Main image by Keystone / Michael Buholzer
Swiss authorities plan to radically tighten control over foreign students and researchers due to a growing espionage threat. According to the 2025 report by the country’s Federal Intelligence Service, Russia and China have established extensive networks of “sleeper agents” in Switzerland. These networks are aimed at stealing critical technologies in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and biotechnology. Intelligence emphasizes that educational institutions and research laboratories have become priority targets for foreign intelligence services interested in Swiss commercial and military developments, as reported by Swissinfo.
The urgent development of a new security strategy was prompted by an incident involving Iranian scientist Mohammad Abedini, who worked in Lausanne and was suspected of transferring navigation systems for missiles to Iran. Now, the Swiss university association is proposing the creation of a special counterintelligence unit in each university—a kind of “first department.” These units will vet the backgrounds of staff and applicants from high-risk countries and restrict their access to sensitive information and infrastructure. To prevent attempts to bypass checks, universities will start sharing dossiers: if a candidate is rejected at one university, they cannot enroll at another.
Leading technical universities in Switzerland have already begun acting independently. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) reviewed over a thousand applications from foreign candidates, rejecting about 80 for security reasons. Special scrutiny is applied to citizens of countries under international sanctions, including Russia, China, Iran, and Syria. Experts focus on dual-use technologies that could be used for military purposes, such as nanotechnology and satellite communications.
Switzerland plans to adopt the Dutch model and establish a national knowledge security coordination center. This body will link universities with state security services for rapid response to cyberattacks and attempts at covert political influence. ETH Zurich Rector Günter Dissertori noted that Switzerland is no longer an isolated island and must protect its innovations from geopolitically motivated interference. The new system aims to balance traditional academic openness with the need to prevent leaks of strategic knowledge.
