“Horizon Europe”: Switzerland fully associated again
With the agreement signed by Switzerland and the EU on 10 November, Switzerland is once again a full member of Horizon. ETH researchers can now apply directly for funding again.
Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin and EU Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva met in Bern on 10 November to sign the EU programmes Agreement (EUPA). With the two signatures, Switzerland officially joined the 9th Framework programme, known as Horizon Europe, after being excluded from the European research programme in 2021. The association is retrospective to 1st January 2025 and covers not only Horizon Europe but also the Euratom programme and the Digital Europe Programme. Participation in the ITER research infrastructure is planned as of 1st January 2026 and from 2027 onwards, the EUPA will also enable association to Erasmus+.
Since 2021, Switzerland has been formally considered a non-associated third country in the Horizon package. Thanks to the renewed association, ETH researchers can now participate in the framework programme as beneficiaries again and receive direct funding from the European Commission. Importantly, they can also receive retroactive funding for projects that were positively evaluated in 2025.
In addition, the association grants ETH researchers access to parts of the programme from which Switzerland was previously excluded, such as the monobeneficiary funding schemes of the European Research Council (ERC) and Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). Historically, ETH has been extremely successful to both schemes, consistently achieving above-average success rates.
Further information
Further information on the signing of the EU programme agreement can be found on the external page website of the Federal Government.
For further information on European funding opportunities, please contact the grant office.
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