Programmes/projects in Poland

Promotional poster of the Swiss-Polish Cooperation Programme: “what connects us, works”. — Logo of the Second Swiss Contribution to Poland © SECO © EDA

Projects in Poland

(Updated 13.08.2026)

As one of the 13 country programmes within the second Swiss Contribution to selected EU member states, the Swiss-Polish Cooperation Program (SPCP) contributes to the reduction of the social and economic disparities in Poland, promotes bilateral cooperation and strengthens knowledge exchange. With a total of over CHF 320 million until 2029, the SPCP supports two strategic programmes in the fields of research and innovation and of urban development.

Development of Towns (DoT) Programme

Promotional poster of the R&I Programme: “for ideas that change tomorrow”. © EDA

By supporting medium-sized towns throughout Poland in targeted projects, the DoT Programme aims to increase the quality of life of their citizens, contributing to the reduction of economic and social disparities. The total budget of the DoT Programme amounts to CHF 327.8 Mio. CHF, including CHF 278.7 Mio. Swiss funding and CHF 49.1 Mio. Polish co-financing. The DoT Programme is operated by the Polish Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy.

Between March 2024 and January 2025, 119 of the 139 eligible medium-sized towns – classified as at risk of losing their socio-economic function – submitted their proposals for comprehensive projects based on city diagnostics and developed through participatory approaches. These high-quality, comprehensive projects each included activities across 12 thematic areas such as nature conservation and biodiversity, vocational education and training, participation and civic engagement, or entrepreneurship and support for local SMEs.

After expert assessment and a second refinement stage, 19 towns across Poland were selected for the DoT Programme:

In spring 2026, the beneficiary towns began implementation of their total 152 activities across all thematic areas. Throughout the Programme, the towns are supported by the Association of Polish Cities (APC) in partnership with the Swiss consortium ENCO-urbaplan. Expert meetings, study trips and bilateral partnerships between Polish and Swiss cities provide the 19 selected towns with Swiss best practices and mutually beneficial exchanges with peers from Switzerland.

Research and Innovation (R&I) Programme

The Research and Innovation Programme aims at strengthening the research excellence and innovation capacities of Polish researchers and enterprises through collaborative projects with Swiss and other international partners. It supports two types of projects: bilateral applied research projects of consortia comprised of Polish and Swiss researchers and enterprises, and multilateral basic research projects of international research teams from Poland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania and Switzerland. The total budget of the Research and Innovation Programme amounts to CHF 41.2 Mio, including CHF 35 Mio. Swiss funding and CHF 6.2 Mio Polish co-financing.

The call for Multilateral Academic Projects (MAPS), organised by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) as Programme Operator, led to the selection of 11 basic research projects with Polish participation, covering areas from quantum systems to historical evolution. The implementation of MAPS in Poland is supported by the National Science Centre (NCN) as the institutional partner of the SNSF. An overview of all MAPS projects, including those with Polish partners, can be found here.

Two calls for bilateral applied research projects were managed by the Programme Operator, the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR), in cooperation with Swiss institutional partner - the Swiss Innovation Agency Innosuisse. Among the total 243 applications, 32 projects and consortia were awarded funding across diverse fields such as renewable energy, material and food sciences, or immunology: