Moratoria also damage research careers
Researchers are losing access to Horizon Europe. Restoring it is a top priority. But Switzerland also has it in its own hands to enable attractive new fields of research instead of blocking them.
Wednesday, September 15, 2021
Content in German
Numerous researchers in Switzerland will no longer be considered for EU funding in future. As reported by the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper, this will have a massive impact on careers and projects in some cases. One example is Domenico Giardini from ETH Zurich. The professor of seismology is regarded as Europe's «seismologist networker». His initiatives have significantly improved the measurement and warning systems for earthquakes. Giardini became known above all because he was responsible for a project in which NASA brought a seismograph to Mars in 2019, which is now used to record every earthquake there. Thanks to Giardini's work, ETH has had a significant influence on the direction of European earthquake research. In university rankings, ETH Zurich's Geophysics department takes first place - ahead of the top Anglo-Saxon universities.
Discontinuation threatens research centre
However, the cancellation of «Horizon Europe» could lead to the gradual decline of entire fields of research. According to Giardini, he could somehow find the money for his projects: «But we are now losing the capacity to steer where our field is heading. If you can steer, the best professors, the best doctoral students, the best students will come.» Not only professors are affected. Many doctoral and post-doctoral students are also no longer able to apply for prestigious scholarships, which are very important for research careers. ETH physicist Stefano Maffei, for example, can no longer apply for the Marie Curie Fellowship from Switzerland. According to Maffei, Switzerland must find its way back to «Horizon» as quickly as possible. If Europe does not work together in research, it risks being relegated to a mere holiday destination between China and the USA.
Utilising new opportunities
For the researchers, the situation resembles a «lost opportunity». Despite all the understandable anger, however, it must be recognised that Switzerland certainly has the potential to occupy important research fields in international research and attract top international researchers and top students. This is particularly the case in the field of green genetic engineering and biotechnology. The genetic engineering moratorium that has been in place for years is also a «lost opportunity». It is a massive impediment to applied research in particular and impairs research careers. And this at a time when biotechnology is attracting students: As the business programme Trend has reported, biotech enthusiasm among students is high. An important driver of this is the success in the provision of new coronavirus vaccines.
The distance to the EU could be an opportunity for Switzerland to take on a leading role in Europe in the field of green genetic engineering. However, this would require the restrictive genetic engineering legislation to be adapted and promising technologies such as genome editing to finally be authorised. If this happens before the EU revises its own strict rules, there will be opportunities for Switzerland to create new, attractive research environments. After all, it is not dependent on «Horizon» to play a leading role in genome editing.
Sources
Related articles
“Different Rules for Genome Editing Are Welcome”
The Swiss Federal Council and the National Council of Switzerland want to put new cultivation methods under the existing GMO moratorium. A majority of the SECC-S decided on Tuesday that the cultivation of genome-edited plants is to be permitted subject to requirements. We discussed this decision with Jan Lucht, an expert on biotechnology from scienceindustries.
Seven years of cutting-edge research – with the handbrake on
In its February 5 issue, the “BauernZeitung” newspaper looked at the only facility in Europe where field research involving genetically modified plants can be carried out.
Parliament decides on a change of course in green genetic engineering
According to the National Council, the Council of States has also spoken out in favor of a loosening of the Gene-Tech Moratorium. The Federal Assembly takes the arguments from the scientific community into account with the decision. The opportunities presented by new breeding technologies are greater than the risks. The Federal Council is now called upon to initiate the approval of new breeding methods.
Residue is not the same as residue
Painkillers like Voltaren are a blessing for us – yet in our rivers they can harm fish. If these were crop protection products, calls for bans would be immediate. It becomes clear that we are applying double standards.
ARTE documentary: Genetic engineering in organic farming?
The ARTE documentary “Genetic engineering in organic farming?” examines key controversial questions of modern agriculture: Is the general exclusion of new breeding technologies still up to date? Can the resistance of organic farming be justified scientifically?
The Great Suffering of Farmers
Fire blight, Japanese beetles, or grapevine yellows – farmers in Valais, too, are increasingly feeling helpless in the face of the threats posed by nature. More and more often, they lack the means to effectively protect their crops. This makes it all the more important for the Federal Council to place a pragmatic balancing of interests at the forefront when setting threshold values.
'Tomatoes on your eyes'
The submitted “Food Protection Initiative” calls for “GMO-free food.” Leaving aside this illusory demand, its adoption would mean more bureaucracy, more trade barriers, and less innovation. The Swiss Farmers’ Union describes the proposal as “unnecessary” and warns of a setback to the goal of achieving an even more sustainable agriculture.