As an independent consultative body to the Federal Council, the SSC periodically examines on behalf of the Federal Departement of Economic Affairs, Education and Research EAER the Swiss policy on research and innovation promotion. For this purpose, the Council undertakes evaluations, assessments of multi-year plans and studies on the effectiveness of federal measures. The results of these examinations contribute, along with the recommendations of the Council, to developing scientific quality in Switzerland.
Evaluations can touch upon scientific institutions, funding instruments, funding agencies or government’s measures (see RIPA, Art. 54). The main method used by the SSC is the peer review process conducted by members of the Council and/or by external experts specialised in the scientific field under consideration. (For further specification see the note about SSC procedures and methodological choices.)
The SSC assesses independent research institutes, research facilities and technological competence centres which are federally supported under Article 15 of the Federal Act of 14 December 2012 on the Promotion of Research and Innovation (RIPA; CC 420.1 - German version) or which apply for subsidies. Periodically, the Council weighs in on the multi-year plans of these institutions.
The State Secretariat of Education, Research and Innovation (and in one case also the Swiss Conference of Higher Education Institutions) commissions the following evaluations, assessments and impact measurements in the period from 2016 to 2019:
- Assessment of the admission procedure for the study of medicine in universities with numerus clausus
- Appreciation of the «Funding request for the establishment of a Swiss Competence Center 3Rs (3RCC)» under art. 15 Federal Act on the Promotion of Resarch and Innovation RIPA
- Nano-Tera.ch: engineering complex systems for health, security, energy and the environment
- SystemsX.ch: The Swiss Initiative in Systems Biology
- Overhead contributions as an instrument of research and innovation policy
- Scientific institutions funded under Art. 15 of the Federal Act on the Promotion of Research and Innovation (RIPA): a. Assessment of new proposals during the 2016-2019 period; b. Assessment of the multi-year plans 2021-2024 of all organisations
Preceding analyses of the SSC related to funding under Art. 15 RIPA: