This article covers cooperation between India and Switzerland in science and technology, space, artificial intelligence, antimicrobial resistance, railways, climate change and environment, health and Ayurveda, and skills. The brief does not describe Indian lines of credit or grant projects in Switzerland, so the article concentrates on these sectoral programmes. It is based on the MEA bilateral brief of June 2026.
Science and technology
According to the MEA brief of June 2026, the inter-governmental agreement for S&T cooperation was signed in 2003 during the state visit of the Swiss President to India. Within its framework, the Indo-Swiss Joint Research Program (ISJRP) was initiated with the Swiss Government in 2005 to further advance bilateral S&T cooperation. Earlier agreements in the brief's list include the Agreement on Technical and Scientific Co-operation of 1966 and the Agreement on Collaboration in Biotechnology of 1999.
Indo-Swiss joint projects in S&T named in the brief include:
- Green Electric Mobility (GEM) in India Project
- Clean Energy Policy (CEP)
- Remote sensing-based Information and Insurance for Crops in Emerging economies (RIICE)
- Indo-Swiss Collaboration in Biotechnology (ISCB)
- Indo-Swiss Programme on Building Energy Efficiency (BEEP)
- Construction assistance in India: Improving energy efficiency in building
A Joint Committee co-chaired by Secretaries from both sides reviews all bilateral activities under the Indo-Swiss S&T Cooperation programme. Its first meeting was held in 2011 in Berne. The 7th and latest meeting was held in Berne on 01 September 2025, jointly chaired by the Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Ms. Martina Hirayama, Swiss State Secretary for Education, Research & Innovation (SERI).
During the State visit of President Shri Ram Nath Kovind to Switzerland in 2019, a Letter of Intent was signed for further strengthening S&T cooperation under an India-Switzerland Science and Innovation Alliance. The Indian Mission celebrated 2019 as the India Year of Science and Technology in Switzerland.
A new collaborative mechanism in innovation and R&D, the "India-Swiss Innovation Platform", was launched in Bengaluru on 30 October 2023.
Science diplomacy and GESDA
India has been represented at the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipation (GESDA) Summit, generally held in Geneva in October each year. A Joint Secretary level official represented India at the 3rd summit in October 2023, and a Secretary level official from MEA took part virtually in the 4th. Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India Shri Ajay Kumar Sood participated in the 5th summit.
Prof. Sood visited Switzerland from 13-16 October 2025 for the GESDA Summit. He met Federal Councillor for Foreign Affairs Mr. Ignazio Cassis, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Mr. Alexandre Fasel and State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation Ms. Martina Hirayama. He also visited ETH Zurich and CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) to explore future collaboration and joint research with India.
Space and artificial intelligence
During a visit by Dr. Martina Hirayama to the ISRO Satellite integration and testing establishment on 25 March 2024, it was discussed that a Swiss space delegation would visit India. The delegation, made up of start-up founders, incubators, innovation centres, representatives of education institutions, and space and space-tech researchers, attended Indo-Swiss Space Week 2024 in Bengaluru on 23-26 June 2024. It then took part in India Space Congress-2024 on 27 June 2024.
At the AI Impact Summit hosted by India in New Delhi, Swiss President Parmelin announced that Switzerland will host a future edition of the AI summit. The brief states that the event is planned for Geneva in the first half of 2027 and will be organised jointly by the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).
Antimicrobial resistance
The launch of the India-Swiss Innovation Platform coincided with the first Indo-Swiss Anti-microbial Resistance (AMR) dialogue, in which about 50 experts from the two countries took part.
The 2nd round of the India-Swiss AMR Innovation Dialogue took place in Switzerland from 27 April-2 May 2025. The programme included visits to the Universities of Zurich, Geneva, Berne and Basel, the Global Antibiotic Research and development Partnership (GARDP) and Roche, and a workshop at the Swiss Re Center for Global Dialogue in Ruschlikon. About 92 experts took part, including 25 from the Indian side. The Indian organising team included researchers from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, together with Swissnex-India.
Railways
An MoU for technical cooperation in the rail sector was signed between India's Railways Ministry and its Swiss counterpart on 31 August 2017. It covers areas including traction rolling stock, EMU and train sets, traction propulsion equipment, tilting trains, railway electrification equipment, train scheduling and operation improvement, and tunnelling technology. In 2017, Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL) also signed an MoU with Versuchs Stollen Hagerback AG and another with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) in the field of tunnelling and underground structures.
The first Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting under the MoU was held in New Delhi in 2019. It was launched by the Chairman, Railway Board and the Swiss Federal Councillor heading the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy & Communications. The 2nd meeting was held at Berne on 30 August 2022.
A renewed MoU was signed on 29 October 2024 at a virtual ceremony by Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology, and Mr. Albert Rosti, Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal DETEC. It aims to improve railway operational efficiency, safety standards, service quality and infrastructure development. Swiss rail companies and entities involved in operations in India include Stadler Rail Management AG, Furrer& Frey, Huber+Suhner, ABB Ltd, SWISSRAIL and SWISSMEM.
Climate change, environment and energy
An MoU on Technical Cooperation in the field of Climate Change and Environment was signed during President Kovind's state visit to Switzerland in 2019. The JWG on Climate Change and Environment first met by video conference in September 2021. At its 4th and latest meeting, held in New Delhi on 22 September 2025, the MoU was renewed.
Earlier agreements in this area include the 2002 Letter of Agreement between SECO and UNIDO concerning the project "Cleaner Technology Promotion in India", and an MoU for cooperation in Energy Efficiency signed in 2011.
Health and Ayurveda
The brief notes that complementary medicine is part of the Swiss Federal Constitution. Ayurveda, along with Chinese medicine, European medicine and homeopathy, has been approved for a federally recognised national diploma examination in Switzerland.
A session on "Indian Traditional Medicine Systems interacting with Modern Medicine System" was held at the 8th Geneva Health Forum in 2020. India's Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Minister of State for AYUSH gave keynote speeches at the inaugural plenary. A virtual meeting on India-Switzerland bilateral health cooperation took place in 2021 with the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of AYUSH.
The first International Ayurveda Symposium in Switzerland was held in Luzern on 12-13 October 2024 with the support of India's Ministry of Ayush. It was attended by Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha and Director, AIIA, Prof. Dr Tanuja Nesari, with 200-strong participation. The Embassy of India, Berne organised an Ayurveda and Wellness exhibition on 29 October 2024 for the 9th Ayurveda Day, and an Ayurveda and Wellness lounge on 23 September 2025 for the 10th Ayurveda Day.
Skills, agriculture and disaster relief
In 2016, India's Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and SERI signed an MoU on cooperation in skill development and vocational and professional education and training. The brief's table of agreements marks this MoU as lapsed. On 21 January 2025, on the sidelines of WEF 2025, Minister of State (I/C) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Sh. Jayant Chaudhary met Mr. Guy Parmelin and Ms. Martina Hirayama.
A 2005 Grant Agreement between the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs and the International Competence Center for Organic Agriculture in India (ICCOA) supported the "Indian Organic Market Development Project". For humanitarian matters, the brief lists an Agreement for the duty-free entry of relief supplies and packages of 1966 and an Agreement on Cooperation in the event of Disasters of 2003.