Czech-Swiss cooperation and excellent research: Research Infrastructure Initiative Launch Event

Prague, 16 September 2026 – To mark the launch of projects supported under the Second Swiss Contribution to selected EU Member States (the ‘Swiss Contribution’), a launch conference for the Czech-Swiss Research Infrastructure Initiative was held on 16 September 2026 in the Baroque refectory of the Dominican Monastery in Prague. The conference not only enabled grant recipients to present their projects and planned activities, but, thanks to the participation of representatives from Czech and Swiss institutions, it also provided an opportunity to forge new contacts, exchange experiences and strengthen mutual cooperation. The Czech-Swiss Research Infrastructure Initiative was launched in April 2025. Its aim is to strengthen Czech research infrastructures and Czech science. The collaboration with leading institutions in Switzerland is playing a key role in the programme. A total of nine projects, running from 2026 to the end of 2028, received funding under the two calls for proposals.

Director General of the Higher Education, Science and Research Section, Mrs. Dana Bilíková

„Czech-Swiss Research Infrastructure Initiative is much more than a funding programme supporting scientific development. It is an investment in people, knowledge and long-term partnerships. At the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, we strongly believe that international cooperation is one of the key drivers of scientific progress. Research today is inherently international. The most significant discoveries and innovations emerge where excellent people, unique facilities and diverse perspectives come together. This programme provides exactly such an opportunity,“ said Mrs. Dana Bilíková, Director General of the Higher Education, Science and Research Section, while opening the event.

The funded projects cover a wide range of fields, from environmental, biological and medical sciences, through the social sciences and humanities, to laser technologies, which form the basis for new approaches in medicine and industry.

H.E. Urs Beat Bucher, Swiss Ambassador to the Czech Republic

„Today´s event is much more than to start a series of research projects. It is about partnership between Switzerland and the Czech Republic that is built on trust, shared values and common belief that investment in knowledge is one of the most powerful investments a society can make. What I personally find particularly inspiring is that these projects are not only about equipment, data platforms, laboratories and technologies, it´s about people. They are about researcher developing new method that one day may improve our lives. They are about a student who may discover a lifelong passion for science. They are also about institutions that choose collaboration over competition,“ said the Swiss Ambassador, Urs Beat Bucher, in his opening address.

The full recording of the conference is available at: Slavnostní zahajovací konference programu Česko-švýcarské spolupráce