Federal Councillor Schneider-Ammann meets with Minister Barañao of Argentina

Bern, 16.03.2017 - Lino Barañao, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovative Production in the Argentinian government, paid Federal Councillor Johann N. Schneider-Ammann a courtesy visit on 16 March 2017. The discussion with the head of the EAER and talks at a previous working session with the state secretary of Education, Research and Innovation Mauro Dell’Ambrogio, focussed on scientific cooperation between the two countries, which is based on a joint statement signed in 2015.

During their talk in Bern, Federal Councillor Schneider-Ammann and Minister Barañao paid tribute to both countries’ recently reinforced commitment to research cooperation. 

The joint statement on promoting research cooperation, signed in June 2015 in Argentina, resulted in a first joint call for proposals from the Swiss National Science Foundation and its Argentinian counterpart, the National Scientific and Technical Research Council, and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovative Production. The applications received in the fields of biology, medicine and mathematics are currently being evaluated.

The joint statement also welcomes interest in cooperation between the Paul Scherer Institute (PSI) and the Balseiro Institute. In the meantime, several workshops and projects have already been carried out, and others are planned.

Cooperation between Swiss and Argentinian researchers is also carried out under regular funding instruments, including the EU's research framework programmes, which Argentina participates in as an associated country, or in the CERN programme.

In the years 2011-2016, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) funded 14 Swiss projects with a direct Argentinian cooperation component. During the same period, researchers worked with Argentinian partners on nearly 30 SNSF-funded projects, mainly in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.

Argentina, along with Bolivia, Chile and Columbia, belongs to the South American pool of countries eligible for federal Excellence Scholarships awarded to foreign researchers and artists. Up to twenty such scholarships are awarded to this pool every year.

Swiss President Doris Leuthard is scheduled to travel to Argentina in April on a presidential visit.


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Evelyn Kobelt, press officer, EAER,
Tel. +41 58 462 20 59, evelyn.kobelt@gs-wbf.admin.ch

Roger Swifcz, SERI, advisor, International Relations
Tel. +41 58 462 48 81, roger.swifcz@sbfi.admin.ch


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Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research
http://www.wbf.admin.ch

Last modification 30.01.2024

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