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Science alliance warns against Swiss government’s cost-cutting plans

Science Alliance warns against Federal Council's cost-cutting plans
Science Alliance warns against Federal Council's cost-cutting plans Keystone-SDA

An alliance of research and science institutions have warned of dire consequences if the Swiss government goes ahead with its proposed austerity package. It warns the savings package would lead to fewer trained specialists and less investment in research and innovation.

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“Austerity measures in education, research and innovation are increasing the shortage of skilled workers and damaging the Swiss economy,” wrote several players in the education sector in a joint statement on Tuesday.

The position paper comes from Swissuniversities, the Swiss federal technology institute ETH Zurich board, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences and the Swiss Innovation Agency (Innosuisse).

+ Switzerland outlines budget savings plan

The reason for the concerted action is the budget savings package presented by the Swiss government at the end of January, which envisages cuts in funding for education, research and innovation amounting to more than CHF460 million ($504 million) per year. The government emphasises that these are not cost-cutting measures, but rather a curbed increase in expenditure.

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