1) Why do you think Google needs EU funding for their research ? Last I checked they had one of the largest cash reserves outside the US - which means a lot of it is in the EU, if anything this is a way to smartly spend that cash rather than get taxed repatriating it.
2) The lobbyists can be based in Brussels, Zurich isn't that close to Brussels anyways!
Not at all. There is quite a lot of EU funding in Switzerland going on as they are very closely associated. It's been reduced bit in recent yours though because of the political developments in Switzerland.
2) The lobbyists can be based in Brussels, Zurich isn't that close to Brussels anyways!