Research and Innovation background
- Federal Act on the Promotion of Research and Innovation: The legal framework governing public research and innovation funding, encompassing transport research undertaken or commissioned by federal authorities, including transport‑specific R&I by sectoral offices.
- Federal Government Transport‑Relevant Research Mandate
Transport research is an explicit federal policy field, covering sustainable mobility, energy transition in transport, safety, and spatial development, with applied research commissioned directly by transport authorities. - Transport Outlook 2050 (Verkehrsperspektiven 2050): Switzerland’s forward‑looking national transport modelling framework, updated in 2025, guiding long‑term transport research, scenario analysis, and infrastructure and mobility policy decisions for passenger and freight transport.
- Electromobility Roadmap 2030: A voluntary public‑private framework extended in 2024 out to 2030, now covering passenger cars, public transport buses, light commercial vehicles, and heavy freight, with strong implications for applied research, charging systems, and grid‑transport integration.
- Swiss Sustainable Development Strategy (2030): Provides the sustainability framework underpinning transport decarbonisation research, including modal shift, energy efficiency, and active mobility, while leaving implementation to sector‑specific strategies.
- Energy Strategy 2050 – Transport Dimension: Guides transport‑related research on electrification, hydrogen and synthetic fuels (PtX), and system integration, particularly for road freight and rail.
- Federal Ordinance on Automated Driving: Coming into force in March 2025, it established a national regulatory framework enabling automated driving pilots and deployment, directly supporting applied research and real‑world testing of connected and automated mobility.
(Last updated: 18/05/2026)
Institutional framework of transport research
- Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications: The lead ministry for transport policy and innovation, setting strategic priorities for decarbonisation, digitalisation, and safety across all transport modes.
- Federal Office of Transport: The principal federal authority for public transport and rail freight R&I, funding and commissioning applied research, pilots, and innovation programmes.
- Federal Roads Office: Responsible for road transport research, including automated driving, traffic management, digital infrastructure, and safety innovation.
- Swiss National Science Foundation: The main public funder of fundamental and strategic research relevant to transport systems, decarbonisation modelling, behaviour, and technology.
- Innosuisse – Swiss Innovation Agency: Funds applied and industry‑linked transport innovation, including mobility services, logistics, digital transport systems, and pilot projects.
- Institute for Transport Planning and Systems (IVT): A leading transport research institute, based at ETH Zurich, focusing on urban mobility, freight logistics, automation, digitalisation, and data‑driven transport models.
- Transport and Mobility Laboratory: Based at EPFL, specialises in transport optimisation, rail operations, large‑scale mobility modelling, and automation.
- Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) – Energy and Mobility Research: Conducts applied research on hydrogen, synthetic fuels, heavy‑duty transport decarbonisation, and energy‑transport system integration.
(Last updated: 18/05/2026)
Funding Sources and Support Initiatives
Current ongoing national programmes
The two main funding agencies are the Swiss National Science Foundation, which supports fundamental research, and the Swiss Innovation Agency, which promotes innovation.
The National Science Foundation is a private foundation funded by the Confederation through the State Secretariat for Education and Research.
The Innovation Promotion Agency is under the Federal Department of Economic Affairs. Research is funded through the National Research Programmes, where topics are selected through a bottom-up process. Interested groups can submit proposals for new research projects to the State Secretariat for Education and Research, and the Federal Council decides which topics and programmes to fund.
All projects funded by the Federal Administration are part of the national ARAMIS information system. Some key funding programmes include:
- BRIDGE: A joint programme conducted by the SNSF and Innovation Agency that offers new funding opportunities for researchers who wish to develop an application or service based on their results
- National Centres of Competence in Research (NCCRs): NCCRs are established researchers in Switzerland who wish to pursue a long-term research project on a theme of strategic importance
- Sinergia: A programme that promotes the interdisciplinary collaboration of two to four research groups that propose breakthrough research
- Spark: The aim of Spark is to fund the rapid testing or development of new scientific approaches, methods, theories, standards, ideas for applications etc.
International research and cooperation programmes and partnerships of the European Union that are relevant to Switzerland are:
- r4d programme: A programme aimed at researchers in Switzerland and in developing and emerging countries who wish to execute a joint research project on global issues
- SPIRIT: A programme that facilitates knowledge exchange between Swiss researchers and researchers in selected countries that are receiving development assistance
- European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST): Promotes networking and collaboration among European researchers.
(Last updated: 05/11/2024)