Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, will travel to Washington DC from 15 to 17 April together with a high-level science and business delegation.
The USA is an important partner for Switzerland in both science and business.

The USA is the largest export destination for Swiss goods and services, ahead of Germany. Switzerland is also the third-largest foreign investor in research and development in the USA. For researchers in Switzerland, US players are by far the most important partners for the joint publication of scientific papers.

The USA and Switzerland can look back on a long history of successful cooperation in the aerospace industry. For example, one of the first scientific experiments on the moon, as part of the Apollo missions, was a solar wind sail from the University of Bern. Both countries are also involved in the International Space Station (ISS).

Maintaining and further strengthening these good relations is the aim of Mr Parmelin's visit to the USA. A visit to NASA headquarters underscores Switzerland's interest in existing and future cooperation with the USA in the fields of space research and industry.

Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin to travel to the USA with a science and business delegation