SNSF Grants & Funding Programmes

The Swiss National Science Foundation, SNSF, supports scientific research in all academic disciplines, including life sciences and medicine, through a wide range of research funding schemes. On this page you can find an overview of the SNSF funding programmes for 2022.

SNSF Funding Programmes 2022:

National Research Programmes (NRPs)

Subsidy: From CHF 300,000 – 2,000,000

Total Budget: CHF 20M

Funding Rate: 100 % (funding share requested for researchers abroad may not exceed 30% of the overall budget).

Project duration: 5 years

Consortium: Usually, a project can include up to 4 applicants per proposal. Participants should be based in Switzerland, although an international member can be included if the expertise is required for the project.

Scope: Research carried out by NRP consists of research projects that contribute to the solution of contemporary problems of national importance. SNSF has announced that a new NRP will be launched in Spring 2021 on “Advancing 3Rs – Animals, Research and Society”.

NRPs are distinguished by the following characteristics:

• they are solution-oriented and close to the practical realm;
• they are interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary;
• the research projects of an NRP jointly pursue an overall goal;
• knowledge transfer and the communication of results are valued highly.

Visit the SNSF Programme page

NRP 79 Advancing 3R – Animals, Research and Society

Deadlines: 1st stage: 3 August 2021 & 2nd stage: 25 January 2022

Project budget: expected between 300,000 – 1M CHF

Total budget: 20M CHF

Funding rate: 100%

Project duration: 4 years

Consortium: Single applicant or consortium with max 4 partners, applications from consortia are highly encouraged. Collaboration with research groups abroad is encouraged (20-50% of the project budget can be used for research abroad)

Scope: The 3Rs encapsulate efforts to replace animal testing by other experimental methods without using animals wherever possible, reduce the number of animals used in experiments and refine techniques so as to reduce the stress to animals. This translates into the programme’s degree of success in “advancing the 3Rs”, which will be assessed from the short-, medium- and long-term perspectives at research, institutional and policy levels:

• New and improved tools and methods that increase the probability of successful 3R implementation as well as validation of existing tools and methods;
• Strategies to overcome the barriers to implementation; establishment of a system for monitoring the introduction or use of available 3R methods; overcoming practical obstacles: training, publication requirements, data sharing, costs, project registration etc.
• Initiatives to encourage greater 3R ambition across all sector levels (e.g. acknowledgement of achieved 3R improvements, rewarding system, career benefits);
• Demonstrated uptake of 3R tools and methods at all levels; inclusion in training programmes and curricula, in academia and regulatory bodies;
• Initiatives to increase awareness of policy makers to promote alternative methods and adapt regulatory procedures and legal requirements;
• Innovative tools to raise societal awareness, and to promote dialogue between researchers and the citizens regarding normative issues of animal research.

Three modules and cross-module questions arise from these goals:

1. Innovation: Module 1 sets out to promote innovative research that will make a contribution to the effective application of the 3Rs in the real-world setting.
2. Implementation: Module 2 intends to deliver information on barriers to the implementation of the 3Rs in various research areas, propose strategies for overcoming these barriers and apply these strategies.
3. Ethics and society: Module 3 covers research into ethical, conceptual and societal issues connected with the 3Rs and the use of animals for scientific purposes. This module further addresses animal research in light of the changes in human-animal relationship in Western societies and corresponding public perception.

Investigator initiated clinical trials (IICT)

Deadline:  New call planned for 2022 – exact deadline still pending

Full proposal: 1 November 2021

Project duration: Maximum of 5 years

Consortium: A trial should be initiated in Switzerland and coordinated by a Swiss research group, consisting of a maximum of 5 people. The study should involve more than 2 centres to perform the trial.

Scope: The IICT programme is targeted at researchers who wish to conduct an investigator initiated clinical trial. Support will be given to clinical studies that are of value to the patients and address important unmet medical and societal needs but are not in industry focus. These studies are designed and conducted according to the highest international standards. IICT studies go beyond the scope of project funding in terms of their research questions, comprehensive nature, duration, complexity and costs. They generally require a multicentric setting, sometimes international collaborations, and are not in the industry focus.

Visit the SNSF Programme page

SPIRIT – Swiss programme for international Research by Scientific Investigation Teams

“A new application procedure will be implemented from August 2021. Applicants will directly submit a full proposal, and the deadline is now fixed to the 2nd of November of each year.”

Deadline: 2 November 2022

Subsidy: ~ CHF 500,000 per project

Total Budget: CHF 6M for 2021

Project duration: 2 to 4 years

Consortium: A team includes 2 to 4 participants, with at least one based in Switzerland and at least one in a partner country (List of eligible countries). The partner country does not include EU countries, Horizon Europe associated countries or countries participating in bilateral call with SNSF.

Scope: SPIRIT’s vision and mission remain unchanged. The programme continues to strengthen cross-border research that involves researchers in Switzerland and in partner countries in the global South. The SPIRIT programme facilitates knowledge exchange and opportunities to collaborate between Swiss researchers and researchers in many countries around the world.

Funding is awarded to research projects with clearly defined goals that are submitted by excellent research consortia from two to four countries. Researchers from all disciplines can apply for a SPIRIT grant; the topics are chosen by the researchers themselves. The grants contribute to the education of researchers in all participating countries. Special focus will be given to equal opportunities and the promotion of women scientists, as well as to raising awareness of gender-specific questions.

Visit the SNSF Programme page

Sinergia – Interdisciplinary, Collaborative and Breakthrough

Deadline: 16 May 2022

Subsidy: minimum CHF 50,000 and maximum CHF 3,2M

Project duration: 1 to 4 years

Consortium: A proposal can include 2 to 4 research groups with experience in research project management. Applicants should have a doctorate or equivalent research experience and be employed for the duration of the project by a Swiss research institution.

If the consortium includes 3 or 4 applicants, then, one member may be based outside of Switzerland if his/her expertise is essential to the project.

Scope: Sinergia grants support collaborative, interdisciplinary projects where breakthrough research is expected.

• Collaborative: means that the relevant research goals can only be achieved if two or more applicants combine their complementary expertise and knowledge in a new, joint research approach.
• Interdisciplinary: refers to research across disciplinary boundaries. In order to achieve the relevant research objectives, it is necessary to combine elements (theories, methods, concepts, etc.) from two or more disciplines.
• Breakthrough: is distinguished by a high potential for shifting or invalidating paradigms. This type of research questions or goes beyond existing models, theories, doctrines, research approaches, methods, etc. It opens up new research fields and is often high-risk, high reward.

Visit the SNSF Programme page

Learn about the BRIDGE programmes, a collaboration between SNSF and Innosuisse

View our overview page of Swiss grants and funding opportunities

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