National Research Programmes (NRPs)
NRPs make a scientific contribution to solving societal challenges. They are launched by the Federal Council and deal with topics of national importance. The research volume is between 10 and 20 million Swiss francs.
NRPs have an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary focus. The individual research projects are coordinated according to the goals set for the programme. Researchers maintain an intensive dialogue and work together with practitioners. The NRPs attach great importance to communicating research findings both to specialists and to the general public.
50 years of NRPs
National Research Programmes – driving progress in Switzerland for 50 years
For 50 years, the National Research Programmes have been working to help find solutions to societal problems, such as climate change, health crises and social inequality. During this time, they have brought society and science closer together.
Science plays a key role in the advancement of societies, but its value only really comes into its own when it moves beyond academic boundaries. Two generations ago, the science community therefore invited actors from society to get involved and called on the federal government to introduce the National Research Programmes (NRPs). The programmes were designed to research topics relevant to society from a practical perspective and to promote open dialogue between the science community and society. In the spring of 1975, the Federal Council and Swiss parliament approved just under 30 million francs in funding for the first four research programmes.
A platform for research and dialogue
As a result, the science community received support to study new and promising topics, while the Federal Administration, private sector and other civil society institutions were able to propose ideas for new NRPs. “This was an important nudge for researchers to step out of their ivory towers,” explains ETH environmental scientist Dieter Imboden, former president of the Research Council (2005–2012). Connecting researchers with the real world not only meant greater visibility, but also more impact – for an informed, progressive and thriving society. NRPs can explain complex topics in easily understandable terms and bolster trust in scientific processes.
A successful start and international response
The very first National Research Programme “Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases” was a success. In the early 1980s, it provided the insight that is now found in every health guide – that high blood pressure is the crucial risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, depending on age and weight.
This new approach of considering the human body as a whole in medical research also attracted attention. Even the World Health Organization WHO began replicating this holistic approach in its prevention studies.
Anticipatory impact
Topics that are now very important to the economy and society were identified early in research programmes and given an effective initial boost. In the early 1990s, NRP 23 studied “Robotics and Artificial Intelligence”. The research institutions involved at the time – the Idiap Research Institute in Martigny and the Istituto Dalle Molle di studi sull’intelligenza artificiale (IDSIA) in Lugano – are now internationally recognised thanks to the language models they developed.
Climate policy also benefitted from early research in NRP 31 on “Climatic Changes and Natural Hazards”, which ran from 1993 to 1997. This gave rise to important key principles for regional climate scenarios and resulting adaptation strategies. The selectively funded research conducted 30 years ago also laid the foundation for the successful National Centre of Competence in Research at the University of Bern and ETH Zurich “Climate Variability, Predictability and Climate Risks”. “National Research Programmes are a bellwether for topics that are set to become more important in our daily lives,” says Martina Hirayama, State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation.
Broad spectrum, controversial topics
Some of the topics currently being researched in their own dedicated NRPs are optimising the built environment (Baukultur), new plant breeding methods, biodiversity, and gender medicine. The ideas are compiled and pre-selected by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). The NRPs are then approved by the Federal Council – until now for a period of three to five years and a budget of between 5 million and 30 million francs. “The National Research Programmes are an essential instrument with which to pick up on current topics in a targeted and coordinated way, and to develop sustainable solutions to the pressing issues of our time,” says Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin.
The list of NRP topics from the last 50 years is long and varied. As well as health and environmental topics, the Federal Council has also approved research on digitalisation and language. NRPs have not shied away from explosive and ethically controversial topics either, such as social integration, Switzerland’s relations with South Africa, dying, and welfare and coercion. NRP 59 “Benefits and Risks of the Deliberate Release of Genetically Modified plants” even triggered a disruptive protest campaign at the Agroscope test site. “For pressing societal and political questions, scientists can provide factual information, and highlight trade-offs, but they can’t make decisions,” says Imboden, summarising the role of the National Research Programmes.
Expectations, actionable knowledge
“The National Research Programmes cultivate dialogue between research and policymaking. This allows political decisions to be systematically based on scientific knowledge,” explains Laura Bernardi, Vice-President of the Research Council, describing the collaboration between policymakers and the science community. Research can also address critical issues. During the Covid-19 pandemic, scientists and policymakers were in almost daily contact, and NRP 78 “Covid-19” was launched in record time. This convergence, which at first was unusual, gave rise to a dialogue of equals. In order to ensure this exchange and dialogue continues in normal times, NRP 80 “Covid-19 in Society” is now testing so-called pairing schemes, an arrangement that allows researchers to engage directly with policymakers and experts from the Federal Administration.
Business and industry as stakeholders
Open exchange and dialogue between the science community and society fosters innovation. Groundbreaking discoveries emerge when different perspectives come together – whether through cooperation with industry, policymakers, or with citizens directly. Switzerland as a hub for technology and industry is therefore just as interested in the NRPs as policymakers and society. Findings in areas such as materials research, biomedicine, and construction and power engineering have been shared with industry, leading to university spinoffs and further innovation and jobs.
NRP 73 “Sustainable Economy” also looked at the environmental, social and economic potential of the circular economy. “Working with scientists gives us important impetus to improve sustainable value chains,” says Marcel Niederberger, head of sustainability at household appliance manufacturer V-Zug.
The research conducted in the NRPs delivers new insights that are crucial to the future of Switzerland. They are the foundation for further innovations and therefore pivotal to Switzerland as a business hub.
National Research Programmes often also serve as needs assessments to gauge whether the exploration of specific topics needs to be stepped up or adapted. Two examples of this are development cooperation and migration policy: researchers started addressing global migration in NRP 28 “Switzerland in a Changing World” and NRP 39 “Migration and Intercultural Relations”.
“National Research Programmes are an integral part of the Swiss research and innovation landscape. They enable scientific insights to be translated into concrete solutions,” says Torsten Schwede, president of the Research Council. Such solutions even crop up in normal life. For example, NRP 72 on antibiotic resistance produced a government surveillance system that improves everyday medical prescribing practice. And it is due to the engineering activities that were successfully tested in NRP 66 “Resource Wood” that several tower blocks made of wood are now being designed and built in Switzerland.
Learning effects for science
The programmes have also influenced our understanding of how science and research work. While in the 1970s, research was bound to individual disciplines, it now crosses these boundaries. Complex societal topics can only be resolved in a cross-disciplinary and hands-on way. “The National Research Programmes played a key part in making interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity a current standard of research excellence,” says Paul Messerli, professor of geography at the University of Bern, who was in charge of NRPs on the Research Council from 1998 to 2008. Without the dialogue and collaboration outside of the academic environment, many solutions would remain untapped or even go entirely unnoticed.
Current NRPs
Concluded NRPs
NRP 59 "Benefits and Risks of the Deliberate Release of Genetically Modified Plants"
NRP 56 "Language Diversity and Linguistic Competence in Switzerland"
NRP 52 "Childhood, Youth and Intergenerational Relationships in a Changing Society"
NRP 50 "Endocrine Disruptors: Relevance to Humans, Animals and Ecosystems"
NRP 41 "Transport and Environment: Interactions Switzerland / Europe"
NRP 40+ "Right-wing Extremism - Causes and Counter-measures"
NRP 38+ "Pathogenesis of Novel Forms of Infectious Diseases"
NRP 35 "Social and Legal Status of Women - Ways to Equality"
NRP 28 "Switzerland in a Changing World: Challenge for Foreign Trade and Development Politics"
NRP 16 "Methods for Conservation of Objects of Cultural Value"
NRP 15 "World of Work: Humanisation and Technological Development"
NRP 14 "Circulation and Pollution of Air and Forest Damage in Switzerland"
NRP 10 "Education and Acting in Society and Professional Life"
NRP 09 "Mechanisms and Development of Swiss Economy and their Social Consequences"
NRP 04+ Energy: "Socio-economic Research in the Consumer Domain"
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