Following the ratification of the protocol extending the free movement of persons to Croatia on 16 December 2016, Switzerland now retrieves the full association to the entire Horizon 2020 programme from 01 January 2017 on.

Swiss Participation in Horizon 2020, History and current Information

Swiss Participation in Horizon 2020, Factsheet by the European Commission (20 Dec 2016)

Frequently Asked Questions to the New Status of Switzerland as Associated Country in Horizon 2020 (16 Jan 2017)

The ERC Synergy Grant scheme, which ran under two pilot calls in 2012 and 2013, will be re-launched in the ERC Work Programme 2018. The aim of Synergy Grants is to address ambitious research questions that can only be answered by the coordinated work of a small group of two to four Principal Investigators.

The call will be published on 19 July 2017, with a deadline of 14 November 2017 (to be confirmed). The perspective is to fund 25 to 30 projects in 2018, with grants of maximum 10 M€ for up to 6 years.

The key importance of research and innovation (R&I) for Europe is widely acknowledged but does society actually trust in R&I? To bring together the needs of the research community and the expectations of European society, the European Commission has introduced the "Responsible Research and Innovation" (RRI) science policy framework.

Read more about this topic in our latest newsletter.