Foraus

Foraus is a Swiss think tank focused on the country's foreign policy and its relationship with the wider international system. Its name derives from the German Forum Aussenpolitik, while the organisation also uses French and Italian forms reflecting Switzerland's multilingual political environment. Rather than operating primarily as a conventional research institute, foraus presents itself as a grassroots policy organisation. Its work is carried out through a network of regional groups, many of them located in Swiss university towns, and involves students, academic researchers, young professionals and other contributors interested in international affairs. The organisation was established in autumn 2009 by students in Zürich, Geneva and Bern. Nicola Forster and Pablo Padrutt are associated with the development of the grassroots think-tank concept that became foraus. From its initial base in several university cities, the organisation developed a distributed structure with regional groups in Basel, Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, St. Gallen and Zürich. Its main office is in Bern, while a Geneva office supports activities in French-speaking Switzerland and helps maintain links with international organisations located in the Geneva area. Foraus seeks to contribute practical, research-based ideas to Swiss foreign-policy debates and to encourage constructive discussion between researchers, decision-makers, journalists and the broader public. Its principal outputs are discussion papers and policy briefs addressing current questions in Swiss international relations. Topics include Switzerland's relations with the European Union, the foreign-policy implications of national referendums, migration, development policy, peace and security, global governance, international law and human rights, and environmental, transport and energy issues. The organisation's programmes provide thematic structures through which contributors can develop and communicate policy proposals. Alongside written research, foraus organises workshops, panels, conferences and other public events. These gatherings bring together politicians, diplomats, scholars and civil-society participants. The organisation's events have included Swiss and international public figures, helping connect its research community with national policy debates and international perspectives. Foraus also communicates its findings through the media and direct engagement with decision-makers. The organisation has developed an international dimension through collaboration with other participatory or grassroots think tanks. In 2017, it began working with organisations including Polis 180 in Berlin, Agora in London, argo in Paris and Ponto in Vienna through the Open Think Tank Network. Foraus also created Policy Kitchen, a digital policy-innovation platform intended to support collaborative idea development across borders. This platform complements the organisation's traditional publications and events by providing a more participatory method for policy discussion. Foraus is financed through membership fees and support from foundations and private donors. It is not a listed company and is not presented as a commercial consumer brand. Its institutional identity is instead built around independent policy research, volunteer and member participation, regional accessibility, multilingual Swiss engagement and dialogue with public institutions. The organisation's leadership listed in the available reference material comprises president Elisa Cadelli, co-president Marie Juillard, and co-directors Sereina Capatt and Marie Hürlimann.

Foraus was founded in autumn 2009 by students from Zürich, Geneva and Bern who wanted to create a different kind of foreign-policy organisation in Switzerland. The founding concept, associated with Nicola Forster and Pablo Padrutt, was to build a grassroots think tank that could combine academic quality with broad participation. Instead of concentrating policy expertise in a single central research office, the model relied on regional groups and a network of contributors drawn from universities, professional communities and civil society. The organisation's initial subject was Swiss foreign policy, including the country's position between domestic democratic processes and an increasingly interdependent international environment. Over time, foraus established regional groups in Swiss university towns, including Basel, Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, St. Gallen and Zürich. This network gave the organisation a presence across linguistic and geographic parts of Switzerland. Bern became the location of the head office, while Geneva acquired a particular role in coordinating French-speaking activities and contacts with international organisations. Foraus developed three closely connected areas of activity. First, it produces discussion papers and policy briefs based on academic research and collaborative work. These publications address subjects such as Switzerland's relations with the European Union, immigration, the effects of national referendums on foreign policy, development policy, peace and security, global governance, international law and human rights, and environmental, transport and energy questions. Second, it organises public events, including workshops, panels and conferences. Third, it communicates research findings to journalists, the public and political decision-makers. The organisation's stated purpose is not only to analyse policy but also to encourage constructive dialogue around possible solutions. Its publications on Switzerland's relationship with Europe gained attention in debates over institutional arrangements following the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union. Foraus research examined possible post-Brexit institutional options and thereby connected a specifically Swiss policy debate with wider European discussions. Its event programme has also brought together Swiss politicians, diplomats and scholars with international guests, giving the organisation a forum for translating specialist research into accessible public debate. A further stage in the organisation's development came in 2017, when foraus began collaborating with like-minded participatory think tanks in other European capitals. The Open Think Tank Network included Polis 180 in Berlin, Agora in London, argo in Paris and Ponto in Vienna. This cooperation extended the grassroots model beyond Switzerland and created opportunities for comparative discussion on European and foreign-policy issues. Foraus also expanded its methods through Policy Kitchen, a digital platform for policy innovation and cross-border collaboration. The platform was designed to allow participants to contribute, exchange and develop ideas in a more open and interactive setting than a conventional publication process. It complements the regional groups, research programmes and events that remain central to the organisation. The available reference material describes foraus as funded by membership fees, foundations and private donors. It does not identify a parent company, commercial owner or stock-market listing. The organisation's continuing profile is that of an independent Swiss policy network whose value lies in research, participation, convening and communication rather than in the sale of physical products.

• 2017

  Participation in the Open Think Tank Network

  [1]Forausen.wikipedia.org

  Foraus begins working with participatory think tanks in Berlin, London, Paris and Vienna through the Open Think Tank Network.

• 2009

  Foraus is established

  [1]Forausen.wikipedia.org

  Students from Zürich, Geneva and Bern establish foraus as a grassroots think tank on Swiss foreign policy. Nicola Forster and Pablo Padrutt are identified with the founding concept.

A participatory, evidence-based and grassroots Swiss think tank connecting academic research with public debate and foreign-policy decision-making.

• Research publication

  Discussion papers

  Foraus discussion papers present research and policy recommendations on Swiss foreign policy. They cover issues including European integration, migration, development, peace and security, global governance, international law, human rights, and environmental or energy policy. Contributors are drawn from the organisation's academic, student and professional network, with the aim of making research useful to decision-makers and the wider public.

• Research publication

  Policy briefs

  Policy briefs provide shorter treatments of current foreign-policy questions and are intended to communicate evidence and recommendations in an accessible format. They support foraus's broader role as an intermediary between academic research, public debate, the media and Swiss political institutions.

• Digital policy platform

  Policy Kitchen

  Policy Kitchen is a digital policy-innovation platform developed by foraus. It is designed to enable collaborative policy development across borders and to broaden participation beyond conventional think-tank publication and event formats.

• Public engagement

  Events and policy dialogues

  Foraus organises workshops, panels and conferences involving politicians, diplomats, scholars, journalists and members of the public. These events provide a forum for discussing research and policy proposals and for connecting the organisation's regional network with Swiss and international decision-makers.

• 2017

  Expand international cooperation through the Open Think Tank NetworkStrategy

  Background

  Foraus's grassroots model offered a basis for cooperation with similarly participatory foreign-policy organisations elsewhere in Europe.

  Action taken

  The organisation began working with Polis 180, Agora, argo and Ponto through the Open Think Tank Network.

  Aftermath

  The initiative gave foraus an international collaboration framework and connected its Swiss policy work with peer organisations in other European cities.

  Source

1. 1Forausen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Foraus official websiteforaus.ch