Research and Development
Switzerland invests over CHF 25 billion in research and development (R&D) annually, which makes it one of the largest R&D investors in the world. Two-thirds of all R&D is funded by the private sector.
Switzerland invests over CHF 25 billion in research and development (R&D) annually, which equates to 3.4% of its gross domestic product. This makes it the fourth highest investor in R&D in the world.
The universities and the two federal institutes of technology – ETH Zurich and EPFL – focus primarily on basic research. The universities of applied sciences and private sector, however, concentrate on applied research and responding to business needs.
The private sector is a major contributor to R&D in Switzerland, investing a total of CHF 16.7 billion (2.3% of GDP) in 2021. Three-quarters of this funding went to R&D-intensive sectors: the pharmaceuticals and chemical industry (40%), metals and engineering industry (11%), research laboratories (13%) and new technologies (14%).