From 22 to 25 July, Swiss president Mr Guy Parmelin will be in Japan, where he will meet Prime Minister Yoshihide and the Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi. At a hybrid event held in Tokyo, the establishment of a new Swiss consulate in Osaka will be announced. On Friday 23 July, Mr Parmelin will attend the opening of the Olympic Games, prior to which a reception with Emperor Naruhito is scheduled. The programme also includes a meeting with IOC president Thomas Bach on Saturday.

Switzerland will be treated as a non-associated third country in the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon Europe, until further notice. Researchers in Switzerland can still participate in calls for proposals under the status, albeit to a limited extent, and receive funding directly from the Confederation. However, participation in individual projects, in particular in future calls for proposals from the European Research Council, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions and the European Innovation Council, is no longer possible. The Federal Council's stated aim remains Switzerland's full association to Horizon Europe.

The European Commission has launched the calls for project proposals under Horizon Europe. Switzerland and the EU have not yet held negotiations on Switzerland's association to the programme. Researchers in Switzerland can nonetheless participate in the calls for proposals, albeit to a limited extent. If there is a delay or no association, Swiss researchers will have the possibility of receiving direct funding from the Confederation.

President Guy Parmelin was received by King Carl XVI Gustaf at the start of his visit to Sweden on Monday, 14 June 2021. He then met separately with Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, Minister for Business, Industry and Innovation Ibrahim Baylan and Minister for Higher Education and Research Matilda Ernkrans, and paid a courtesy visit to Speaker of the Riksdag Andreas Norlén. The innovation agencies of Switzerland and Sweden signed a memorandum of understanding to further deepen their cooperation, which has been ongoing since 2013.

State Secretary Martina Hirayama virtually attended the third Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3) on May 8-9, 2021. At ASM3, science ministers and representatives of Arctic indigenous peoples' organizations came together to strengthen international cooperation in science and research to advance understanding of the Arctic region, and to support the role of science in policy and decision-making in the Arctic. In her speech, State Secretary Hirayama emphasized the importance of research in response to the challenges of climate change in the vulnerable Polar regions and the urgent need for international cooperation in this area.

On 19 July 2021, State Secretary Martina Hirayama took part in an informal meeting of ministers responsible for research and innovation in the EU member states. At the biannual event, held this time in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana, the participants discussed the implementation of the goals of the new European Research Area at national and European level. They also addressed the question of how Europe would like to shape cooperation in the area of research and innovation with its international partners. Switzerland's presence and input at this meeting underscored its active commitment to maintaining a strong European Research Area.

On June 28, 2021, the third meeting of the Italian-Swiss joint committee for cooperation in the area of science met took place in a virtual format. The meeting included both a bilateral discussion between Martina Hirayama, State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation, and Maria Cristina Messa, Italian Minister for University and Research, and an in-depth exchange between the respective high-level delegations of both countries on existing and future scientific cooperation.

State Secretary Martina Hirayama participated in the Africa-Europe Space Earth Observation High-Level Forum in Lisbon on 11 and 12 June. Organised as part of the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the EU, the forum focused on how Earth observation can facilitate sustainable development while fostering new skills and creating jobs. The forum also provided an opportunity for bilateral discussions with the Portuguese minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor.

The Square Kilometre Array, the most sensitive radio telescope developed so far, is being constructed to research the origin of the very first stars and galaxies. It will be operated by the international organisation Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO). The Federal Council is requesting Parliament to increase the guarantee credit already approved so that Switzerland can become a member of the SKAO until 2030. On 4 June it submitted a dispatch to this effect to Parliament.

State Secretary Martina Hirayama participated by video conference on 4 May in the 2021 Ministerial Conference of COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). The main items on the agenda were a discussion on COST's role in the European Research Area and the adoption of a ministerial declaration. Through its participation, Switzerland reaffirmed its commitment as a full and active member of COST and the European Research Area.