Federal Council launches new National Research Programme "Sustainable economy"

The Swiss National Science Foundation has been mandated by the Federal Council to conduct the National Research Programme "Sustainable economy".

The Federal Council today approved the National Research Programme "Sustainable economy: resource-friendly, future-oriented, innovative" (NRP 73). The programme's aim is to contribute to a more sustainable economy in which resources are used more efficiently and supply is more reliable. A parallel objective is to enhance the competitiveness of the Swiss economy and the welfare of Switzerland's population. The NRP 73 is designed to generate insights from a perspective which not only encompasses the environment, the economy and society at large, but also looks at natural resources in their entirety and views all stages of the value chain. The budget for the five-year programme is 20 million Swiss francs.

Based on a mandate from the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), the Swiss National Science Foundation assessed the programme's feasibility. The SNSF welcomes the decision to implement the programme, which addresses topics of key concern to Switzerland.

The Steering Committee will be formed in June 2016. A call for proposals is also due to be launched in June. The programme will have a dedicated website explaining the main research aims as well as the participation requirements. Research groups will then have more than three months in which to submit their pre-proposals. Final selection of the research projects is expected to take place in summer 2017. The first projects will start around autumn 2017 and run for a period of four to five years.