National Centres of Competence in Research

National Centres of Competence in Research
Name	National Centres of Competence in Research
Established	2001
Country	Switzerland
Administered by	Swiss National Science Foundation
Type	Research funding programme

National Centres of Competence in Research are a Swiss research funding instrument launched to support long-term, interdisciplinary projects of excellence anchored at universities and research institutions. They connect researchers at institutions such as ETH Zurich, University of Zurich, EPFL, University of Geneva, and University of Basel with partners including Paul Scherrer Institute, CERN, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, University of Bern, and University of Lausanne, fostering collaboration across domains exemplified by centres in areas related to climate change, quantum computing, biomedicine, robotics, and materials science.

Overview

The programme operates under the auspices of the Swiss National Science Foundation and aligns with national strategies involving institutions like Swiss National Bank, Swiss Academy of Sciences, European Research Council, European Commission, Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, European Space Agency, and European Molecular Biology Laboratory to strengthen research capacity. It has links to international research hubs such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Harvard University, Imperial College London, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Max Planck Society, Fraunhofer Society, Karolinska Institutet, and Riken. The centres promote mobility between laboratories including Broad Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

History and development

The initiative was conceived in response to competitiveness debates involving organizations like Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and policy forums such as the World Economic Forum, drawing on national precedents set by bodies including Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich alumni and advisors associated with Nobel Prize laureates from institutions like University of Geneva and University of Basel. Early influence came from collaborative models seen at Bell Labs, Johns Hopkins University, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and ETH Zurich partnerships. Key milestones parallel agreements such as the Lisbon Strategy and the launch of Framework Programme instruments, with evaluative comparisons to initiatives at National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, Gates Foundation, and Agence Nationale de la Recherche.

Structure and governance

Each centre is hosted by a lead institution such as ETH Zurich, EPFL, University of Zurich, or University of Bern and governed through steering committees involving representatives from partner institutions including Paul Scherrer Institute, University Hospital Zurich, CHUV, University of Lausanne Hospital, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, and industry partners like Novartis, Roche, IBM Research, Google Research, Microsoft Research, Siemens, ABB, Nestlé Research Center, and Lonza. Oversight includes review by panels modeled on those of European Research Council, National Science Foundation (United States), and advisory boards akin to panels at Max Planck Society and Wellcome Trust. Governance also contemplates legal entities such as Swiss Confederation-affiliated bodies and coordination with cantonal authorities including Canton of Zurich and Canton of Vaud.

Research themes and programmes

Centres cover themes linking institutions like ETH Zurich and EPFL in areas including quantum mechanics applications connected with IBM Research, Microsoft Research, and Google Research labs; life sciences programmes involving University of Geneva, University of Basel, Novartis, Roche, and Sandoz; and earth system studies collaborating with MeteoSwiss, WMO, IPCC, University of Bern, and Paul Scherrer Institute. Exhibition of thematic breadth includes projects related to artificial intelligence with ties to DeepMind, OpenAI, ETH Zurich AI Center, and Swiss Data Science Center; nanotechnology collaborations with Empa, CERN, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems; and public health initiatives involving World Health Organization, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, and University of Basel.

Funding and evaluation

Funding is primarily allocated by the Swiss National Science Foundation, with co-funding from host universities such as ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, cantonal contributions like those from Canton of Geneva, and industry partners including Roche, Novartis, Nestlé, ABB, and Siemens. External evaluation draws on panels similar to those of the European Research Council and the National Science Foundation (United States), often involving reviewers from Harvard University, Stanford University, Max Planck Society, Imperial College London, and Karolinska Institutet. Outcomes are benchmarked against metrics familiar to organizations such as Times Higher Education, QS World University Rankings, Leiden Ranking, and research funders like Wellcome Trust.

Impact and notable centres

The programme has spawned centres with strong reputations linked to institutions including ETH Zurich, EPFL, University of Zurich, University of Geneva, University of Basel, and Paul Scherrer Institute. Notable thematic outputs relate to collaborations with CERN on particle physics, translational medicine partnerships with Novartis and Roche, climate science work informing IPCC assessments, and quantum research feeding into developments at IBM Research and Google Quantum AI. Spin-offs and start-ups emerging from centres have included companies tracing roots to incubators like EPFL Innovation Park, ETH Zurich Entrepreneurship, MassChallenge, and accelerators connected to Venturelab and Innosuisse.

Criticism and controversies

Critiques parallel debates faced by funders such as Wellcome Trust, Gates Foundation, and European Research Council over concentration of resources in elite institutions like ETH Zurich and EPFL, potential industry influence from firms such as Novartis and Roche, and questions about interdisciplinarity versus disciplinary depth raised in reports by OECD, Swiss Academy of Sciences, and think tanks like Avenir Suisse and Think Tank for Science Policy. Controversies have occasionally involved intellectual property disputes with firms like Novartis and Roche, data sharing concerns intersecting with standards from European Data Protection Board and Swiss Data Protection Act, and debates on regional balance involving cantons such as Canton of Zurich and Canton of Vaud.

Category:Research funding in Switzerland