Despite a challenging period, the Swiss universities successfully fulfilled their mandates between 2021 and 2024. This period was marked by global upheavals and uncertainties such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Switzerland’s exclusion from the European research programme Horizon Europe. The Swiss universities demonstrated their adaptability and were able to fulfil their teaching and research responsibilities, as well as contribute to crisis management.
Coping with Crises
At the beginning of this period, the pandemic continued to shape everyday university life. Teaching and research were able to continue without interruption. At the same time, science made decisive contributions to overcoming the crisis through research, medical expertise, and digital innovation.
Another major challenge was Switzerland’s exclusion from the European research programme Horizon Europe. This made it more difficult for researchers in Switzerland to participate in international projects and prevented them from taking on leadership roles. Despite these challenges, the universities succeeded in maintaining their competitiveness and further developing their profiles.
Key Developments
Between 2021 and 2024, the Swiss universities achieved significant progress:
Digitalisation: New forms of digital teaching and learning, modern administrative processes, and innovative research approaches have prepared the universities for the future.
Support for early-career researchers: Targeted structures were established to support young researchers and lecturers, including improved work-life balance and greater equality of opportunity. Encouraging: the proportion of women among assistant professors with tenure track rose to 51%.
Public health: By increasing the number of study places in human medicine and nursing, universities are actively helping to address the shortage of skilled professionals in the healthcare sector.
Collaboration among universities: Universities, universities of applied sciences, and universities of teacher education have strengthened their individual profiles while improving permeability between different types of institutions. Collaboration between institutions promotes interdisciplinarity and efficient use of resources.
Study success: Targeted measures have helped reduce the number of dropouts. Today, the completion rate stands at around 85%, with changes of study programmes not automatically counted as dropouts.
Significance for Switzerland
The years 2021–2024 clearly show that Swiss universities are resilient, adaptable, and innovative. Building on these achievements, the next step is to further strengthen the Swiss higher education sector and to secure its leading position internationally.