How have Swiss universities handled student mobility since 2014, when Switzerland lost its Erasmus+ ‘Programme country’ status in the programme and became a ‘Partner / Third-party Country’? Which are the most popular geographical regions outside Europe? Are the trends identical for all three types of higher education institutions? The article by Gordon Millar, Barbara Stettler and Xaver Büeler sheds light on these topical issues.

Global networking for Swiss students

Research collaboration has always been global in its scope. Canada, USA, Australia, China, Singapore and Japan are among the top ten partner destinations worldwide for mobility and collaboration in higher education. Switzerland is involved in all major research programmes. Swiss scientific diplomacy is one of various factors that have supported this development since the year 2000: science attachés in all Swiss embassies and the swissnex network are present on the ground, offering opportunities and platforms for networking and exchange. This creates a sound basis from which to support Swiss students and researchers in their exchange and collaboration activities. The growing number of globally aligned mobility and collaboration projects is also reflected in the international pilot programme that Movetia has implemented on behalf of SERI since 2018. Funding is provided for innovative projects developed in conjunction with foreign European universities and that create opportunities for mobility and exchange for students.