The SystemsX.ch initiative aims to turn systems biology in Switzerland into the best in the world. The Swiss Federal Parliament has approved one hundred million francs for funding the SystemsX.ch project from 2008 - 2011. At the request of the Swiss Federal Council, applications are being evaluated by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). This is the first time that the SNSF is responsible for the quality control of a large-scale research initiative which it is neither financing nor managing itself.
What is Systems Biology?
Systems biology attempts to understand the biological processes in cells, tissues and organisms as a whole. In contrast to molecular biology or genetics, it does not examine individual genes and proteins at a particular time, but the behaviour of all elements of a biological system while they are functioning. The aim is to quantify the interactions of these elements. To do so, systems biology has to combine the expertise of various research disciplines and concepts from biology, computer sciences and systems sciences. The long-term goal is to simulate whole living systems with a computer and to understand and predict their reactions to changes in the environment.
What is SystemsX.ch?
The research initiative was launched in 2003 under the name SystemsX by the ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) Zurich and the Universities of Basel and Zurich. In February 2006, SystemsX opened up to new partners and since then has been called SystemsX.ch. Today the initiative is open to all interested researchers in Switzerland. The ETH Lausanne and the Universities of Berne and Geneva have been involved since 2006. The initiative’s objective is to provide a network for Swiss systems biology and make it world-class. The intention is to create the foundations for important medical findings and innovations.
Switzerland launches SystemsX.ch: World class in Systems Biology is the aim
Switzerland wants to become a world leader in Systems Biology. About 400 million Swiss Francs will be invested into in this emerging field. The research initiative SystemsX.ch is at the core of this effort and coordinates the interests of eight universities, three research institutions and industry. An investment of this magnitude into one research field is unprecedented in Switzerland.
SNSF evaluates SystemsX.ch applications for the first time
SystemsX.ch announced a call for research project proposals on November 6, 2007. The SNSF will be evaluating the applications. Parliament has approved 100 hundred million francs in funding.
SystemsX.ch call for proposals
The announcement for proposals and application forms are available at the SystemsX.ch website.
Regulations for SystemsX.ch applications (German / French)
The regulations state how applications for SystemsX.ch are organised, processed and evaluated and how to monitor the progress of the entire SystemsX.ch project at the SNSF.
Review panel for SystemsX.ch applications
The SNSF has created an international review board for evaluating the SystemsX.ch applications. The board is reinforced with members of the Research Council from Mathematics, Natural and Engineering Sciences (Division II), Biology and Medicine (Division III) and Targeted Research (Division IV).
Brief version of the SNSF report on special funding of SystemsX.ch (German / French)
The Swiss State Secretariat for Education and Research (SBF) asked the SNSF in December 2006 to supply an in-depth assessment of the special funding planned for SystemsX.ch and also to suggest possible assessment mechanisms.
SystemsX.ch milestones
SystemsX.ch was born at a kick-off meeting for the creation of a Life Science Research Institute which took place in Basel at the end of December 2002. The research initiative has continually grown since then.