SwissELITE Kick-off Event Marks the Launch of a Czech–Swiss Research Project
On 1 April 2026, the Czech-Swiss project SwissELITE was officially launched in Dolní Břežany. The project connects ELI Beamlines research centre—as part of ELI ERIC—with its Swiss partners, Paul Scherrer Institute and University Hospital of Lausanne. The project focuses on the development of high-precision measurement and detection technologies that form the basis for new approaches in medicine, industry, and modern technologies. It will expand the portfolio of facilities offered by ELI ERIC to users.
“The SwissELITE project will enable both the expansion of ELI ERIC’s research capabilities, which will benefit the global scientific community, and the establishment of closer cooperation between ELI ERIC and Swiss researchers,” said Marek Vyšinka, head of the Research Infrastructure Unit at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, at the launch event in early April.
“We greatly appreciate the support of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and the Swiss Contribution Office, whose participation in the kick-off event reflects the broader significance of this joint initiative for the Czech-Swiss research community,” said Roman Hvězda, director of the ELI Beamlines facility.
The project will strengthen collaboration between Czech and Swiss leading research institutions and accelerate the development of advanced technologies and capabilities within ELI Beamlines. By combining cutting-edge expertise in photon science, detector development, diagnostics, and biomedical applications, this project will support the development of a new generation of experimental tools and research services for users from academia, research, and innovation communities.
The SwissELITE project is implemented under the Czech–Swiss Research Infrastructure Initiative, with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports serving as the programme operator. Support for this type of research enables the Czech Republic to participate in the development of key technologies in Europe and to apply cutting-edge expertise in practice.
The Czech-Swiss Research Infrastructures Initiative is one of four programmes implemented under the Swiss-Czech Cooperation Programme, i.e., the Second Swiss Contribution to the Czech Republic (https://www.swiss-contribution.cz/en/). In 2025, two calls for proposals were launched under the Czech–Swiss Research Infrastructures Initiative. The first call supported the submission of a predefined SwissELITE project to support ELI ERIC’s cooperation with the Swiss scientific community, while the second call targeted large research infrastructures participating in international research infrastructure consortia together with Swiss partners.
Photos credit: @elibeamlines