Booklet on the conference "25 years scientific cooperation with Eastern Europe"
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of scientific cooperation with Eastern Europe, the SNSF hosted a conference in Bern to share experiences and opinions and discuss future challenges. A digital booklet summarises the conference.
It has been 25 years since the fall of the Iron Curtain, which for decades separated Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union from the West. This was a historic moment, and the beginning of a difficult process for the former communist countries. It was in this context that the Swiss parliament approved a financial contribution to help the countries that were suffering an economic downturn. As part of these efforts, the idea arose to strengthen the scientific community in the countries affected. For this reason, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the SNSF launched a joint programme for scientific cooperation between Eastern Europe and Switzerland (SCOPES) in 1990.
Anniversary Workshop
On the occasion of this 25th anniversary, the SNSF hosted a conference on 20 January 2015 in Bern. The four main topics of discussion were: the importance of basic research, the promotion of young scientists, the advantages and disadvantages of mobility as well as internationalisation and competitiveness. The overall focus of the workshop lay on the current state of the sciences in Eastern Europe and their integration into the European research area.
A digital booklet summarises the main insights gained from the contributions and discussions.