Top European researchers are shocked that the EU has kicked Switzerland out of the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures. The reason for this step was the planned framework agreement with the EU, which Switzerland broke in 2021.
For the European scientific elite, however, this is no reason to exclude Switzerland from research. Robert-Jan Smits, President of Eindhoven University of Technology (NL) and former European Commission Director-General for Research and Innovation, says on sciencebusiness.net: “I find this shocking and bad news for European science.”
“Too obedient to the EU Commission”
John Wood, former ESFRI president, describes Switzerland’s exclusion as “absurd”. It almost seems “bad” to him. Since Britain and Switzerland, two ‘major science countries’, are excluded, ESFRI can no longer claim to represent the European research infrastructure.
Wood accuses ESFRI of turning from a free organization of EU member states into a body too dependent on the EU Commission. “You have to decide, not the politicians,” he said. ESFRI is now “judgmenting things rather than being an open discussion forum”.
Wood predicts that after Switzerland’s departure, research discussions will increasingly take place in bilateral talks and thus outside ESFRI. “ESFRI has done a great job, but I wonder where it’s going.”
ESFRI was established in 2002 to replace an opaque system in which the EU’s major scientific powers decide on infrastructure needs behind closed doors.
Forum is considering adjustment
ESFRI President Jana Kolar stressed that EU-Switzerland research and innovation cooperation is part of international relations and that a return of Switzerland to ESFRI – even as an observer – “depends on political decisions at the highest level”.
EU research commissioner Mariya Gabriel calls on Switzerland to rejoin wider talks. “We look forward to renewing Switzerland’s participation and re-engaging them at all levels as soon as possible to enable closer cooperation.”
There may be a rapprochement soon. According to Gabriel, ESFRI is currently “carrying out general considerations on its work with third countries”. The result, which could also redefine the relationship with Switzerland, is expected this year.
Switzerland is an important research location
Switzerland is highly integrated into the European research infrastructure landscape and CERN is based in Geneva. There are also other highly developed infrastructures in Switzerland, such as the facilities of the Paul Scherrer Institute in Villigen AG, the Swiss Plasma Center in Lausanne, the Swiss Center for Scientific Computing in Lugano or the Jungfraujoch high-alpine research station.
It is also an active member of the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Southern Observatory and, as a founding member and depositary, of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. (gf)