Moedas and Schneider-Amman sign H2020 agreement
The EU and Switzerland will today sign a comprehensive international agreement associating Switzerland to parts of Horizon 2020.
The signature formally confirms the country’s association to the Excellent Science pillar, the Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation cross-cutting objective, and the Research and Training Programme of EURATOM. Switzerland will be able to participate in project consortia on an equal footing with EU member states in these components only and will contribute an estimated €400m to Horizon 2020 until the end of 2016.
Commenting on the signature of the agreement, Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Science, Research and Innovation, said: “This agreement is of paramount importance for our scientific communities. EU researchers benefit from access to excellent Swiss research facilities and institutions. At the same time, access to schemes for researcher mobility like the Marie Skłodowska-Curie, or to excellent research in programmes like European Research Council and Future and Emerging Technologies, is vital for the Swiss. Furthermore, with this agreement Switzerland renews its commitment towards our longstanding and fruitful collaboration.”
The deal is being signed by Moedas and Stefania Giannini, Italian Minister of Education, Universities and Research, on behalf on the EU, and Johann Schneider-Amman, head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, on behalf of Switzerland. During yesterday’s Competitiveness Council meeting, EU member states authorised the signing and provisional application of the agreement, which also sees Switzerland participate as an associated country in the ITER project.
The participation of Switzerland is effective from 15 September 2014 until 31 December 2016. Beyond 2016, association to these programmes will depend on Swiss measures to ensure the non-discrimination of Croatian citizens and researchers. According to the European Commission, if Switzerland resolves the issue of the free movement of persons by February 2017, the association will expand to the whole of Horizon 2020 including the parts not yet covered. Otherwise, the whole agreement will be automatically terminated.
