Swiss Roadmap for Research Infrastructures

The Swiss Roadmap for Research Infrastructures provides a comprehensive overview of the status and development of national and international research infrastructures. It is updated by SERI every four years and serves as the basis for the Federal Council Dispatch on the Promotion of Education, Research and Innovation (ERI Dispatch).

Swiss Roadmap for Research Infrastructures

SERI periodically prepares a report on the status and development of national research infrastructures as well as international research infrastructures and research organisations that Switzerland takes part in. These roadmap reports have been published every four years since 2011 and are used to prepare the corresponding ERI Dispatch.

The 2023 roadmap report provides a general overview of newly planned research infrastructures for the period 2025–2028. It also contains information on existing infrastructures.

Intent and purpose of roadmap reports

These roadmap reports serve as a strategic planning instrument to coordinate efforts at national level. The national roadmap process is primarily used by the responsible bodies and institutions to prepare and set priorities for future long-term investments in planned national research infrastructures. National roadmap reports are not an instrument for federal funding of infrastructure. The legal mandate is described in Article 41 of the Federal Act on the Promotion of Research and Innovation RIPA and in Article 55 of the corresponding Ordinance RIPO.

Responsibilities

SERI coordinates the preparation and publication of roadmap reports in collaboration with the ETH Board and the Swiss Conference of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions (swissuniversities). Responsibility for establishing, funding and maintaining these infrastructures remains with the relevant higher education institutions and research institutes. The ETH Board and swissuniversities establish their own internal process for their respective area of competence to enable a coordinated selection of new research infrastructures and priority setting. The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) are also involved in the roadmap process, acting on SERI’s behalf.

Roadmap 2027 process

In early 2025, SERI published the Process Coordination Guide for the Swiss Roadmap for Research Infrastructures 2027, thus initiating the process for the drafting of the 2027 roadmap report. In consultation with all ERI stakeholders, it was decided that, apart from a few enhancements, the Roadmap 2027 process would be similar to the one used for the 2023 roadmap report.

The main phases of the Roadmap 2027 process are described below:

New national research infrastructures

  • 2024: Updating thematic roadmap reports by SCNAT (preparatory phase)
    SERI commissioned SCNAT to update the various thematic roadmap reports for the main research fields falling within its remit. These updates were published at the end of 2024. Thematic roadmap reports provide an overview of the national and international infrastructures that the various research communities have highlighted as being essential in the fields concerned. This provides the ETH Board and swissuniversities with a useful term of comparison in their respective selection processes.
  • 2025: Coordinated selection of new research infrastructures (Ris) by ETH Board and swissuniversities (Phase 1)
    Acting on SERI’s behalf, the ETH Board and swissuniversities will coordinate project selection for new national RIs or substantial upgrades. The proposals will be aligned with the strategic plans of higher education institutions (HEIs) and research institutes.
    Researchers and project coordinators involved in planning the construction of new RIs or substantial upgrading of existing national RIs should contact their Deputy Rector, their Research Vice-President or, where applicable, the members of the Executive Board so that the new RIs can be taken into account in Phase 1 (for cantonal universities and universities of applied sciences, see https://www.swissuniversities.ch/en/topics/research/research-infrastructures).
  • 2026: Scientific evaluation by SNSF (Phase 2)
    Acting on SERI’s behalf, the SNSF will evaluate the RIs selected by the ETH Board and swissuniversities. It will base its assessment on the scientific quality and feasibility of the proposed projects.
  • 2026-2027: Feasibility assessment by relevant higher education institutions and research institutes (Phase 3)
    In consultation with the HEIs and research institutes involved, the ETH Board and swissuniversities will carry out in-depth analysis of the RIs positively evaluated by the SNSF. This analysis will focus on the funding and feasibility of the proposed RIs. The results of this assessment will be conveyed to SERI and included in the roadmap report.
  • 2027: Publication of roadmap report
    SERI will draft and publish the 2027 roadmap report, which will be used to prepare the ERI Dispatch for 2029–2032 and provide ERI stakeholders with an overview of research infrastructures.

Swiss participation in international research infrastructures and research organisations

Swiss participation in international research infrastructures and research organisations will also be included in the 2027 roadmap report. SERI will be responsible for the Roadmap 2027 process, which will be similar to the one used for the 2023 roadmap report.

Adjustment of the Roadmap process

A working group was set up to guide adjustment of the operational aspects of the Roadmap 2027 process. Working group members were chosen by SERI in consultation with process managers from the ETH Board, from the General Secretariat of swissuniversities and from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). SERI also received support from the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT), the Swiss Science Council (SSC) and the Open Research Data Strategy Council. The Roadmap 2031 process still needs to be decided.

Documentation

State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI

National Research
Cyrille Girardin