The projects are being implemented by Romanian educational institutions in cooperation with their Swiss academic partners. On the Swiss side, 14 various institutions of higher learning, Universities, and Universities of Applied Sciences are involved, including the Federal Institutes of Technology in Zurich and Lausanne. At the event, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), which is the organization responsible for administering the programme, provided the Swiss partners with information on the general procedures and on the individual projects themselves.

All told, Switzerland is funding 26 research projects with an overall contribution of CHF 9.75 million. The project themes are divided into various pre-determined domains that have been agreed upon beforehand with the Romanians based on criteria aiming at promoting to the maximum degree possible the country’s research capabilities. Projects in the following thematic areas will thus be conducted thanks to this programme:

• 8 Projects in the healthcare domain for research aimed at serious illnesses such as cancer or heart disease;

• 7 Projects on the influence of pollution and waste materials on the environment and the climate;

• 7 Project in the domain of sustainable energy; and 

• 4 other projects relating to social inequalities.

For each project, Switzerland is financing 85% of the research budget; funding for the remaining 15% will be ensured by the Romanian Ministry of Education. The funds being made available for these research projects will primarily be used to defray personnel costs, along with expenses for specific consumable supplies for use in laboratories.

The Swiss Enlargement Contribution is supporting various projects in Romania for a total amount of CHF 257 million. As for the research projects being conducted in Bulgaria, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Hungary, Swiss support represents an overall sum of nearly CHF 70 million.