Swiss immigration quotas could block H2020 participation

Switzerland could be barred from participating in Horizon 2020 and Erasmus+ after Swiss voters narrowly agreed to limit the number of immigrants to the country. Immigration restrictions could also make it difficult for Swiss companies and universities to recruit foreign staff and could affect broader research ties between the EU and Switzerland.

Swiss businesses have campaigned against the restrictions, warning that they would isolate the country and jeopardise R&D. According to the EU’s innovation scoreboard, Switzerland’s research and innovation system outperforms all EU member states.

In 1999, Switzerland and the EU signed a number of bilateral agreements, including a deal on the free movement of persons thus allowing Swiss citizens to live and work in EU countries and vice versa. The 1999 package also includes a research agreement permitting Swiss scientists to apply for EU funding. Swiss participation in Horizon 2020 is now under threat – as the agreements as now, because if one agreement ends, the others must end.

Swiss science could be among the first victims of the referendum. Switzerland was expected to include Croatia in its free movement agreement, though if it fails to include the newest EU member state, the country would be barred from participating in Horizon 2020.

Scientists in Switzerland have typically fared well under EU science programmes. Over a quarter of Swiss research proposals secured funding under FP7, the fourth highest average success rate. Swiss scientists secured €1.27bn in EU research funding between 2007 and 2012, according to Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, including about €356m in ERC grants. They are set to receive about €1.8bn from Horizon 2020.