Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER), will be accompanied by a large economic and scientific delegation on a mission to Morocco from 14 to 16 October. Official talks are scheduled with the head of the Moroccan government as well as with the ministers for higher education, scientific research and innovation, industry and commerce, and investment, convergence and evaluation of public policies.

From 30 September to 3 October, the State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation, Martina Hirayama, will visit Japan with a high-ranking scientific delegation. The inauguration of the new Swissnex site and consulate in Osaka on 30 September will be one of the highlights of the trip. Several meetings at ministerial level are on the agenda. Ms Hirayama will also take part in the Science and Technology for Society Forum in Kyoto. On 1 October, the visit will culminate in the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation to strengthen existing ties between Switzerland and Japan in all areas of research.

The European skills competitions are an important showcase for achievements in vocational and professional education and training (VPET), as well as a platform for cultivating international contacts. Rémy Hübschi, Deputy Director of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI, will travel to Gdansk, Poland, from 6 to 9 September for EuroSkills 2023. The trip will focus on exchange about various VPET topics with education ministers from other European countries, watching the competitions and attending the reception for the Swiss EuroSkills team.

The Swiss Innovation Agency is launching the second call for projects for the Swiss Accelerator. With this funding programme, Innosuisse is supporting innovation projects of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups that have already entered the market. Applications can be submitted as of today.

Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin will visit Brazil from 3 to 9 July with a large economic and science delegation. The focus of the trip will be a meeting with Brazilian Vice President and Minister of the Economy Geraldo Alckmin and the free trade agreement between EFTA and Mercosur. A further aim of the visit is to strengthen cooperation in education, research and innovation. A total of three memoranda of understanding are to be signed.

Neuchâtel, 04.10.2023 - The annual income of baccalaureate or specialised baccalaureate holders is less than CHF 10 000 for the first two years after obtaining their certificate. The period following the baccalaureate is often dedicated to further studies at a higher education institution. Median income then rises sharply as young people come to the end of their tertiary level education, reaching CHF 65 000 nine years after they have completed their baccalaureate. These are the main findings of a new publication from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

The Marcel Benoist Foundation awards the Prix Marcel Benoist 2023 to Ted Turlings of the University of Neuchâtel "for his outstanding contributions in the fields of chemical ecology and plant-insect interactions". Biologist Ted Turlings made a fundamental discovery in the early 1990s: plants emit odors to attract predators of insect pests that attack them. His work led to fundamental advances in our understanding of plant-insect interactions. It has also led to the development of new approaches to biological, pesticide-free pest control, a key aspect of sustainable agriculture.

On 31 August the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research announced the selection of two research and innovation projects as part of national activities in the space sector. Selected through a call launched by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) in 2022, these MARVIS (Multidisciplinary Advanced Research Ventures in Space) projects stand out for their multidisciplinary nature and their potential for developing specialist skills in the field of space, as well as their potential to generate results that can be incorporated into the activities of the European Space Agency (ESA).

Switzerland and Spain agreed to strengthen their cooperation in the field of research and innovation. The two countries signed a joint declaration this afternoon in Madrid to encourage and support their respective research and innovation communities to undertake bilateral and multilateral activities. This instrument will intensify cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the fields of sustainability, energy, life sciences and health.

At the SwissCore Annual Event in Brussels on 27 June, State Secretary Martina Hirayama emphasised that Switzerland has a major interest in strengthening European cooperation in education, research and innovation. There was agreement that a unilateral approach is not viable.