Federal policy research: Improving a well-functioning system

The Federal Administration must prepare policy decisions thoroughly and ensure that the measures taken are implemented effectively. To do so, it relies on scientific data and findings, which can be obtained through federal policy research. This research focuses on issues directly associated with tasks carried out by federal offices and departments – topics range from the impact of a legislative revision to climate change scenarios and the impact of digitalisation on the labour market. Federal policy research has proven its worth. However, experience has shown that it needs to be coordinated better in order to make even more efficient use of synergies. To this end, the ARAMIS research database platform needs to be further developed to optimise the data repository on federal policy research projects.

Federal policy research is not an end in itself, but rather a working tool for the state: it provides guidance, helps to identify opportunities and risks at an early stage, and sheds light on the impact of existing policies. 

Research linked to policymaking processes

Federal policy research thus differs from the instruments used to support research and innovation. In the latter case, federal funding is allocated through the Federal Council Dispatch on the Promotion of Education, Research and Innovation (ERI Dispatch) and governed by service level agreements reached with the corresponding institutions (Swiss National Science Foundation, Innosuisse, Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences). Funding of these instruments is allocated over the long term and is intended to reinforce Switzerland's position as a competitive location for research and innovation. Federal policy research, on the other hand, is linked to specific policymaking processes. It becomes relevant, for example, when a federal office is faced with specific questions: What is the impact of a particular measure? How robust is a proposed regulatory approach? Which courses of action are plausible from a research perspective?

Federal policy research focuses on specific policy areas that the Federal Council has indicated in the ERI Dispatch. The federal offices responsible for the respective policy sectors develop multi-year research concepts and coordinate their activities through an interdepartmental coordination committee led by SERI. Alongside Swiss federal offices, the Swiss National Science Foundation, Innosuisse and the ETH Board are also represented. This system has proven its worth: policy sector research is broadly anchored, cooperation between federal offices and ERI stakeholders is strong, and thanks to the ARAMIS database, there is a good overview of ongoing and completed projects.

Improving coordination and dialogue

In mid-December 2025, the Federal Council decided to further improve the coordination of federal policy research. It strengthened the governance of the interdepartmental coordination committee by dividing it into two levels: a strategic committee for overall supervision and, in parallel, a specialised committee for thematic work. 

Alignment will also improve: the coordination committee will now review extensive federal policy research programmes (starting from CHF 2.5 million per year) for coordination needs during the planning phase, and information exchange between the relevant federal offices and other stakeholders will be intensified. 

Well-coordinated research creates synergies

With all these adjustments, we are building on a system that already works and are making it stronger. As the federal agency responsible for research and innovation, our aim is clear: federal policy research should continue to be planned and funded where expertise is available, where specific questions arise in a given area of responsibility, and where policies are implemented, that is, at the respective federal offices. 

At the same time, it is SERI's role to ensure that federal policy research is optimally coordinated both now and in the future and that synergies with other federally funded research projects are effectively exploited.