Without Horizon Europe, Switzerland risks 'isolation', says future EPFL president

The incoming president of the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, is concerned about Switzerland's exclusion from the Horizon Europe research programme, especially as "many technologies are becoming strategic", she told Swiss public radio RTS. "I was very worried," said Fontcuberta i Morral on the radio on Saturday. "We're excluded from anything strategic, like quantum technologies, although we can take part in certain programmes." Fontcuberta i Morral, who will take over as head of the EPFL in January 2025, pointed out that the current period is marked by the development of technologies such as artificial intelligence, which are "becoming strategic". She fears that Switzerland will "isolate itself too much" by being excluded from this programme dedicated to research and innovation. However, she said she was "hopeful that the negotiations will turn things around, that we'll come back and that things will be fine". + Swiss researchers regain ...