Get involved in research, innovation and cultural diversity
Switzerland is an innovative country. To ensure that it remains so, the Federal Administration actively supports research and education: the federal offices collect scientific data, commission studies, document knowledge and pass it on to the population. With your expertise, you can help to ensure that Switzerland continues to develop as a modern location for research and education.
Where you can get involved
Switzerland's success is largely based on the systematic development, utilisation and sharing of skills and knowledge. SERI's strategic mandate is to work in close cooperation with the cantons, businesses, universities and private and institutional sponsors to strengthen education, research and innovation, and to further enhance their quality.
The FOC defines the Confederation's cultural policy and supports artistic creation and cultural organisations. It is responsible for cultural heritage protection, monument preservation and archaeological sites, and promotes the linguistic and cultural communities. The specialist units for looted art and the transfer of cultural property, the federal art collections, museums and the Swiss National Library are all part of the FOC.
FOSPO promotes sport and exercise for everyone. It operates the Confederation's most important sports promotion organisation with Youth+Sports, and a renowned education and research centre with the Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen SFISM. The sports centres in Magglingen and Tenero offer modern training and education facilities for associations, schools and clubs.
The FSVO is responsible for food safety, nutrition, animal welfare and animal protection, and supports the cantons with enforcement. It is responsible for protecting the Swiss population from deception and health hazards relating to foodstuffs and consumer goods. The Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI) is attached to the FSVO.
Agroscope is the federal government's centre of excellence for agricultural research and is attached to the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG). With their research and development activities, employees pursue several goals: competitive and multifunctional agriculture, high-quality foodstuffs for a healthy diet and an intact environment.
The FSO is the competence centre for official statistics. It compiles statistical information on the status and development of the population, economy, society, education, research, territory and environment. The information helps to shape public opinion and is a tool for planning and management in key policy areas.
The SFA preserves and provides access to federal documentation. The archives contain original documents relating to Switzerland's history, such as the Federal Constitution and the minutes of Federal Council meetings, as well as all editions of the Filmwochenschau (weekly newsreel). Documents can be consulted online or in the reading room.
The FOAG is committed to ensuring the success of an agri-food sector that markets high-quality foodstuffs, produces sustainably and conserves resources. The focus is on framework conditions that support entrepreneurship in agriculture. The Agroscope research institute provides the scientific basis for this.
With maps, images and data, swisstopo provides reliable and sustainable documentation on the landscape and subsurface. It coordinates geoinformation at federal level and, in cooperation with the cantons, is responsible for the overall supervision of the cadastral survey, manages the Institute for Military Geography and operates the federal geoportal with the map viewer at map.geo.admin.ch.
As a national service, MeteoSwiss ensures the supply of weather and climate information. Ground measuring stations, weather radars, satellites, radiosondes and other instruments record the weather. MeteoSwiss warns the authorities and the population in the event of severe weather, and provides basic data on climate change.