University of Zurich Appointed as Leading House Asia Pacific
Awarded by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), the University of Zurich (UZH) is proud to announce its appointment as the new “Leading House Asia Pacific” for the 2025 to 2028 period. In this capacity, UZH will promote and facilitate scientific, educational and innovation collaborations between Switzerland and 15 countries across the Asia-Pacific region.
“UZH and its members have a track record in institutional and individual collaboration with academic institutions and key stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific region,” says President Michael Schaepman. “We look forward to an enlarged regional engagement benefiting the Swiss research, education and innovation communities.”
We look forward to an enlarged regional engagement benefiting the Swiss research, education and innova-tion communities.
As Leading House, UZH will provide targeted support for Swiss researchers to engage in collaborative projects with academic and industry partners in the following countries: Australia, Brunei, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Indonesia, Japan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan (Chinese Taipei), Thailand and Vietnam. Available funding instruments, including mobility and research grants, will be published in fall this year.
Benefitting from existing partnerships and regional expertise
UZH’s appointment builds on its long-standing engagement with the Asia-Pacific region. Institutionally, UZH holds joint membership in university networks with several leading research universities from the region and maintains two strategic partnerships – with Kyoto University (Japan) and the University of Queensland (Australia) – that are driven by long-term research and innovative teaching collaborations.
In addition, UZH is home to a vibrant community of researchers and students from the region and maintains a large number of student exchange agreements and mobility programs, reflecting its strong ties to the region. As Switzerland’s most comprehensive university, UZH is equipped with extensive academic expertise across various regional studies fields, ranging from cultural, social, political and economic studies to environmental, legal and technological research.
“We believe that UZH is an ideal candidate as Leading House for this dynamic region, which is not only the engine of the global economy but also a hub of cutting-edge research and innovation,” says Martina Hirayama, State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation. “We look forward to working closely with UZH to expand existing partnerships and build new ones across the region, and to benefit from UZH’s strong connections in the region.”
We believe that UZH is an ideal candidate as Leading House for this dynamic region, which is not only the en-gine of the global economy but also a hub of cutting-edge research and innovation.
Enlarged mandate: Welcoming Australia and New Zealand
One significant enhancement of the new mandate is the expansion to include Australia and New Zealand, two countries known for their research excellence and innovation ecosystems.
“We are particularly pleased about the extension to include these countries, with which UZH already has strong and well-established links,” says Katja Durkin, Head Global Affairs at UZH. “In fact, Australia is one of Switzerland’s top research partners globally. We are confident that Swiss stakeholders across education, research and innovation will greatly benefit from including these two countries in the mandate of the Leading House,” she adds.
We are particularly pleased about the extension to include these countries, with which UZH already has strong and well-established links.
Role of Leading Houses
In the Leading House model, selected Swiss higher education institutions are commissioned by SERI to establish cooperation instruments for seed funding and innovative pilot projects. The Leading Houses are a central component of the bilateral cooperation programs initiated by the federal government in 2008, which aim to strengthen collaboration with non-European partner countries in the fields of education, research, and innovation (ERI). This model has proven effective for fostering contacts and testing new approaches to research and innovation collaboration and complements other national and bilateral funding opportunities.
Leading Houses aim to strengthen scientific cooperation with high-potential countries, promote regional expertise among Swiss ERI actors and represent the interests of the Swiss scientific community. Alongside UZH’s role as Leading House Asia Pacific, four other Leading Houses serve as national interfaces for other regions worldwide.