Anyone living in Switzerland and the Grisons enjoys excellent primary education free of charge. Universities and the dual vocational training system produce highly competent specialists. International research teams work in the Grisons on innovative, future-oriented solutions that pay off in practice.

First class educational system

Education, research and innovation go hand in hand. Public schools in Switzerland are among the best in the world. Residents of the Grisons receive an excellent education from kindergarten to university graduation. The Grisons also has renowned boarding schools and international private schools in Davos, Disentis, Ftan or Zuoz.

Teaching, research and business practice integrate perfectly into each other. In addition to academic careers, Switzerland's dual education system offers specialized training in 245 professions with direct practical work experience. In the Grisons, learning still continues after education is completed: The Institute for vocational training (ibW) promotes lifelong learning.

Practice-oriented universities

Application-oriented research and teaching at the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons (FHGR) in Chur, the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST) in St. Gallen, Rapperswil and Buchs, the Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences (FHV) in Dornbirn, the Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (SUPSI) in Locarno/Manno and in particular, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZFH), the largest of its kind in Switzerland with around 20,000 students.

World class universities

The Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) trains skilled professionals in the future-oriented MINT subjects (mathematics, informatic, natural sciences and technology) in Bachelor and Master study courses. According to QS World University Rankings 2022, the ETH is the leading university of continental Europe. The University of Zurich (UZH) and the University of St. Gallen (HSG) are two further universities of world renown. The University of Liechtenstein in Vaduz, the Private University in the Principality of Liechtenstein (UFL) in Triesen and the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) in Lugano complete the wide range of opportunities for university studies.

Pioneering specialised know-how

Source: BfS, December 2022 and university annual reports 2021, reference area approx.1 hour's drive from the Grisons

Internationally connected research site

The Grisons as a research location attracts highly qualified scientists from all over the world: 60 percent of all researchers in the Grisons come from abroad. The research institutes are part of worldwide networks which regularly gives rise to new, high-performance spin-offs in the Grisons.

Interfaces in the Grisons research network

The Academia Raetica, based in Davos, promotes science, research and education in the Grisons and surrounding area and includes over twenty research institutes, universities and clinics among its members. The Academia Raetica helps young, upcoming scientists, provides a network for its members and represents their interests.

Renowned research institutes

The AO Research Institute Davos (ARI) is world leader in preclinical research for trauma surgery and orthopaedics, employing more than 250 researchers and staff in Davos. The ARI is backed by the AO Foundation, the most important international network of medical experts.

Already more than a hundred years ago, the health resort of Davos pioneered new ways of treating lung diseases. The Swiss Institute for Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF) continues this tradition. The relevance of SIAF research is underlined by countless citations in scientific publications.

The Christine Kühne – Center for Allergy Research and Education (CK-CARE) in Davos is one of Europe's largest private initiatives for interconnected research in the field of allergology.

The WSL-Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) in Davos is part of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH). The SLF conducts basic and applied research and offers services for protection against avalanches and other natural alpine hazards. It is a world leader in its field of expertise. The CERC research center, founded in 2021, is part of the WSL Institute and studies climate change, extreme events and natural hazards in the alpine region.

In Davos, the Physikalisch-Meteorologische Observatorium Davos / World Radiation Center (PMOD/WRC) conducts research into the influence of solar radiation on the Earth's climate, develops radiation measuring instruments and acts as a calibration center for measuring instruments for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).