The Administrative Offices of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) employ approx. 180 staff members and support and co-ordinate the activities of the Foundation Council, National Research Council and Research Commissions. The Administrative Offices oversee grant decisions and their implementation and monitor all financial aspects of the research funding activities of the Foundation.
Among the key tasks performed each year are the obtainment and evaluation of several thousand external reviews of grant applications. The reviews are compiled by national and international experts on request. In addition to providing services for the National Research Council and Foundation Council, the Administrative Offices have their own areas of responsibility. They maintain contacts with the bodies responsible for research policy in Switzerland and abroad, represent the SNSF in the relevant committees and ensure that the concerns of the Foundation are effectively communicated to the general public. The Administrative Offices are accountable to the Executive Committee of the Foundation Council. Internal auditors, directly accountable to the President of the Foundation Council, audit the management of the Administrative Offices and of the other bodies of the Foundation.