Swiss and Canadians agree to innovate together

Swiss Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann welcomed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to WEF two years ago. Their countries have signed a new agreement on the sidelines of this year's event. Keystone

Canada and Switzerland have signed an agreement to work more closely together on science, technology and innovation issues.

Swiss Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann and Navdeep Bains, Canada’s minister for innovation, science and economic development, signed the joint declaration on Thursday while at the WEF meeting in Davos. The document is meant to serve as a reference for how the two governments work together in future.

During a roundtable event in Davos, the ministers agreed that they wish to continue the high level of cooperation that has developed between their countries in the areas of education, research and innovation. The event was also attended by representatives from Swiss universities who are seeking to promote academic cooperation between Canada and Switzerland.

The Swiss government recently committed to funding more student exchanges to certain countries outside Europe, including Canada.

According to the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI, researchers from 269 projects funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation had worked with colleagues from Canada. Other initiatives such as the European Union-funded Horizon 2020 programme and the EUREKA European network for research and development have also contributed to Swiss-Canadian cooperation in recent years.