President Ursula von der Leyen and President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd launched negotiations on 18 March.

This follows the adoption of the Swiss and EU negotiating mandates on 8 and 12 March 2024 respectively. The two mandates authorise Switzerland and the Commission to negotiate the package outlined in the Common Understanding endorsed by the Swiss Federal Council and the European Commission in November 2023.

For ERC grants, legal entities established in Switzerland will now be treated as entities established in an Associated Country the ERC Work Programme 2024 for calls opening in 2024 (ie for Advanced Grants). However, grant agreements can only be signed with successful applicants if the association agreement with Switzerland applies at that time.