Swiss Coordination Center for Educational Research

What Swiss Coordination Center for Educational Research does

SKBF-CSRE (Swiss Coordination Centre for Research in Education / Schweizerische Koordinationsstelle für Bildungsforschung) is a joint federal-cantonal government coordination body established in 1974 and headquartered in Aarau, Switzerland. It is jointly owned and funded by the Swiss Confederation through the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SBFI) and the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Education Directors (EDK/CDIP), reflecting Switzerland's constitutionally shared responsibility for education between national and cantonal authorities. The organization's mandate is to coordinate Swiss educational research, analyze the entire education system from preschool through continuing education, and provide the evidence base that supports federal-cantonal education policy decisions.

Its core outputs are knowledge products rather than commercial technology. The flagship is the Bildungsbericht Schweiz, a comprehensive national education monitoring report published roughly every four years (most recent edition presented on March 23, 2026) and analyzed across effectiveness, efficiency, and equity criteria. Adjacent offerings include the SKBF-Magazin (a quarterly research-magazine), the Information Bildungsforschung database of Swiss educational research projects dating back to 1979, Staff Papers and Trend Reports as research outputs, and editorial responsibility for the peer-reviewed ERVET journal published with SpringerOpen. Underlying technology is intentionally modest: a documentation website with Matomo analytics and NetMailer/PAWECO for newsletter delivery, supporting a non-commercial, mandate-driven operating model.

The organization is supported primarily by a performance-based government funding agreement, with secondary income from physical book sales of the Bildungsbericht (CHF 60 per copy plus shipping). It also operates secretariats for several networks — most notably CIDREE (European research consortium), CODICRE (Swiss cantonal center directors), and the Netzwerk Begabungsförderung — and engages in academic collaborations (University of Bern, University of Wuppertal). Its primary stakeholders are Swiss federal and cantonal education authorities and the educational research community; its primary distribution channels are direct institutional relationships, a multilingual website with free PDF downloads, social media, podcasts, and earned media.

Name

Swiss Coordination Center for Educational Research

Legal name

Swiss Coordination Centre for Research in Education

Website

https://skbf-csre.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Swiss joint federal-cantonal coordination center for educational research, founded in 1974 and headquartered in Aarau, producing the quadrennial Bildungsbericht Schweiz and maintaining a research database since 1979 for Swiss policymakers and academics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Research Coordination

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Research, Evaluation & Program Effectiveness Reporting (EDADAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Reporting, Dashboards & Business Intelligence (BI) (EDADAIAC)

Keywords

• Educational research
• Education policy
• Education monitoring
• Vocational education research
• Academic publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Aarau

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: SKBF-CSRE operates under a performance-based agreement as an institution jointly funded by the Swiss federal government and the Swiss Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK), reflecting Switzerland's shared educational responsibility between Confederation and Cantons.
2. Publication Sales: Sale of the Bildungsbericht Schweiz (Education Report Switzerland) as physical books. The 2026 edition is priced at CHF 60.00 plus CHF 20.00 shipping per copy. Available in German, French, and Italian editions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SKBF-CSRE is a national coordination and documentation center for educational research in Switzerland. It collects, analyzes, and disseminates data from statistics, research, and administration on the Swiss education system, producing the national Bildungsbericht Schweiz every four years, maintaining the Information Bildungsforschung database, publishing the SKBF-Magazin, Staff Papers, and Trend Reports, and managing the ERVET scientific journal on vocational education and training.

Product overview

The Swiss Coordination Center for Educational Research (SCCRE/SKBF) operates as a research coordination and documentation center, not a commercial product company. Its offerings consist of a portfolio of publications and knowledge products: the Bildungsbericht Schweiz (Swiss Education Report) as the flagship comprehensive national monitoring publication; the SCCRE Magazine providing accessible research highlights; the Information Bildungsforschung database documenting Swiss educational research since 1979; Staff Papers and Trend Reports as research outputs; and responsibility for the ERVET academic journal on vocational education. These products serve to inform educational policy, practice, administration, and research stakeholders in Switzerland's decentralized education system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bildungsbericht Schweiz (Swiss Education Report) The flagship comprehensive national education monitoring report providing data and insights from statistics, research, and administration covering the entire Swiss education system from preschool to continuing education. Analyzed across three criteria: effectiveness, efficiency, and equity. Published approximately every four years. Available free online and as a physical book (CHF 60 plus CHF 20 shipping) in German, French, and Italian editions.
• SKBF-Magazin (SCCRE Magazine) A quarterly magazine providing accessible access to research findings, with the latest research sorted by educational levels, highlighted features, and researcher profiles. Published in PDF format with 25-33 new research contributions per issue. Targeted at educational policymakers, practitioners, and researchers.
• Information Bildungsforschung Database

Quantifiable outcome

• Since 20 years, the Bildungsbericht provides data and insights on Swiss education from preschool to continuing education

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Swiss Federal Government (WBF/SBFI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint institutional ownership and funding between the Swiss federal government (through the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SBFI) and the Swiss Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK). This reflects Switzerland's shared responsibility for education between Confederation and Cantons.
• Conference of Cantonal Education Directors (EDK/CDIP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint institutional ownership with the federal government. The EDK President and representatives participate in major events and governance.
• OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSKBF Director Stefan Wolter represents the Swiss Cantonal Ministers of Education (CDIP) at the Education Policy Committee and serves on the Governing Boards of CERI (Centre for Educational Research and Innovation).
• CIDREE (Consortium of Institutions for Development and Research in Education in Europe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSKBF manages the CIDREE secretariat. CIDREE is a consortium of European institutions active in educational research and promotion. SKBF hosts expert meetings for the network.
• CODICRE (Swiss Conference of Directors of Cantonal Centers for School Development and Educational Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSKBF manages and animates CODICRE, which serves as a network for broad inter-regional and thematic information exchange between cantonal education administrations, specialized organizations, professional associations, and educational research institutions.
• SpringerOpencoreTechnology or IntegrationSKBF is responsible for ERVET (Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training), a peer-reviewed journal published by SpringerOpen. This is a key output for disseminating vocational education research.
• Rockwool Foundation (Berlin)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSKBF Director Stefan C. Wolter was appointed Research Fellow at the Rockwool Foundation in Berlin. The foundation is an internationally leading research institute on labor markets, migration, and social policy.
• Netzwerk Begabungsförderung (Network for Giftedness Promotion)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSKBF manages and animates this network which brings together all persons, parents, and professionals concerned with gifted children. The network celebrated its 25th anniversary in August 2025.
• University of BernminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple research collaborations with the University of Bern's Research Center for Economics of Education. SKBF researchers and university researchers co-publish on educational topics including wage expectations, school choice, and gender biases.
• University of WuppertalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on predicting university dropouts using administrative data and machine learning methods, combining LABB data from the Federal Statistical Office with student performance data from a Swiss university.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB): Germany's federal institute for vocational education and training research. Directly comparable as a federally mandated research and reporting body for the German education/VET system, producing national reports analogous to the Bildungsbericht.
• NCES - National Center for Education Statistics (USA): U.S. federal statistical agency that collects and reports education data, including the Condition of Education report. Closely parallels SKBF-CSRE's national education monitoring function at a larger scale.
• Eurydice (European Commission): EU network providing comparative information on national education systems and policies. Directly comparable in producing structured comparative education reports and operating a country knowledge base for policymakers.
• Deutsches Institut für Internationale Pädagogische Forschung (DIPF): German research institute focused on education research and information infrastructure (incl. pedocs, Fachportal Pädagogik). Comparable as a national education research documentation center similar to Information Bildungsforschung.

Emerging players

• Standing International Conference of Inspectorates and Educational Studies (SICI): European network of inspectorates focused on school evaluation and quality assurance. Comparable in producing comparative European education quality reports, though narrower than SKBF-CSRE's full-system scope.

Broad incumbents

• UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS): UN statistical office producing global education indicators (SDG 4 monitoring). Comparable as an international education data coordination body with reporting outputs.
• OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI): OECD's education research arm producing Education at a Glance and TALIS reports. Comparable in scope of education research coordination; SKBF-CSRE's director sits on CERI's Governing Board.

Regional players

• SBFI - State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (Switzerland): Swiss federal body jointly funding SKBF-CSRE; operates adjacent higher-education and research policy functions and consumes SKBF-CSRE outputs for federal decision-making.
• Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) - Swiss Federal Statistical Office: Swiss national statistical office producing official education statistics that feed SKBF-CSRE's reporting. Sister organization in the same national ecosystem with overlapping data and education mandates.
• EDK / CDIP - Swiss Conference of Cantonal Education Directors: Joint governing owner of SKBF-CSRE; the cantonal counterpart that sets shared educational objectives informed by SKBF-CSRE's Bildungsbericht outputs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/skbf_nat
• Facebookfacebook.com/SKBF.CSRE.SCCRE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sccre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Swiss Coordination Center for Educational Research