Academic ties with Switzerland strengthened

Academics from Switzerland and the Netherlands will collaborate more frequently in the future. ZWITSERnet, launched last week, is helping to make this possible. ZWITSERnet aims to strengthen research ties between the two countries and offers funding opportunities to facilitate this.

ZWITSERnet is a comprehensive Swiss science network dedicated to promoting collaboration, innovation, skills, and knowledge exchange between Swiss and Swiss-related scientists and innovators in the Netherlands. The initiative is open to academics in the Netherlands and anyone based at a Dutch higher education institution (HEI) conducting research related to Switzerland.

ZWITSERnet stands for:

• Z-witser

• W-etenschap

• I-nnovatie

• T-echnologie

• S-cience, Students and Skills

• E-ducatie

• R-esearch 

- Network

The embassy of Switzerland is involved because they strive to promote Swiss science and scientists within the Netherlands. Furthermore, the network increases the general visibility of Switzerland, and connects Swiss citizens living in the Netherlands. Eventually, the embassy’s goal is to include all universities and HEI in the Netherlands. The next sections are likely to open in Maastricht and/or Delft.

Trailblazers

For the Faculty of Arts, this means a new available network for academic interaction, more visibility thanks to the pioneering work of the first branch in Groningen, interdisciplinary collaboration between staff from different faculties in Groningen, and more funding opportunities for workers and students in Groningen and the Netherlands. In addition, such a network - organised in collaboration with a national embassy  - does not yet exist anywhere else in the world (to the best of our knowledge) and we are therefore real trailblazers by setting it up.

The first ZWITSERnet section is now officially launched at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, lead by Adrian Favero in cooperation with Marije Michel, Xavier Guillaume, Adrien Remund, Jean-Christophe Billeter, Lukas Linsi, and Zoé Christoff. The kick-off meeting was attended by the Deputy Head of Mission fromthe Swiss Embassy Fabian Grass and his colleague Susanne Foerster.