Scientific findings are decisive in practice. In order to treat their patients based on the most recent data available – in the sense of evidence-based medicine, active physicians should have access to quality information. The Cochrane Library is one of these resources for which the SAMW has been co-financing the national license since 2016 and will continue to do so until the end of 2025.
Thanks to the national provision, the Cochrane Library has been made accessible since 2016 free of charge to professionals, but also to anyone in Switzerland who wishes to obtain reliable information in order to make informed decisions about their health.
The national licence is financed until the end of 2025 by the SAMS, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), the Swiss Medical Association (FMH) as well as university libraries (Basel, Bern, Genève, ETHZ, Lausanne, Luzern, Zürich) and several hospitals (Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Kantonsspital Winterthur, Schweizer Paraplegiker-Zentrum Nottwil, Solothurner Spitäler).
End of the financial support
The SAMS has decided to end its support for two main reasons. The first is that the Academy, in its role as catalyst, has as a rule financed projects for a fixed period, often shorter than the 10 years of support for the Cochrane Library. The second reason is the absence of any increase in the subsidies granted by the Confederation to the SAMS over the period 2025-2028, forcing the SAMS to make budgetary trade-offs.
Of course, the Academy reiterates its support for evidence-based research. Aware that its decision leaves a gap, it has endeavoured to find other partners to fund the national licence. Unfortunately, prior contacts have not identified an entity willing to take on this responsibility. We are well aware of the inconvenience caused by this situation, which is why we wanted to inform those concerned as soon as possible. The SAMS warmly thanks all the institutions that have co-financed the national licence over the last ten years.
If you have any questions regarding future access to the Cochrane Library, please contact directlythe publisher's representative, Ms. Rachel King.
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Cochrane Crowd: Become a Cochrane citizen scientist
Through its Cochrane Crowd project, Cochrane encourages anyone interested in science and research to contribute to its collection of systematic reviews. Citizen scientists are invited to identify studies that may be relevant for future Cochrane systematic reviews, learning to distinguish and identify randomised controlled trials from other types of studies. No expertise is required to participate in Cochrane Crowd, other than curiosity and a solid understanding of English. Join the community of more than 20 000 people around the world who have been tempted by the experience.
The promotion of citizen science is one of the objectives of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences for the period 2025 to 2028.