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Switzerland must remain part of European Science
Prof. Dr. Madeleine Herren-Oesch, director of the Institute for European Global Studies, would like to draw your attention to the online petition for the association of Switzerland to the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation HORIZON 2020.
The result of the Federal popular initiative “Against Mass Immigration” has revealed a fundamental problem that is highly significant not only to Switzerland’s society and has far-reaching consequences: Uncertainty that results from complex developments has caused fears that intensify problems instead of solving them. It is now imperative to participate in the initiated fundamental debate and to draw attention to all those who are willing to make use of the existing potential of a dynamic and globally networked research landscape.
In order to find our way back to a knowledge-based culture of discussion and to embed this culture within the European area of knowledge, a strengthening of research on Europe will be helpful. The call for an innovative, future-directed and globally oriented research on Europe connects science and society, builds on the commitment of those who position the potential for development within the process of dynamic change and shows the broad spectrum of competences in dealing with structures of border-crossing entanglements.
In this spirit we would like to draw your attention to the petition “Switzerland must remain part of European science: Petition for the association of Switzerland to the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation HORIZON 2020”: https://www.openpetition.de/petition/online/switzerland-must-remain-part-of-european-science
Update: Kindly also note the following online petition:
An appeal for an open European higher education area
Switzerland’s affiliation with the European higher education area is threatened in consequence of the yes-vote on the federal popular initiative "mass immigration" from 9 February 2014. In its initial reaction, the European Commission has excluded Switzerland from the 8th EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 and from the student exchange program Erasmus+. Students, researchers and scientists are kindly invited to sign an online petition by the national Union of Students of Switzerland that is supported by the Swiss science organizations including the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences. The signers of this appeal call upon decision-makers in Europe and Switzerland to enable Switzerland’s participation in these important programs, and voice their commitment to an open European and international higher education area.