Switzerland is a major centre for scientific and technological research. It is home to many world-renowned research facilities and has produced 20 Nobel Prize winners to date.

Science and the economy

Every year, Switzerland invests just under 3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) in research, making it one of the top five research nations in the industrialised world. Two-thirds of funding comes from the private sector, 20% from national or cantonal budgets and the rest from assorted institutions like the Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences.

Fields of research

Most research is conducted in growth industries such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, environmental and medical technology, as well as in information and communications technology. University-based research tends to specialise in the natural sciences, chiefly chemistry, physics and medicine, as well as in micro- and nanotechnology.
Switzerland supervises many research projects overseas and contributes to the European Union’s framework programme on research and technological development.

National research centres

Switzerland offers a wealth of employment opportunities for well-qualified workers. For example, around 38,000 people are currently employed in the research sector.
- The Federal Institutes of Technology in Zurich and Lausanne have earned international renown for their scientific research. Both have long sought to attract the best researchers and teaching staff, whether from Switzerland or abroad. Today, over half of their staff are from overseas.
- The Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) is one of the leading research centres in Europe. Scientists from across the world travel to the institute to use its facilities, such as the “Swiss Light Source” and the “Swiss Spallation Neutron Source”.

International research centres

Switzerland is home to two international research centres.
- The European Organisation for Nuclear Research, or CERN for short, has its headquarters outside Geneva. It was founded in 1954 as a European joint venture and now hosts a total of 7,000 scientists from 80 countries, whose day-to-day work involves trying to unlock the mysteries of the universe. September 2008 saw the launch of the “Large Hadron Collider”, the most powerful particle accelerator in the world.
- The European laboratory of the American high-tech company IBM is located just outside Zurich, in nearby Rüschlikon. It currently employs around 300 scientists and researchers from 20 different countries. It is involved in numerous joint projects with universities across Europe. It also takes part in Swiss and EU research programmes, and forges links with other industrial research institutes.

Swissnex: Switzerland’s Knowledge Network

Swissnex is an important instrument of bilateral cooperation in the fields of education, research and innovation between Switzerland and selected partner countries. Run by the SER (Swiss State Secretariat for Education and Research) with support from the FDFA, Swissnex cooperates with universities, industry, interested groups and private sponsors. The main goal is to support the internationalisation efforts of Swiss institutions in the host regions. There are currently five Swissnex knowledge outposts worldwide: Boston, San Francisco, Singapore, Shanghai und Bangalore.

Swiss National Science Foundation 

The Swiss National Science Foundation was created in 1952 to promote and sponsor scientific research. It divides its support into four major divisions: Humanities and Social Sciences; Mathematics, Natural and Engineering Sciences; Biology and Medicine. Among its many programmes, is the “SNSF Professorship” programme, which aims to attract young, gifted researchers back to Switzerland.

 www.sbf.admin.ch/
 www.snf.ch/
 www.psi.ch/
 www.cern.ch/