Guides on funding opportunities
Explore the most popular research funding opportunities.
Important: please use your EPFL email address to access these documents on Google.
Discover the new Compendium for Collaborations focusing on special funding opportunities for collaborations financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation (Part 1), Horizon Europe (Part 2), and International funders (Part 3).
Discover the Foundations Compendium, an all-new guide presenting a non-exhaustive collection of Swiss and international grant-making foundations, funding research projects, scientists’ career and science communication.
This guide is meant to give an overview of several Federal Offices and funding instruments, selected according to the policy areas defined by the Federal Council for the period 2021-2024.
Most popular funding instruments for postdoctoral fellows in Switzerland.
Toolkits and links to funding opportunities
BRIDGE Discovery is aimed at experienced researchers for basic as well as applied research in order to realise the innovation potential of research findings.
- Next call deadline
- For Letter of Intent: 27 February 2023
- For Full proposal: 2 May 2023
- For Letter of Intent: 27 February 2023
- BRIDGE Discovery webpage
Have you earned your spurs as a young researcher and come up with an idea for developing your research results into a marketable product?
- Next call deadlines: March 6, 2023
- BRIDGE Proof of Concept webpage
The Catalyst fund will support projects that aim at developing novel therapeutic approaches, such as cell and gene therapy, optogenetics, bioactive molecules, diagnostic tools, imaging techniques and implants among others.
Application deadline: to be announced
Catalyst Fund webpage
- Next call deadline: October 20, 2022 (collection date)
- COST Actions webpage
The Fondation Latsis Internationale grants CHF 40’000.- for organizing a scientific symposium.
- Next call deadline: March 1 (each year)
- Latsis Symposium webpage
Targeted to a group of two to maximum four Principal Investigators (PIs) – of which one will be designated as the corresponding PI (cPI) – working together and bringing different skills and resources to tackle ambitious research problems.
- Next call deadline: November 8, 2022
- ERC SyG webpage
The ETH Domain Open Research Data (ORD) Program consists of 5 measures to foster and improve ORD practices with the broader aim of advancing Open Science among ETH Domain researchers and institutions.
- Eurostars Next call deadline: April 13, 2023
- CELTIC-NEXT
- lightweighting
- SMART
- Network projects
The Gebert Rüf Stiftung mission is to promote Switzerland as a top location for business and as a place to live. It supports impact-oriented entrepreneurial projects in any disciplines, as well as science outreach.
- Deadlines for InnoBooster and Scientainment: February 1, May 1, September 1 and December 1 (every year)
- EPFL Application Toolkit
- Gebert Rüf Stiftung webpages:
Horizon Europe is the EU funding programme for research and innovation running from 2021 to 2027 with a €100 billion budget.
Switzerland is considered as a non-associated third country for the submission of project proposals in Horizon Europe and other related programmes and initiatives. This status can be changed at any time, but apply for all calls in 2022.
For more information on the association status of Switzerland to Horizon Europe please check the SERI Factsheet and the Q&A documents.
- Next call deadlines: rolling calls
- EPFL Application Toolkit
- Hasler Stiftung website
Innosuisse helps leverage your innovation: we support science-based innovation projects carried out by companies – particularly SMEs – working with public-sector research partners.
- Call deadlines: rolling calls each month
- EPFL Application Toolkit
- Innosuisse webpage
Fondation Leenaards supports people and institutions in the fields of culture, aging and biomedical science in the Lake Geneva region. The annual Leenaards Prize for Translational Medical Research is awarded to collaborative projects, which investigate a clinical problem, linking it to a component of advanced basic research.
- Next Call Deadline: March 2023 (TBC).
- EPFL Application Toolkit
- Leenaards website
The European Commission (EC) has informed the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) that Switzerland will be treated as a non-associated third country for the submission of project proposals in
Switzerland is considered as a non-associated third country for the submission of project proposals in Horizon Europe and other related programmes and initiatives. This status can be changed at any time, but will now apply for calls in 2022.
The participation of Switzerland in MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships (European Fellowships) is by principle excluded as a non-associated third country.
Switzerland is however eligible to act as outgoing host institution in the MSCA Global Fellowship action.
For more information on the association status of Switzerland to Horizon Europe please check the SERI Factsheet and the Q&A documents.
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (MSCA) provide grants for all stages of researchers’ careers – be they doctoral candidates or highly experienced researchers – and encourage transnational, intersectoral and interdisciplinary mobility.
EPFLeaders4impact is a new postdoctoral fellowship programme funding talented researchers who have the ambition to provide innovative solutions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Next call deadline: 1 March 2023
For any question please contact [email protected]
The purpose of our Foundation is to foster medical-biological science by supporting research projects conducted at Swiss universities in the field of medicine and medically oriented biology/biochemistry and by co-funding research fellowships abroad.
- Deadlines: February 1 / October 1 (for Research Projects & Research Fellowships) and May 15 (for Young Investigator Grants).
- EPFL Application Toolkit
- Foundation’s website
FreeNovation supports unconventional biomedical research projects with the ultimate aim to provide healthcare solutions for patients.
The 2020 thematic call is now closed. Information regarding the 2021 call will be made available early next year at the following links:
The National Research Programmes (NRP) support coordinated research projects that contribute to the solution of urgent problems of national importance.
- No open calls at the moment
- SNSF NRP webpage
Your first step towards scientific independence! The purpose of SNSF Ambizione grants is to enhance researchers’ scientific profile and to help them become scientifically independent in conducting their own research projects.
- Internal deadline: contact your host unit and monitor this page for the updated Toolkit
- Next call deadline: November 1, 2023
- SNSF Ambizione webpage
- EPFL Toolkit
- Check out this video-interview to get advice from our grantees and professors!
The SNSF Starting Grants is an integrative call which, in addition to the transitional measure for the ERC Starting Grants 2023, also covers the SNSF Professorial Fellowships call 2023. This grant allows outstanding researchers to lead an independent research project in any disciplines and a team of researchers in CH. Funding: max. CHF 1.8M for max. 5 years (including applicant’s salary, if applicable). Eligibility: max. 8 years after PhD + min. 3 years of research after PhD.
- Internal deadline: contact your host institute and school
- Call opens: November 1, 2022
- Applicant Workshop: December 1, 2022 at 12:00
- Deadline: February 1, 2023 at 17:00 CET
- EPFL Toolkit
- SNSF webpage
- Next call deadline: April 1 and October 1 (every year)
- EPFL Application Toolkit
- SNSF Projects webpage
- Next call deadlines: November 2, 2022
- EPFL Application Toolkit
- SNSF Sinergia webpage
- Check the SNSF Supplementary Measures applicable for this programme
The aim of Spark is to fund the rapid testing or development of novel and unconventional scientific approaches, methods, theories, standards and ideas, etc. It is designed for projects that show unconventional thinking and introduce a unique approach. The focus is on promising ideas of high originality for which preliminary data are not necessarily available (high-risk research).
- Next call deadline: 2 May 2023 at 17:00 CET
- EPFL Application Toolkit
- SNSF Spark webpage
SPIRIT: the New SNSF programme for international scientific collaboration with countries receiving development assistance.
- Next call deadlines: November 2 (every year)
- EPFL Application Toolkit
- SNSF SPIRIT webpage
SNSF Supplementary measures comprise very specific, targeted funding schemes that are available to grantees of the SNSF if certain conditions are met.
- Next call deadlines: January 31 and July 31 (every year)
- EPFL Application Toolkit
- Swiss Cancer website
EPFL researchers are eligible to apply to many funding programs of the U.S. federal government.
The Velux Stiftung supports basic and applied research in the fields of Daylight, Healthy Ageing, Ophthalmology and Forestry. The foundation aims to have an impact on and contribute to sustainable improvement and the benefit of society. This is achieved by supporting the creation of new knowledge through cutting-edge research and the fostering of its application and dissemination. The foundation attains leverage by focusing on projects with a high potential to initiate change and impact.
- Next call deadline: 19 September 2022 (Forestry) and 30 September 2022 (Daylight & Healthy Ageing).
- EPFL Application Toolkit
- Velux Stiftung webpage
