On 17 May 2022, State Secretary Martina Hirayama and Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between Switzerland and the ESA establishing a joint Centre of Excellence at the Paul-Scherrer Institute (PSI).

Swissnex is the global network connecting Switzerland and the world in education, research and innovation. Its mission is to support the outreach and active engagement of its partners in the international exchange of knowledge, ideas and talent. In 2021, Swissnex organized over 190 events and activities in collaboration with Swiss and international partners. It also supported 58 of Switzerland's most promising start-ups in their internationalization journeys. The Swissnex 2021 annual report is available on annualreport.swissnex.org with many more insights into the work of the global network.

On 19 and 20 April, Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, the head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, will hold talks on cooperation in the areas of research, innovation and vocational education and training in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. He will then travel on to Washington, where he will attend the World Bank's 2022 Spring Meetings in his capacity as Swiss Governor on 21 and 22 April.

President Ignazio Cassis will travel to Japan next week. He will be accompanied by a business and scientific delegation. The visit includes stops in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Political discussions with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in Tokyo will take place on Monday, 18 April. In Osaka, the focus will be on the new Swissnex site and the Expo 2025. The stop in Kyoto will be devoted mainly to science cooperation.

On 13 April, the Federal Council submitted the Dispatch on Switzerland's access to six European research infrastructure networks to Parliament. Access to these networks will enable Swiss researchers to participate actively and on an equal footing.

Martina Hirayama, State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation, will visit Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory accompanied by a high-level delegation from 5 to 7 April. The mission will focus on strengthening bilateral research and innovation cooperation as a follow-up to the visit made by Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin in October 2021, in his capacity as President of the Swiss Confederation.

State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation, Martina Hirayama, will travel to Prague on 29 March to meet with Petr Gazdík, the Czech Minister for Education, Youth and Sports and Helena Langšádlová, the Czech Minister of Science, Research and Innovation.

Switzerland is currently considered a non-associated third country in Horizon Europe, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. On 4 May 2022, the Federal Council adopted extensive measures to bridge the gap arising from this situation.

President Cassis rounded off his visit to Japan on Thursday, 21 April, by delivering an address on the link between science and diplomacy to students at Kyoto University. The focus of the visit was on the war in Ukraine and bilateral relations in the areas of political, economic and scientific affairs. A cooperation agreement on joint research projects was signed and a groundbreaking ceremony was held for a new Swissnex location.

On Monday, 18 April, President Ignazio Cassis met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in Tokyo. On the agenda were the war in Ukraine and the related security challenges in Europe and Asia. Other topics included the tasks of both countries in international organisations and cooperation in trade and science.

On 14 April, Switzerland and Côte d'Ivoire signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abidjan to strengthen cooperation in science, technology and innovation. The agreement officialises the transfer of funds from the Strategic Support Programme for Scientific Research (PASRES) to the new National Fund for Science, Technology and Innovation of Côte d'Ivoire (FONSTI).

Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER), will inaugurate the Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology (INSAIT) in Sofia on 11 April. During this visit, he will also hold talks on research, innovation and education in the context of Swiss-Bulgarian and Swiss-European cooperation.

The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) is supporting 24 start-ups whose projects have been selected in the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator 2021 calls for proposals. As Switzerland is currently not associated to Horizon Europe, the start-ups will receive a -SERI-funded EIC Accelerator Grant- from the federal government. This direct funding will strengthen Switzerland's role as a hub for innovation and help bring innovative solutions to societal challenges to the market.

The first Swiss-Canadian Cleantech Innovation Summit is taking place on 16 and 17 March. Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin is opening the virtual gathering for Switzerland with a video message recorded the previous week. The Swiss cleantech industry is of paramount strategic importance.