Swiss research institutes and high-tech employers received a major boost on 11 November 2025 when Bern confirmed that the EU Programmes Agreement (EUPA) signed the previous day in the Swiss capital now applies provisionally. The deal re-associates Switzerland with Horizon Europe, Euratom and the Digital Europe Programme retroactively from 1 January 2025 and paves the way for future participation in ITER, Erasmus+ and EU4Health.
For global-mobility managers the headline is talent fluidity. Swiss universities and companies can again coordinate EU-funded projects and, crucially, hire researchers on Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions or European Research Council grants without administrative detours via partner institutions in the EU. Work-permit processes for non-EU scientists remain national, but funding eligibility often dictates where researchers accept assignments; regaining direct access restores Switzerland’s attractiveness in the race for STEM skills.
![Switzerland re-associates to Horizon Europe, reviving researcher mobility and EU project funding]()
The agreement also unlocks several hundred million Swiss francs in EU contributions to projects hosted in Switzerland. Cantons such as Zurich, Basel-Stadt and Vaud—home to dense life-sciences clusters—expect a surge in short-term inbound assignments as laboratories ramp up collaborative consortia. HR teams should prepare for a spike in scientific visitors needing Schengen visa appointments and for compliance with the new Entry/Exit System (EES) due to start at Zurich Airport on 17 November.
Politically, the signing is viewed as a confidence-building measure before the broader institutional package (which includes the proposed automatic C-permit for EU nationals) reaches Parliament. The Federal Council emphasised that association costs will be covered by existing R&D budgets and that Swiss project coordinators must observe EU-level ethical and data-protection rules. Companies sending staff to EU partners will likewise regain access to mobility grants that cover travel, accommodation and family-support allowances.
For global-mobility managers the headline is talent fluidity. Swiss universities and companies can again coordinate EU-funded projects and, crucially, hire researchers on Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions or European Research Council grants without administrative detours via partner institutions in the EU. Work-permit processes for non-EU scientists remain national, but funding eligibility often dictates where researchers accept assignments; regaining direct access restores Switzerland’s attractiveness in the race for STEM skills.
The agreement also unlocks several hundred million Swiss francs in EU contributions to projects hosted in Switzerland. Cantons such as Zurich, Basel-Stadt and Vaud—home to dense life-sciences clusters—expect a surge in short-term inbound assignments as laboratories ramp up collaborative consortia. HR teams should prepare for a spike in scientific visitors needing Schengen visa appointments and for compliance with the new Entry/Exit System (EES) due to start at Zurich Airport on 17 November.
Politically, the signing is viewed as a confidence-building measure before the broader institutional package (which includes the proposed automatic C-permit for EU nationals) reaches Parliament. The Federal Council emphasised that association costs will be covered by existing R&D budgets and that Swiss project coordinators must observe EU-level ethical and data-protection rules. Companies sending staff to EU partners will likewise regain access to mobility grants that cover travel, accommodation and family-support allowances.
