Published on 26 October 2026
Results in Slovak Republic
All 23 projects were successfully completed by June 2017. The initial objectives have been achieved and in some projects even surpassed.
An overview of the results:
Promoting dual vocational education and training
Thanks to the support of the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, cooperation is being improved between employers and schools that offer vocational education and training. There are five state-run education programmes to help apprentices better integrate in the job market. To this end, 20 workshops have been held, in which the training systems of six industry sectors were analysed with a view to adapting them to the needs of the labour market. 434 vocational school students from 15 technical schools tested the new training programmes. A website, information campaigns in schools and a Facebook page all serve to provide information about dual vocational education and training with the objective of attracting greater interest across the country.
Research
40 doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers have completed a fixed-term research residency at a Swiss university thanks to a SCIEX fellowship. In addition, 59 experienced researchers have come for study visits to Switzerland.
Promoting tourism
The Dobšinská ice cave (Dobšinská ľadová jaskyňa) in the Slovak Paradise national park is a popular tourist destination. The region is economically weak, however, and does not have the resources to promote itself effectively as a tourist destination. For this reason, a tourist information centre was built at the entrance to the ice cave. In addition, around 2,000 people underwent further training in management, planning, promotion and tourism marketing. Museums, information centres and training have also brought added touristic value to the Slovak Tokaj wine region and the former mining town of Zemplínske Hámre.
Community centres for Roma
In eastern Slovakia, Switzerland provided support for ten community centres which helped almost 8,000 Roma children and young people get ready to start school. Around 8,000 children benefited from the project. The community centres also provide extra tutoring and advice on health and financial matters..
Improved care in three homes for people with disabilities
The municipalities of Košice and Stará L'ubovňa in eastern Slovakia have equipped and renovated buildings, as well as improved social services for children and young people with disabilities and their families. In total, the three homes care for about 140 children with disabilities and their families, on a resident and non-resident basis. The staff have also received training in modern therapy and care techniques.
Connecting structurally weak regions to the sewerage system
In Slovakia only about 65% of households are connected to the sewerage system. Switzerland is supporting six municipalities in structurally weak regions in the construction or modernisation of a total of 90 km of sewage pipes. This is enabling 10,000 people to be connected to the sewerage system. Thanks to expansion work and new construction on six wastewater treatment plants, nine municipalities are now able to process four times more wastewater than before. The work is now almost complete.
Measures to protect endangered ecosystems
Thanks to modern measurement techniques, each year the data from around 5,000 km2 of forest is gathered and processed. In this way, authorities and forest wardens are able to judge its condition and can intervene quickly and in a targeted manner in an emergency. A further project supports the maintenance and protection of natural areas and habitats in the Slovak Carpathians. Alongside various awareness-raising events, 15,318 hectares of nature reserve have been categorised and classified.
Support funding for NGOs
Non-governmental organisations have obtained funding from a support fund to promote and strengthen civil society's participation in the economic and social development of the country. A total of 22 projects have been implemented: nine in the area of environmental protection and 13 in the area of social services. The NGO Depaul Slovensko, for example, has founded a shelter for homeless people, to save them from freezing to death in cold winters.
Partnership fund
In Slovakia, 18 partnership projects have promoted the exchange of knowledge and expertise between Swiss and Slovak municipalities and institutions. For example, Urban Agriculture Netz Basel has been promoting sustainable cultivation of green spaces in Slovak cities.
Improving disaster management
Rescue teams from the Slovak Ministry of the Interior are better prepared to deal with natural and other disasters and better equipped to protect the public and their property. The modernisation of chemical laboratory equipment has enabled the authorities to identify toxic substances more quickly and effectively. A command vehicle for the fire services and a training centre for police rescue dogs also make a significant contribution to improved disaster management.
Greater efficiency among police and judiciary
Improved technical capabilities and better trained staff helped to increase the capacity of the Slovak police to fight corruption and serious crimes, including crimes involving radioactive material. The handling of court cases in Slovakia was also improved thanks to the introduction of new monitoring and IT tools.