Switzerland is similarly as the Czech Republic a small country with limited surface and relatively smaller number of inhabitants. The two countries are however on a different level regarding the economic development. But if we look at their size as well as their search for the position on the world market, both countries try to focus itself on the structuring of a knowledge society, which would offer to them a stable competition advantage.
Switzerland exhibits at the time being an importantly better authority in this regard and achieves it with relatively lower government aid at a high efficiency. At the same time Switzerland itself emphasizes with its ability of the export of technologies that this was made possible not least also by the co-operation with suitable partners abroad. Interestingly Switzerland and the Czech Republic show similarities in their industrial structure e.g. in their strong focus on machinery and engineering in this area as well as in their research agenda for example with a strong focus on nanotechnology, ICT and biotechnology. Swiss companies with a global renommé such as ABB or Lonza have already discovered this potential and established research centres within the Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic would like to develop to a knowledge society, but some challenges show up exactly here. The financing of science and research is problematic and not very efficient. At the same time also large problems show up with after partners abroad both in the science and with high-innovative enterprises. Here the planned Czech-Swiss Science and Technology Days exhibit a good potential for Czech representatives, in order to make new contacts in Switzerland. Besides, the participants from the Czech Republic would profit also from Best Practice experiences regarding the promotion of science and research from a national and private side view in Switzerland.
It is therefore a quite natural thought, that both Switzerland and the Czech Republic should and could involve themselves in a closer co-operation not only on an economic level but also regarding common research projects to exploit synergies. Supporting business and research contacts in the field of science and technology is therefore the major aim of the planned Czech-Swiss Science and Technology Days.
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