Universities fear for research after EU deal breakdown

Swissinfo.ch 04 June 2021

Swiss universities say that the government’s decision to drop the institutional agreement on relations with the European Union puts Switzerland’s top research position at risk, writes Isobel Leybold-Johnson for Swissinfo.ch.

In particular, they fear the consequences for Swiss participation in the EU’s key Horizon Europe research programmes and the Erasmus+ student exchange scheme. Yves Flückiger, University of Geneva rector and president of swissuniversities, the sector’s umbrella body, tweeted that the decision was “unfortunately not a surprise, but still a big disappointment. I am very worried about the future of the Swiss science community”.

The government’s announcement on Wednesday 26 May marks the end of years of negotiations towards a Swiss-EU ‘framework’ treaty to regulate long-term ties. Universities fear that this could lead to Switzerland being once again barred from EU research programmes, as happened in 2014 after the controversial vote to re-introduce immigration quotas for EU citizens.
Full report on the Swissinfo.ch site

Receive email updates from UWN

Global newsletters    Africa newsletters    Other
    (other includes related events and webinars)

Data will be processed according to our standard terms & conditions.

Research focuses on production of jet fuel from halophytes

UAE University staff

With an eye to developing a clean, alternative aviation fuel to reduce carbon emissions, researchers at the United Arab Emirates University have been focusing on the production of jet fuel from sustainable resources such as halophytes, which are salt-tolerant plants that could be cultivated on a wider scale in the region’s coastal areas.

The value of being human: How teachers can work alongside AI

Michael Milligan

Artificial intelligence is now a part of our evolution in technology and teachers need to be encouraged to find ways to bring AI into the classroom and have students use it in a way that is beneficial to them in the long term.

Ground-breaking research on seawater biodesalination

UAE University staff

As water scarcity reaches critical levels globally, a research team at the United Arab Emirates University seeks to revolutionise seawater desalination practices, offering a path to mitigate water scarcity while championing environmental preservation.