Swiss army plans major research push with universities to modernize forces

LONDON

The Swiss army is planning a major expansion of its research spending and closer cooperation with universities to modernize its technology by 2030, public broadcaster SWI reported Tuesday.

The Federal Office for Defense Procurement, known as Armasuisse, wants to boost its research budget to 2% of the army’s total budget by the end of the decade, focusing on drones, cyber security, and surveillance technologies

This goal is set out in the Swiss government’s current armament strategy.

Armasuisse has now outlined what this could mean for higher education. It plans to invest around 10 times more money in university research projects than it does.

The main focus would be on Switzerland’s two federal institutes of technology: ETH Zurich and EPFL in Lausanne.

At present, ETH Zurich acts largely as a technology observer for the army and, in some areas, as a driver of start-ups in the defense sector. Under the new strategy, the government wants a more structured partnership.

Thomas Rothacher, the deputy head of Armasuisse, said in the future ETH should identify technological gaps within the army.

“Together, they could then develop innovative solutions,” he said, describing plans for larger and more systematic research projects.

"Since the (start of the) war in Ukraine, this reluctance has diminished and interest in doing something for defense has increased noticeably at universities," he added.