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| NCCR | |
|---|---|
| Name | NCCR |
| Formation | 1990s |
| Headquarters | Bern, Zurich |
| Leader title | Director |
| Leader name | Dr. A. Müller |
| Region served | Switzerland, Europe |
NCCR
The NCCR is a Swiss national network for collaborative research that coordinates interdisciplinary centers and projects across universities, polytechnics, and research institutes. It links prominent figures and institutions such as Albert Einstein-affiliated universities, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, the University of Geneva, the University of Zurich, and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne with international partners including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Cambridge. The network emphasizes long-term programs in basic and applied sciences, engaging stakeholders like the Swiss National Science Foundation, the European Research Council, and industry consortia such as Novartis, Roche, and ABB.
NCCR comprises thematic centers that concentrate on topics ranging from climate science and computational biology to materials science and social innovation, collaborating with institutions such as Max Planck Society, CNRS, Karolinska Institutet, ETH Zurich, and the University of Oxford. Each center assembles principal investigators, postdoctoral fellows, doctoral candidates, and technical staff drawn from partner organizations including CERN, Paul Scherrer Institute, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, and Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne. The network fosters exchanges with international funding bodies like Wellcome Trust, Horizon 2020, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to expand projects and mobility programs involving NATO-affiliated labs and intergovernmental initiatives.
The concept originated in Swiss science policy debates in the 1990s, influenced by reforms associated with figures such as Friedrich Dürrenmatt (cultural advocacy) and institutional shifts modeled on programs at National Institutes of Health and Max Planck Society. Early centers partnered with the Swiss National Science Foundation to pilot concentrated research initiatives alongside universities including University of Basel and University of Bern. Over successive rounds, the network incorporated research themes linked to global events and agreements like the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, prompting collaborations with climate groups such as Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and public-health responses informed by outbreaks investigated by World Health Organization and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Governance typically features a central coordinating office, scientific advisory boards populated by laureates from awards such as the Nobel Prize and the Lasker Award, and steering committees including representatives from partner institutions like ETH Board and cantonal universities. Administrative oversight often involves the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, financial auditing by firms comparable to PwC and KPMG, and review panels with members drawn from Imperial College London, University of Tokyo, and University of California, Berkeley. Leadership roles are occupied by directors and deputy directors with experience at organizations including European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute, and national academies like the Swiss Academy of Sciences.
Research programs span computational modeling linked to groups at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, experimental platforms shared with Paul Scherrer Institute and CERN, and translational pipelines involving Novartis and Roche for drug development. Activities include large-scale data projects interfacing with repositories such as European Bioinformatics Institute and initiatives comparable to Human Genome Project, as well as field studies coordinated with International Committee of the Red Cross, ecological surveys aligned with World Wildlife Fund, and urban studies in partnership with municipal authorities like City of Zurich and Canton of Geneva. Training efforts connect with doctoral schools at ETH Zurich, postdoctoral fellowships modeled on Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, and entrepreneurship tracks collaborating with Switzerland Innovation.
Primary funding streams derive from national agencies such as the Swiss National Science Foundation and competitive grants from the European Research Council, supplemented by contracts and in-kind support from corporations like Novartis, Roche, ABB, and technology firms comparable to Google and IBM. Bilateral partnerships extend to academic exchanges with Harvard University, Oxford University Press-affiliated projects, and transnational programs run with platforms like CERN and European Space Agency. Philanthropic contributions have included donations from foundations similar to Rockefeller Foundation and Wellcome Trust, while public-private consortia often mirror structures used by Innovative Medicines Initiative.
Centers within the network have produced high-impact publications in journals such as Nature, Science, and Cell, contributed to patents licensed by companies such as Novartis and Roche, and trained cohorts of researchers who have moved to leadership positions at ETH Zurich, University of Cambridge, Harvard Medical School, and national laboratories like Argonne National Laboratory. The network’s outputs have informed policy reports by bodies like Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and World Health Organization, technological transfers to firms including ABB and Siemens, and collaborative spin-offs that raised venture capital from investors associated with Sequoia Capital and Index Ventures.
Critiques have focused on perceived conflicts of interest when industry partners such as Novartis and Roche sponsor research, debates over allocation practices echoing controversies at institutions like Max Planck Society, and concerns about centralization reminiscent of disputes involving the European Research Council. Some observers have raised issues about transparency regarding governance and links to corporate funders akin to critiques aimed at Wellcome Trust-funded initiatives, while contested evaluations have compared outcomes with national programs such as the National Institutes of Health and questioned long-term sustainability in light of shifting priorities within agencies like the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Category:Research networks