EU and Switzerland sign agreement on admission to Horizon Europe, Fusion for Energy

The European Union and Switzerland have signed the agreement on Switzerland's participation in Horizon Europe and other EU programmes.

This means that the agreement places Swiss researchers and organisations on the same footing as those in EU Member States: they may lead consortia, receive direct EU funding and access all thematic pillars and instruments of the programmes.

The signing of the agreement took place in Bern on 10/11/2025 by Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, and Guy Parmelin, Swiss Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research. It applies retroactively from 01/01/2025.

It also establishes Switzerland as a member of Fusion for Energy starting in 2026, which will allow Swiss researchers and industry to contribute to ITER, the world's most significant international fusion energy project. Association to Erasmus+ is planned for 2027.

The Commission said in a statement that the agreement "opens new capacity for pooling talent, research infrastructures and industrial capabilities across…