Switzerland and the European Union signed the Agreement on Switzerland's participation in European Union Programmes (EUPA) on 10 November 2025, marking an important step in strengthening the country’s participation in European education, research, and innovation initiatives.  

As outlined in the European Commission’s announcement, the agreement retroactively associates Switzerland to Horizon Europe, the Euratom Programme, and the Digital Europe Programme as of 1 January 2025. In addition, participation in the EU4Health programme will become possible once the Agreement on Health enters into force. Association to the ITER research infrastructure is foreseen for 2026, and to Erasmus+ for 2027.  

The Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) has also communicated on the next steps, highlighting the planned submission of the financial package for Erasmus+ to Parliament in 2026. Meanwhile, the national agency Movetia has already started preparing the required accreditation processes to take on the role of the Erasmus+ National Agency. 

Looking ahead, Swiss actors in the fields of education, youth, and sport will be gradually informed about the opportunities linked to the planned Erasmus+ association. The agreement signals a renewed momentum for cross-border cooperation and is expected to facilitate deeper engagement of Swiss higher education institutions with European partners across multiple programmes.