Switzerland and the United Kingdom discuss science and innovation
Bern, 21.11.2025 — The third meeting of the Swiss-British Joint Committee for Science and Innovation was held in London on 21 November 2025. The meeting was chaired by State Secretary Martina Hirayama and the British Director of International Research and Innovation, Adam Jackson, and served to assess and improve bilateral co-operation in research and innovation.
In November 2022, Switzerland and the United Kingdom signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in science and innovation. On this basis, high-level representatives of research and innovation funding organisations, umbrella organisations of higher education institutions, research institutions and the governments of both countries met in London on 21 November 2025. They reviewed the progress made so far in implementing the joint priorities and discussed various ways to further intensify existing cooperation.
The participants gave a very positive assessment of the projects and activities implemented to date. Since the MoU was signed, the innovation funding agencies Innosuisse and Innovate UK have, for example, conducted two successful joint funding calls. This year, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) also launched a joint call for collaborative projects to support clinical trials.
In addition to the Joint Committee meeting, State Secretary Hirayama and Lord Vallance, the British Minister of State for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear, discussed science and innovation policy and cooperation between the two countries in a bilateral meeting. They also exchanged views on the EU framework programmes for research and innovation, research security and developments at international research organisations such as CERN. The visit to London was rounded off by a meeting with members of the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA).
The UK is one of Switzerland's key partners in research and innovation, both bilaterally and multilaterally. Between 2019 and 2024, the SNSF funded nearly 2,900 projects involving researchers from Switzerland and the UK. This makes the UK the third most important partner country in terms of the number of collaborations. Under the 9th EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (Horizon Europe, 2021–2027), Swiss and British researchers have worked together on over 770 projects to date.