• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Switzerland participates on the NATO Science and Technology Board

Swiss Government

Bern, 07.04.2025 -- Due to its contributions in the fields of research and technology over the years as part of the Partnership for Peace, Switzerland has been invited by NATO to regularly attend the meetings of the Science and Technology Board (STB) of the NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO) from March 2025 onwards. From 7 to 9 April 2025, Switzerland will be represented by the Federal Office for Defence Procurement armasuisse at the STB meeting in Brussels, where it will present its priorities in the area of research and technology development.

The STO is a network within NATO, promoting the world's largest science and technology partnership in the domains of security and defence. More than 5000 experts from over 40 countries are working together to come up with solutions to further develop the technological and military capabilities of NATO members as well as those of partner states.

Collaboration in the areas of innovation, research and technological development

Switzerland has been involved in the STO for several years as part of the Partnership for Peace with NATO. The current partnership programme stipulates that Switzerland and NATO will intensify their collaboration in the areas of innovation, research and technological development. Given the speed of technological change, this collaboration is likely to become increasingly important in the future. Participation in the STO will take the form of a technological partnership programme that serves to promote joint research and development in emergent and disruptive areas of science and technology. It will promote the professional exchange of knowledge, ideas and experiences within research projects and will help to bolster the international network in security-related research areas and thus defensive capabilities. The STB brings together representatives from the worlds of politics, science and technology, and controls the strategic focus of the STO.

The role of Switzerland as a location for research and innovation

The quality of the Swiss contributions in the partnership programme to date has been recognised by NATO. Switzerland is considered to be an internationally important location for research and innovation, which reinforces its position as a reliable and innovation-oriented player in the security-technology environment. Regular participation in the STB meetings will allow Switzerland to help design the STO's operational programme in the future and to collaborate in further research activities.
Swiss research institutes—including armasuisse Science and Technology (S+T), the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), the University of Zurich, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and industry partners such as RUAG—are already involved in the STO expert committees, covering the areas of sensor technology, simulation technology, cyber and information technology, vehicles, energy and medicine.