Swiss Higher Education and Research
Switzerland’s higher education landscape is diverse and comprehensive, comprising federal institutes of technology, cantonal universities, universities of applied sciences and universities of teacher education. They offer a wide range of high-quality degree programs in all disciplines and figure prominently in international university rankings.
Switzerland has the second highest level of expenditure on education and training worldwide, accounting for about 5% of its GDP. Research and development (R&D) activities account for a further 3.4% of Swiss GDP. Swiss researchers produce roughly 1.1% of all scientific papers published worldwide, and these papers receive above-average recognition within the international research community. The country also tops international rankings in terms of the average volume of published scientific articles per capita. R&D activities ultimately give rise to patents: Switzerland files the third largest number of PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) patents per capita.
International research cooperation is also a high priority for Switzerland, because it enables Switzerland to take part in numerous international research organizations as well as to pursue bilateral research cooperation with specific partner countries.