Switzerland becomes an associated country to the Horizon Europe programme

On 10 November 2025, the EU Programmes Agreement (EUPA) was signed in Bern by Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin and European Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva. The agreement applies with immediate effect, meaning that Switzerland is associated to Horizon Europe, the Euratom Programme, and the Digital Europe Programme retroactively from 1 January 2025. Switzerland will participate in the ITER Programme from 1 January 2026 and will be able to associate to Erasmus+ Programme from 2027. The signing of the EUPA took place before the finalisation of the overall Switzerland–EU package but remains part of it.

Grant agreements for positively evaluated projects from 2025 calls can now be signed, and project funding will be provided directly by the European Commission, as Switzerland contributes to this purpose through a mandatory contribution to the EU budget. Regarding participation opportunities, Swiss entities can once again act as coordinators in collaborative projects starting from the 2025 calls. Participation in mono-beneficiary projects, notably those of the European Research Council (ERC), the European Innovation Council (EIC), and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships, is also once again possible.

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