Brexit and science: let's not make the same mistake as the Swiss

Guest post: Why walking away from the EU will leave UK science in difficult negotiation territory

In late January 2014, the contract between Switzerland and the EU sat on desks, ready to sign. Switzerland was due to become an associated country on the EU's new seven-year, a80 billion science programme, called "Horizon 2020". Although not an EU country, Switzerland would contribute appropriate levels of money, thereby allowing its university scientists and small innovative businesses to compete for the pooled research and innovation funds in exactly the same way scientists in EU member states do.

The science programme had already launched, but the Commission would not sign just yet. They were waiting. There was a referendum coming up in Switzerland that was a direct challenge to the standing bilateral agreements with the EU. The proposal, named "against mass immigration" and championed by the Swiss People's Party, aimed to limit immigration through quotas and permit allocation of jobs preferentially to Swiss over foreigners, effectively returning Switzerland to the days before its freedom-of-movement agreements with the EU.