I think you painted a very rosy picture of the EU/Switzerland situation when it comes to research, which has nothing to do with the reality. Here in Germany we

I think you painted a very rosy picture of the EU/Switzerland situation when it comes to research, which has nothing to do with the reality. Here in Germany we have locally funded research, research on the state level, research on the Bundesrepublik level, international research cooperations and EU research. All at the same time. No one forces scientists to 'collaborate'. > there is no reason (other than your funding agency stopping you) for researches with their own funding to collaborate across borders where and when they see fit. Countries in Europe want to see it coordinated and research pooled. Every government does that on a local level for its research budgets. The EU does that on a larger scale. Switzerland is a tiny country. CERN would not exist without outside money and collaborative research.