Project funding
National and international funding programmes offer a wide range of opportunities to realise your project ideas. Here, you will find a list of the most important funding programmes. Please contact the Grants Office for individual advice on finding suitable funding instruments and for support with the application process.
Mono-beneficiary funding instruments
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) supports research across all disciplines and enables established researchers at Swiss higher education institutions to work independently on freely chosen topics. SNSF project funding is the largest and most important instrument for promoting basic research in Switzerland, whether individual or collaborative, discipline-specific or interdisciplinary. Applications can be submitted to cover team members’ salaries, research costs and funding for scientific collaboration. Applicants' salaries are financed by their own institution.
Duration: 1 to 4 years
Budget: Up to CHF 250,000 per applicant per year and up to CHF 1 million per year per project for multiple applicants
Submission deadline: 1 April and 1 October (or the next working day)
The Spark funding instrument supports the testing or development of innovative and unconventional scientific approaches, methods and theories. The focus is on original and promising ideas that are not suitable for other funding instruments. Negative results are also considered valuable contributions to knowledge. The evaluation process is double-blind, ensuring that the evaluators do not know the identity of the applicants.
Duration: 6 to 12 months
Budget: CHF 50,000 to 100,000
Submission deadline: Spring 2025
Background information
The current European research and innovation framework programme, Horizon Europe, runs from 2021 to 2027 and has a budget of around 95.5 billion euros. The programme funds both fundamental research and projects addressing various global challenges, such as climate change, social change, health and digitalisation. A notable feature of the programme is its intersectoral nature, enabling cooperation between academic research, the private sector, and governmental and non-governmental organisations.
Switzerland currently holds the status of a non-associated third country in the European research and innovation framework programme Horizon Europe. Despite this classification, researchers at Swiss institutions can still participate in most collaborative projects, with the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) providing funding for the Swiss project partner throughout the project. It is the declared aim of the Federal Council to fully re-associate Switzerland with Horizon Europe as soon as possible. During the ongoing negotiations, the EU has issued a transitional arrangement for 2024 that allows researchers in Switzerland to participate in the ERC Advanced Grants call. No corresponding information has yet been communicated for the ERC Consolidator Grant or the ERC Starting Grant 2024.
Funding from the European Research Council
The European Research Council (ERC) funds projects with a ground-breaking character and a high-risk, high-gain potential. It prioritizes multi- and interdisciplinary projects that transcend the boundaries between different research fields, as well as projects exploring emerging research areas and pioneering approaches. The ERC’s three individual funding instruments are tailored to researchers from all disciplines who have demonstrated an outstanding track record for their career stage. Funding can cover the researcher's salary (optional), team members' salaries and project expenses. Additionally, the ERC covers indirect costs amounting to 25% of the grant.
ERC Advanced Grant
ERC Advanced Grants are aimed at established researchers who have built up an outstanding track record over the past 10 years and are considered to be among the leading scientists in their field.
Duration: 5 years
Budget: Up to EUR 2.5 million (plus up to EUR 1 million for “start-up” costs for researchers from abroad, the purchase of larger equipment and for cost-intensive field studies)
Submission deadline: 29 August 2024 (once a year in August)
ERC Consolidator Grant
ERC Consolidator Grants are aimed at researchers who completed their doctorate 7-12 years ago and have a promising track record. These grants support the expansion of their independent research line and team.
Duration: 5 years
Budget: Up to 1.5 million euros (plus up to 1 million euros for relocation costs for researchers from a country outside the EU, the purchase of larger equipment and for cost-intensive field studies)
Submission deadline: Researchers at Swiss institutions are currently not eligible to participate.
ERC Starting Grant
ERC Starting Grants support researchers with two to seven years of postdoctoral research experience in establishing an independent research line.
Duration: 5 years
Budget: Up to EUR 1.5 million (plus EUR 1 million for relocation costs for researchers from a country outside the EU, the purchase of larger equipment and for cost-intensive field studies)
Submission deadline: Researchers at Swiss institutions are currently not eligible to participate.
The Swiss Network for International Studies (SNIS) funds research projects in the field of international studies. This includes all topics that are relevant to the global agenda and require international cooperation. The projects must involve various academic disciplines (pluridisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity) and cooperation with international organisations and/or NGOs.
Duration: 2 years
Budget: CHF 100,000 to CHF 300,000
Submission deadline: Once a year, submission deadline varies. Next deadline in 2025.
Funding for collaborative research
SNSF project funding empowers established researchers, whether alone or in collaborative endeavours with multiple applicants, to pursue independent research on topics of their own choosing. Applications can be submitted for the salaries of team members, research costs and funding for scientific collaboration. The applicants' salaries are financed by their own institution.
Duration: 1 to 4 years
Budget: Up to CHF 250,000 per applicant per year and up to CHF 1 million per year per project with multiple applicants
Submission deadline: 1 April and 1 October (or the next working day)
In order to promote cross-border cooperation, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has concluded agreements with funding organisations in other countries. The participating funding organisations each finance their national share of the project costs and the application is evaluated by the lead agency. Depending on which country the partners come from, one of three agreements applies to Swiss researchers: Weave, Lead Agency or International Co-Investigator Scheme.
Submission deadline: 1 April and 1 October (or the following working day); for submissions to partner organisations, their submission deadlines are decisive
Further information
The SPIRIT programme promotes the exchange of knowledge between Swiss researchers and their counterparts in selected countries that receive development aid. In this way, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) creates new avenues for international collaboration for Swiss researchers. The programme supports research projects with well-defined objectives, submitted by exceptional research consortia from two to four countries. SPIRIT is aimed at researchers from all disciplines; the choice of topic is free. However, SPIRIT projects must contribute to promoting equal opportunities, advancing women or fostering gender awareness. This requirement may relate to either the research content or the composition of the project team.
Duration: 2 to 4 years
Budget: CHF 50,000 to CHF 500,000; at least 30% of the funds must go to Switzerland and at least 30% of the funds must go to the partner country or countries.
Submission deadline: 5 November 2024 (once a year, date varies)
Further information
This part of the Horizon Europe programme addresses major global challenges, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the implementation of the European Green Deal. At the same time, the programme aims to strengthen Europe's technological competitiveness. This part of Horizon Europe, the largest in financial terms, focuses on impact and is divided into six thematic clusters:
Cluster 1: Health
Cluster 2: Culture, creativity and inclusive society
Cluster 3: Civil security for society
Cluster 4: Digital, industry and space
Cluster 5: Climate, energy and mobility
Cluster 6: Food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and the environment
The thematic calls for proposals are published on an ongoing basis and are aimed at interdisciplinary research teams from academia, the private sector, and governmental and non-governmental organisations. Researchers at Swiss institutions can participate in most calls for proposals, but cannot coordinate projects.
ERC Synergy Grants are aimed at groups of two to four researchers and their teams tackling ambitious scientific inquiries by combining complementary expertise and methods. Like the individual grants of the European Research Council, ERC Synergy Grants support unconventional approaches and research spanning across disciplines.
Duration: Up to 6 years
Budget: Up to EUR 10 million (plus EUR 1 million for relocation costs for researchers from a country outside the EU and for the purchase of larger equipment)
Submission deadline: Expected in November 2024. The call will be published in June 2024.
Funding for innovation projects
The BRIDGE funding programme is a cooperation between the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the Swiss Innovation Agency (Innosuisse), which promotes projects at the interface of basic research and science-driven innovation. The aim is to facilitate the transfer of research results to benefit the economy and society.
BRIDGE comprises two different funding instruments:
Proof of Conceptallows young researchers to develop a service or application based on their research results.
Duration: 12 months
Budget: Up to CHF 130,000
Submission deadline: 3 June 2024, 2 September 2024, 2 December 2024 (several times per year, date varies)
Discovery allows established researchers to test and realise the innovation potential of research results.
Innosuisse is the Swiss Agency for Innovation Promotion. It supports science-based innovation projects in which industrial partners and private or public organisations develop new products, services or processes together with a research partner from science. The funding covers all subject areas.
The Innosuisse Guide helps you find suitable funding programmes and partners. The ARAMIS information system can also serve as a source of inspiration. There, you will find all innovation projects funded by Innosuisse and other government organisations.
Additional funding opportunities
Foundations and other organisations provide additional funding avenues. The Federal Register of Foundations (only in German, French, and Italian) offers a search function for the numerous Swiss foundations under federal supervision.
The Research Commission of the University of Lucerne reports to the Vice Rectorate Research and supports third-party funded projects, especially by providing start-up funding for the preparation of applications. Further funding instruments and additional information can be found on the page of the Research Commission.
