The Swiss Roadmap for Research Infrastructures is a report on the status and development of national and international research infrastructures. It is updated by SERI every four years in preparation for the Federal Council Dispatch on the Promotion of Education, Research and Innovation (ERI Dispatch). This report provides an overview of future needs and planned developments in the various research areas and thus serves as a basis for the ERI Dispatch.

For higher education institutions, cutting-edge research means ongoing investment in infrastructure at the highest level. Funding these infrastructures is therefore a major priority. In the case of cantonal universities and universities of applied sciences (UAS), this is mainly the responsibility of the universities themselves and their local authorities, with the Confederation playing a subsidiary role. Some of the larger, more expensive infrastructures are acquired and used jointly by the institutions of higher education. In addition, due to the development of multidisciplinary research and the changes in data utilization and exchange, the need for research infrastructures that are not only shared but also cross-disciplinary and cross-field has increased in recent years. This trend is set to continue.