InternationalInternational affairsLeading House MENA

Leading House MENA

Promoting scientific collaboration between Switzerland and the MENA region.

The Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) commissioned the HES⁠-⁠SO as the Leading House (LH) for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The mandate will last from 2017 to 2020 and its overall goal is to develop scientific collaborations between Switzerland and countries of the MENA region.

The Leading House MENA has set three strategic goals

Further development of the research cooperation between Switzerland and countries with a high development potential in the above mentioned region with funding instruments designed according to the interests of the Swiss research community
Increase of knowledge on countries with a high development potential among the Swiss research community through the availability of contacts and know how
Representation of the interests of the Swiss research community towards potential partners in the region.

Innovation starting grants : 16 projects funded

The call “Innovation starting grants” was launched in January 2019. The goal was to support collaborations between researchers in Switzerland, the counterparts in the MENA region, and non-academic partners. Seven countries were eligible for this call: Egypt Lebanon, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian territory, Qatar, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. It was open to all scientific disciplines and aimed to support both technological and social innovation.

After an evaluation by external experts, 16 proposals have been selected and will be funded by the Leading House MENA.