Swiss and UK research chiefs urge EC president to depoliticise science

© Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott

The heads of Switzerland’s Federal Institutes of Technology have signed an open letter to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, asking for help in unblocking access to Horizon Europe research projects. 

The open letterExternal link was sent on Thursday on behalf of the Stick to Science campaign as part of an effort to speed up the readmission of Switzerland and the United Kingdom into the EU-led Horizon Europe research collaboration. Both have been locked out of Horizon due to ongoing political disputes.

The letter was also signed by the presidents of key British scientific bodies like the Royal Society, Wellcome Trust and Universities UK.  

The co-initiators of the #StickToScienceExternal link initiative have sent an open letter to the EC President Ursula @vonderleyenExternal link asking her to intervene urgently in the critical issue for science created by the delay of the association of and to #HorizonEuropeExternal link.https://t.co/KHUzAxWYgGExternal link

— Stick to Science (@Stick2Science) June 23, 2022External link

It stated that researchers from Switzerland and UK still have much to offer science in Europe and that collaboration would benefit everyone especially in the face of challenges like climate change and future pandemics. The authors called on von der Leyen to delink science from political issues.

“Political relationships can heal, but the impact of fragmenting research now will continue to be felt in the decades to come,” reads the letter.

In 2021 Switzerland decided to pull the plug on a draft treaty binding it more tightly to the European Union. The EU reacted by relegating Switzerland to non-associated country status in the Horizon Europe, notably cutting off Swiss researchers from funding by the European Commission. Horizon Europe runs from 2021 to 2027 and has an overall budget of €95 billion (CHF98 billion).