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 key SNSF funding programmes.

SNSF Funding Programmes:

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.

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 for up-to-date information about open calls

Investigator initiated clinical trials (IICT)

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 for open calls

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

View our overview page of Swiss grants and funding opportunities