Federal Council approved interim measures in response to the unresolved situation regarding Switzerland’s association to Horizon 2020

On 25 June 2014 the Federal Council approved interim measures in response to the unresolved situation regarding Switzerland’s association to Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. The measures are designed to support researchers in Switzerland who are involved in projects and programmes financed under Horizon 2020 and who will no longer receive any funding from Brussels. The Federal Council’s stated aim remains for Switzerland to achieve full association to Horizon 2020 by the end of the year, if possible.

Researchers in public research institutions, organisations and companies based in Switzerland are eligible for funding for all partnership projects in the Horizon 2020 package including ERA-NET projects and European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) projects. Funding is also available to meet the costs of managing or coordinating such projects. 

Read the full article on the news page of the Federal Council. 

EU approves Swiss proposal concerning Croatia

The Swiss "Tagesanzeiger" reports that EU negotiators approved the Swiss proposal to apply the free circulation agreement for Croatia without signing the related protocol. This presents a major step in the negotiation of a framework agreement and is expected to impact also on the H2020 and Erasmus dossiers.

Read the full article (in German) on the Tagesanzeiger website. 

Swiss participation in H2020: Update of FAQ available

A newly updated version of technical Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) considering Switzerland's "third country status" within Horizon 2020 is now available. These FAQ are a living document  provided by the Mission CH EU, EC, SwissCore, SNSF, SERI and Euresearch Head Office.

You can download it from the Euresearch website. 

Appeal "Not Without Switzerland" handed over

The scientific community of Switzerland addressed the appeal to the Presidents of the Swiss Confederation and the European Commission.

After the public vote in Switzerland on immigration on the 9th of February 2014, the scientific community of Switzerland launched the appeal of the Swiss and European academic community for an open European higher education area.

The initiators and the 30'905 signatories are officially asking to take steps to ensure an ongoing participation of Switzerland in Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020 and to look for solutions in order to safeguard an open european and international higher education area.

Please refer to Euresearch for the source of this information and the letters submitted to the President of the Swiss Confederation and the President of the European Commission. 

The "Development of a Simplified Consortium Agreement (DESCA)" consortium released its model Consortium Grant Agreement (CGA) for Horizon 2020. You can download the model agreement in with or without elucidation notes from the DESCA site. 

DESCA was the most used model for consortium agreements in the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7). 

The core group of the DESCA consortium is composed of the Helmholtz and Fraunhofer associations (coordinators), the Association Nationale de la Recherche et de la Technologie (ANRT), the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations (EARTO), the European Association of Chambers of Commerce (Eurochambres), the European Liaison Office of the German Research Organisations (KoWi), the League of European Research Universities (LERU), the Applied Research Organisation in Finland (VTT) and the Centre for Innovation and Technology in North Rhine-Westphalia (ZENIT). DESCA also relies on a broad consultation group composed of around 160 experts from academia, research organisations and industry. SCIPROM is happy to be a part of this consultation group. 

The consortium is independent and does not receive any funding from the European Commission (EC).

Update:FAQs on Swiss Third Country Participation in Horizon 2020

A collection of technical Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) considering the situation of Switzerland becoming a “industrialized third country" within Horizon 2020 is now available in an updated version.

This living document is provided by the Mission CH EU, EC, SwissCore, SNSF, SERI and Euresearch Head Office.

You can download the current version from the EURESEARCH website.

UPDATE: MSC Actions with Switzerland's Status as 3rd Country

An updated overview on the implications of Switzerland's new status as 3rd country within Horizon 2020 for the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions is now available. Please refer to Euresearch to download the revised leaflet.