swissuniversities firmly rejects the interim report on the division of responsibilities between the Confederation and the cantons within the framework of the project “Entflechtung 27”. Such a shift in coordination and funding responsibilities would mark a departure from the current structure of the Swiss higher education landscape and fragment the established and tried-and-tested system.
Higher education institutions vitally contribute to Switzerland’s innovative strength, competitiveness, and social resilience. They do so on the basis of a well-established and tried-and-tested system of joint governance by the Confederation and the cantons, as enshrined in Article 63a(3) of the Federal Constitution since May 2006. The Confederation's coordinating role was strengthened further by the introduction of the Higher Education Act (HEdA) in 2015.
Decentralization as part of the “Entflechtung 27” project would represent a departure from this tried-and-tested system and would have far-reaching negative consequences for the Swiss higher education landscape. Duplication of efforts and inefficiencies would increase, while coordination and the strategic development of the higher education sector would be curtailed. Furthermore, a withdrawal of the Confederation from higher education funding would create an imbalance between the cantons. All of this would ultimately lead to a substantial weakening of the system as a whole and reduce the competitiveness of Swiss higher education institutions.
For this reason, swissuniversities, like the other representatives of the ERI sector, firmly rejects the shift proposed in the report.
Read the full statement from swissuniversities (in german) here.