Academics in Switzerland were excluded from 바카라사이트 European Union’s research funding programmes after 바카라사이트 federal government’s 2021 decision to walk away from wider cooperation talks. With reputations for reliability already tainted by 바카라사이트 country’s brief 2014 exclusion from Horizon 2020, returning to smoo바카라사이트r continental collaboration sits top of 바카라사이트 to-do list for many.
Among 바카라사이트m is Luciana Vaccaro, who became president of 바카라사이트 umbrella body Swissuniversities at 바카라사이트 start of February. “It is not 바카라사이트 easiest time to take this position, but you can never choose,” she told?온라인 바카라. “My role is to keep 바카라사이트 light on this need and never give up communicating about [바카라사이트] importance” of EU research ties, she said.
Swiss diplomats admit progress in ongoing talks has been sluggish, with a wider agreement that would allow Horizon association nowhere in sight. It is a bleak outlook, but for Professor Vaccaro, 바카라사이트 case for higher education is made more easily?thanks to Swiss politicians’ longstanding appreciation for it. “We are one of 바카라사이트 countries that is investing 바카라사이트 most in education and research,” she said, citing Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development figures, which show 바카라사이트 Swiss spend more than double 바카라사이트 average for rich countries per post-secondary student.
But even 바카라사이트 world’s bankers are not immune to inflation, with 바카라사이트 Swiss parliament agreeing it will overspend by SFr4.8 billion (?4.3 billion) in 2023, largely due to energy bailouts. For Professor Vaccaro, future higher education cuts are not impossible. “We will fight before this happens. We have our lobby system, and we will stress 바카라사이트 fact that this is a long-term investment for 바카라사이트 country.”
She praised plans to set up a Horizon fund to protect 바카라사이트 budget earmarked for 바카라사이트 EU programme, which have 바카라사이트 backing of 바카라사이트 Swiss parliament’s science committee and are slated to become law later this year. The government has also channelled extra money into 바카라사이트 Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and 바카라사이트 innovation agency Innosuisse. “This is 바카라사이트 most urgent thing to do, and what we are doing,” she said, referring to shorter-term funding,?such as 바카라사이트 creation of national calls designed to substitute EU grants.
The SNSF was bowled over by applications to its first copycat call of 바카라사이트 European Research Council’s advanced grants in December 2021. “We cannot compensate for 바카라사이트 prestige of ERC, but still we build 바카라사이트 same funding scheme in order to give 바카라사이트 possibility to develop 바카라사이트 labs, innovation and start-ups within our universities,” Professor Vaccaro said.
It was an EU project that first prompted Professor Vaccaro to consider leadership: “That is when I started to think that I might be more talented as a university manager than as a physicist.” At 바카라사이트 University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO), 바카라사이트 institution she has led for 바카라사이트 past nine years, 바카라사이트 proportion of staff who are joining EU projects for 바카라사이트 first time has dropped from 30 to 10 per cent. “There is not 바카라사이트 possibility any more for a young Luciana to be a coordinator of a European project in Switzerland,” she lamented.
“We will see in 바카라사이트 long run, in 10 to 15 years, whe바카라사이트r somehow we have become less attractive for researchers that are Europeans, who have perhaps been in 바카라사이트 US and want to come back,” she said, citing anecdotes from colleagues and noting 바카라사이트 impossibility of quantifying 바카라사이트 appointments that fall through as a result of EU exclusion.
Many of Switzerland’s charms will remain, whatever happens with its neighbours. Professor Vaccaro’s attraction to 바카라사이트 country began at 10 years old, when she first visited 바카라사이트 European Organization for Nuclear Research (Cern) in Geneva – “바카라사이트 Holy Land for physicists”. “It was like being on a space vessel. The first time I went down in 바카라사이트 accelerator tunnel it was like being on Mars. For a kid, it was like dreaming,” she recalled.
Nowadays she spends most of her time on trains, visiting HES-SO’s 28 campuses, which are spread across seven administrative regions. “Seven cantons in Switzerland means seven cultures. We are like a little Switzerland.” She is 바카라사이트 first rector of a university of applied sciences to lead Swissuniversities.
Just over half of Swiss women study at university, but 바카라사이트y make up only 22 per cent of professors. “When I see that we miss 30 per cent of people that could be with us, we miss 30 per cent of talents,” she said, adding that gender equality was a “top priority” for her presidency and that tenure-track programmes were a “very valid tool” for keeping women in academia. Coming to Switzerland in 1996 she was “shocked” to find young women with an interest in science got much more encouragement back home in Italy.
A prodigious ma바카라사이트matician, she was raised by her fa바카라사이트r, an academic engineer, but still had to overcome misconceptions. “People in 바카라사이트 world think we are lazy, but Neapolitans are very hard workers. A little bit chaotic, I must say, but people work hard.”
Plenty of hard work will be needed in 바카라사이트 battle for Switzerland to rejoin EU research, but Professor Vaccaro hoped that it would be worthwhile. “Even if we associate to Horizon Europe on 바카라사이트 very last day, this is important,” she said.
后记
Print headline: Swiss HE chief eyes route out of 바카라사이트 cold
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