2020.

Switzerland signed an agreement with Brussels last year which allows the country to be partially associated to the EU research and innovation framework programme. Swiss-based researchers can receive Horizon 2020 funds for the objectives under the Excellent Science and Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation pillars, as well as EURATOM. They must, however, participate as a third country in the remaining Industrial Leadership and Societal Challenges pillars and all other aspects of the framework programme.

The partial agreement runs until the end of December 2016, after which the country will revert back to non-association status if the issue regarding the free movement of persons is not resolved.

With the consequential uncertainty over the long term participation in Horizon 2020, the SNSF is developing ‘special scenarios’ to help decide what action to take. The present situation, the organisation says, ‘obliges the SNSF to plan flexibly for the 2017-2020 period’, with the current multiannual programme ‘subject to substantial changes’.

In 2014, the SNSF introduced a Temporary Backup Scheme to assist Swiss-based researchers with blue sky research funding. Such national funding schemes ‘will not be able to serve as a long term substitute for the lack of European competition’. The SNSF considers the ‘integration into the European Research Area’ as ‘essential for the future of excellent research in Switzerland’.