EN

No data, no research: How Switzerland is preparing for the future.

Digitalisation Digital self-determination 10:15

Add to bookmarks Remove from bookmarks
Author

Behind every scientific breakthrough lies a vast amount of data. But how do you obtain the necessary data, and how do you ensure that researchers in Zurich and Barcelona can use the same datasets? In a new white paper, the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) sets out how it intends to tackle these issues strategically – thereby reinforcing its role as a trustworthy and reliable partner in European science.

Translated by an automated translation plugin.

Key points at a glance

  • Research data as a public good: millions of measurement results, experiments and analyses are produced every year at Swiss universities and research institutes – often funded by public money. To ensure that this data does not gather dust in isolated systems, shared infrastructure is needed.
  • Europe is building a network of data platforms – with Switzerland as part of it: with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC),the EU has launched a kind of ‘digital library for science’: a network in which researchers from across Europe can securely access data, tools and computing capacity. In May 2026, Switzerland was officially recognised as a candidate for its own national node within this network.
  • No new silos – just better connectivity: the planned Swiss EOSC Node will not be a new, expensive data centre built from scratch. Instead, it will connect what already exists: supercomputers, databases and infrastructure currently operated by Swiss research institutions – and make them accessible to the European research community.
  • Strengthening digital sovereignty: With a Swiss EOSC Node, Switzerland can reconcile openness with protection in line with international best practice. It ensures that data remains accessible under clearly defined conditions, without being subject to sudden political restrictions. At the same time, it provides a structured environment in which institutions can manage risks such as data misuse, cyber threats or unintended knowledge transfer.
  • Act now, before it is too late: Europe is currently building the infrastructure. Those who help shape it now will set tomorrow’s standards. Those who wait will later have to adopt rules defined by others.

Imagine the following scenario: a climate researcher at the University of Bern has been collecting measurement data for years. Her colleague in Madrid is working on the same issues, but has no access to the data from Bern – and vice versa. Both use different formats, different systems and different security standards. The result: duplication of effort, wasted resources and findings that could have been produced sooner. This scenario is fictional, but it illustrates a real problem that researchers across Europe face on a daily basis. According to a study of 1,329 scientists, around 60 per cent stated that a lack of access to others’ data was a major obstacle to scientific progress.

This is precisely the problem the European Open Science Cloud aims to solve. It is a European network of national data nodes – comparable to a shared electricity grid that connects national sources without any country losing control over its own infrastructure. Today, the SERI, together with the leading national research institutions, has published a white paper outlining Switzerland’s path into this network.

A node for Switzerland – what does that mean in practical terms?

An ‘EOSC Node’ is the national entry point to this European data network. Whoever operates it has a say in deciding which data is accessible, under what conditions and to whom. The Swiss EOSC Node would bring together existing infrastructures – from the National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) in Lugano to Switch, the network operator for Swiss universities – and make them compatible with the European network under common standards.

“The question is not whether, but how Switzerland should participate in the EOSC. Those who join now will help shape it – those who wait too long will miss the boat.”

Manuel Kugler, Programme Manager for Data & AI and Advanced Manufacturing, Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences

First the prototype, then the knot

Before Switzerland joins the European network in full, a trial will first be carried out. The SENPro (Swiss EOSC Node Prototype) project will run until January 2027 and will test key elements of a national node on a small scale, including technical solutions, governance approaches and collaboration models. The insights gained are to be incorporated directly into the development of the actual Swiss EOSC Node. The white paper proposes taking this approach in a step-by-step and flexible manner – adapted to the political framework, such as the as yet unresolved question of Swiss participation in the next EU Research Framework Programme 2028–2034.

The white paper was produced in close collaboration with a broad range of national stakeholders: ETH Zurich, EPFL, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), swissuniversities, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, the Swiss Data Science Centre, the Paul Scherrer Institute, FORS and the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences. It is aimed at decision-makers in politics as well as the scientific community.

The full white paper is available to download from the SERI website.

Read the white paper

The SATW and the white paper

The Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) played an active role in the development of this white paper through the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences. Manuel Kugler, Programme Manager for Data & AI and Advanced Manufacturing, represented the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences in the SERI working group and contributed his expertise to the drafting of the strategic recommendations.

The SATW is committed to a sustainable digital research infrastructure in Switzerland and welcomes the white paper as an important step in the right direction. Viewing research data as a shared resource and managing it in a coordinated manner is a fundamental prerequisite for scientific excellence and technological competitiveness – both of which are core themes for SATW.

Find out more about SATW’s work in the field of digitalisation and research infrastructures: www.satw.ch

Contributors

Role Title + Name
Text by Claude Naville
Expertise Manuel Kugler