Switzerland is a hub for education, science, technology and innovation. It has outstanding universities with a wide array of programs, numerous world-class public research institutions, and a thriving private sector that encourages research and development. Innovation and research are seen as a priority in Switzerland; about 3% of the country’s GDP is invested in R&D.

Switzerland is the world’s most innovative country according to the 2020 Global Innovation Index, a position it has held for ten consecutive years. Swiss universities are consistently ranked at a high level internationally as well – ETH Zurich, for example, has defended its rank in the top 10 best universities in the world in the latest 2023 QS World University Rankings.

Many Swiss universities work in close collaboration with universities in the United States. Switzerland also has among the highest numbers of publications per million inhabitants and 84% of all jointly-written publications are the result of international cooperation. Indeed, there is stronger collaboration between Swiss and U.S. scientists than with any other country, including Swiss collaborations at home. Swiss research institutions take pride in their international environment, with English being the commonly used language.