How co-operation can sharpen R&D's cutting edge

In a world that is increasingly driven by knowledge and innovation, Switzerland – although small – stands out as a global leader in research and development. The Swiss model is built upon an attractive and stable framework that enables the country to act as a global hub for innovation and technology.

Switzerland is regularly ranked as one of the most innovative countries in the world. How can we explain this success story? Conducive to its quality research and innovation are its high level of education, world-class infrastructure and excellent universities. These are attractive conditions for companies to lead private investment in R&D and produce high-quality innovations.

Moreover, vocational education and training, or VET, also makes a significant contribution to Switzerland’s innovation capacity. The SwissVET system is closely linked to the labour market, and the private sector’s professional organisations define and update the content of training, ensuring that it remains future-oriented and promotes innovation. This creates a workforce that is highly skilled and adaptable to the ever-changing demands of the global economy.

The importance that Switzerland attaches to research and innovation is reflected in an investment of more than 3 per cent of its gross domestic product in R&D, amounting to approximately 25 billion Swiss francs ($29.7 billion) annually. Remarkably, more than two thirds of this investment come from the private sector, highlighting its critical contribution in driving research and innovation. Complementing this, the Swiss government’s role is to ensure that the right framework conditions are in place for initiatives to flourish.

The principle of excellence lies at the heart of Switzerland's research and innovation policy. Public research funding is awarded on a competitive basis, with the quality of proposals being the decisive factor. This approach fosters innovation and ensures that resources are allocated efficiently. Other important factors are a bottom-up approach as well as autonomy and freedom in research. Initiatives that are developed directly and autonomously between research and innovation stakeholders are the best guarantee for high-quality scientific relations both at the national and the international level.

These factors put Switzerland in an excellent starting position but R&D does not stop at national borders. International openness is, therefore, another cornerstone of Switzerland’s research and innovation policy. To encourage international partnerships, Switzerland fosters bilateral co-operation with partner countries and actively participates in international research programmes and global research organisations such as Cern, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research.

With its continuous commitment to scientific freedom, openness and excellence, Switzerland can serve as an invaluable partner in international co-operation, fostering collaborative research and innovation environments as well as contributing to the development of solutions to global challenges.

The Swiss government’s bilateral programmes are one of the key instruments to foster international co-operation in research and innovation. Based on the principles of mutual interest, joint funding and scientific excellence, they are designed to facilitate long-term and sustainable partnerships. The programmes consist of two complementary instruments: calls for joint research projects launched by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) in co-operation with partner funding agencies as well as the so-called Leading House Model. Under this model, the Swiss government mandates selected Swiss higher education institutions to establish strategic co-operation instruments that provide seed funding and support innovative pilot projects in regions with significant scientific and technological potential.

Swiss-Emirati research co-operation is supported through the Leading House for the Middle East and North Africa region, the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland. In the 2021-2024 funding period, Leading House Mena supported seven projects in co-operation with Emirati in the areas of biosciences, engineering, computer sciences and earth sciences, among others.

One of the Leading House Mena’s key priorities in the next three years is to strengthen engagement with key regional hubs, such as the UAE, through innovation-focused programmes. Additionally, it aims to increase the visibility of Swiss-Mena scientific collaboration.

Both Switzerland and the UAE share a vision of leveraging innovation to drive economic growth and improve quality of life. Switzerland's model is deeply rooted in its unique socio-economic context and abides by the above-mentioned principles. The UAE, with its cutting-edge research in future technologies, complements Switzerland’s R&D ecosystem. Co-operation between the two countries has the potential to enhance both the pace and quality of developments in areas such as digitalisation in medicine, sustainable energy and artificial intelligence.

Furthermore, in view of the countries’ distinct geographies and climates, R&D co-operation can improve resource utilisation and offer a variety of testing conditions for innovative products. Overall, Swiss-Emirati R&D co-operation can tap into existing potential, something that can be explored by researchers and innovators from both countries.