Almost one third of the groundwater is recharged by river water. River water, sometimes contaminated by waste water, is cleansed through riverbank filtration. The consequences of the changing climate on riverbank filtration are not yet known. Can drinking water quality be enhanced by means of improved wastewater treatment?
The frequency and possibly the extent of flooding will change as the climate changes. An increase in the amount of gravel and sand that is transported by rivers is also to be expected. Existing measures against floods need to be adapted. What effects do flooding and sediment transport have on fish environments?
In December 2011, the Swiss National Research Council (SNSF) elected Josef Zeyer, Professor of environmental microbiology at the ETH in Zurich as President of the Steering Committee of the National Research Programme "Sustainable Use of Soil as a Resource" (NRP 68). Zeyer will chair the panel of international experts in the meeting for the evaluation of the pre-proposals. This panel is going to be set up in early 2012.
How can groundwater resources be sustainably managed in karstic regions such as the Jura or the Prealps, while the climate changes, the exploitation of the soil through agriculture and urbanization increases and the use of the underground in itself becomes more diversified (drinking water, geothermal applications, various infrastructures)?
A team of reporters from the TV science programme "Einstein" is accompanying researchers of the National Research Programme "Sustainable Water Management" (NRP 61) as they study the influence of climate change on the fish fauna. The TV channel SF 1 will broadcast the report for the first time on Thursday, 22 December 2011 at 9 pm.
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has approved 28 projects in the National Research Programme "Resource Wood" (NRP 66). These projects have an overall budget of 10.7 million Swiss francs. This does not mark the end of the evaluation process for NRP 66, however.
The new edition of the 6-page "SNSFinfo print" with the latest institutional information of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has been published. The October edition is devoted to the topic "Enlargement contribution: co-operation with researchers from Bulgaria and Romania".
The brochure "Research for you - the National Research Programmes (NRPs)" has been re-published with a new insert. It portrays the NRP funding scheme. Four stories show what makes NRPs special: they offer solution-oriented, useful, coordinated and communicative research. The NRP portrait is complemented by an insert called "NRP Focus", which carries information on current NRP developments.
Water supply pipes, sewers and wastewater treatment plants are in need of renovation in many places. However, current water policies in Switzerland are inadequate for the durable and strategic planning of such infrastructure. How must tools and planning processes be adapted to the changes in nature and society?
A team from the science TV programme "Einstein" accompanied researchers of the National Research Programme "Sustainable Water Management" (NRP 61) during a water tracing experiment on the Plaine Morte glacier above Crans-Montana (VS). The programme will go on air on Thursday, 1st September on SF1.
Global warming and land use influence the quality of rivers in Switzerland. Which influences have a negative effect on water quality? What must be undertaken to maintain good water quality?
In the scope of the National Research Programme "Smart Materials" (NRP 62), researchers from the Adolphe Merkle Institute in Fribourg are taking cues from sea cucumbers to develop shape memory polymers. An initial application could comprise the development of an artificial bait for fishing. The researchers from Fribourg are also planning further, more high-tech applications in the medical field.
The new edition of the 6-page "SNSFinfo print" with the latest institutional information of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has been published. The June edition is devoted to the categorisation of scientific research, especially to “use-inspired basic research”.
Women's lib anniversaries are gaining a lot of attention these days, but what has happened to men over the last forty years? As society develops and gender roles change, they too are faced with new challenges related to male self-definition, educational and career decisions, and forms of family life.
The first "Progress Report" meeting of the National Research Programme "Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine" (NRP 63) took place on 23/24 May 2011 in Nottwil.
In the context of the "Euresearch event: Fribourg – new calls in nano and materials sciences", the National research programme "Opportunities and risks of nanomaterials" (NRP 64) organises an information session on the additional call for projects that will be launched soon (1st July 2011).
The presentation will take place in the Institute Adolphe Merkle of the University of Fribourg, on Tuesday 21 June 2011 from 10h15 to 12h00. Prof. Heinrich Hofmann, member of the steering committee of the PNR 64 will present the programme as well as the reasons for this additional call for projects. He will also explain to which type of projects and research areas this second call addresses itself.
Starting at 13h30, individual consultations with the programme coordinator, Marjory Hunt, will be possible. In case of interest, please register by sending an e-mail to mhunt@snf.ch.
To register to the Euresearch event and for detailed information, please visit:
33 of 68 submitted draft proposals for the National Research Programme "Resource Wood" (NRP 66) have been shortlisted. Full proposals need to be submitted by 31 August 2011.
Take a peek at the new videoclips of the NRP 61 "Sustainable Water Management" on the research projects and learn why this research concerns us all.
Subsequent to the launch of the National Research Programme "End of life" (NRP 67), 123 pre-proposals requesting a total of CHF 41,5 millions were submitted to the SNSF. The programme has been allocated a budget of CHF 15 millions, 13 millions of which are for research.
In 2010, researchers submitted substantially more projects to the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) than in previous years. A steep increase of 17% compared to 2009 means that competition for research funding has become very intense. With overall funding of 726 million Swiss francs, the SNSF supported more projects than ever before (+2.7 % compared to the previous year).
Electromagnetic fields and radiation produced by radio antennae or mobile phones can influence biological processes, for instance electrical brain activity during sleep, as researchers from the National Research Programme "Non-Ionising Radiation - Health and Environment" (NRP 57) have shown. However, they have not been able to establish any links between everyday exposure to radiation and health problems.
Countless stem cell therapies are currently being offered on the Internet and elsewhere. They are said to cure or alleviate diabetes, Parkinson's or Alzheimer's etc. Together with the Federal Office of Public Health, the National Research Programme "Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine" (NRP 63) has compiled a leaflet which describes the risks of untested stem cell therapies and gives advice on how to spot dubious offers.
The Research Council of the "Targeted Research" division of the SNSF has chosen Thomas Bernhard to be the Head of Knowledge and Technology Transfer of the National Research Programme "Resource Wood" (NRP 66). Thomas Bernhard compares his role to that of a catalyst that facilitates and intensifies communication between researchers and stakeholders.
Nanomaterials are causing a revolution in fields as far apart as medicine, energy systems and consumer products. Despite their enormous potential, the production, use and disposal of these materials can entail risks for humans and the environment. The National Research Programme "Opportunities and risks of nanomaterials" (NRP 64) aims to identify both the risks and the opportunities of nanomaterials for human health, the environment and natural resources.
The Federal Council has commissioned the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) to conduct two new National Research Programmes (NRPs), "Sustainable Use of Soil Resources: New Challenges" and "Healthy Nutrition and Sustainable Food Production". The programmes will run for a five-year period. A total of 30 million Swiss francs have been budgeted for the programmes.
In the last months, three changes took place in NRP 63. Dr. Rebecca Elsässer, Leader of an NRP 63 research project studying nervous stem cells, has taken up new responsibilities outside the University of Zürich. Dr. Irene Knüsel has taken over the leadership of the research project. Dr. Knüsel is Group Leader in the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology of the University of Zürich.
The twelfth edition of the 6-page "SNSFinfo print" with the latest institutional information of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has been published. The March edition is devoted to the SNSF’s language policy and other topics and is also published in English for the first time.
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) issues a monthly newsletter with current institutional information as well as specific newsletters on the National Research Programmes (NRPs). Starting this month, all of these newsletters are also available in English. You can subscribe to them on the SNSF website (see link under “On this subject”).
Subsequent to the launch of the National Research Programme "Resource Wood" (NRP 66), 67 pre-proposals requesting a total of CHF 38.7 million were submitted to the SNSF. The programme has been allocated a budget of CHF 18 million.
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) is launching a call for proposals for the National Research Programme "End of Life" (NRP 67). A total budget of CHF 15 million has been made available for the Programme. Interested researchers are requested to submit pre-proposals till 20 May 2011 via the mySNF platform. An information event will be held for them on 23 March 2011 at the SNSF.
If you regularly take pain killers – even those available over the counter – you often expose yourself to higher risks of heart attack and apoplexy. This is the result of a meta-analysis of 31 clinical studies which was done as part of the National Research Programme «Musculoskeletal Health – Chronic Pain» (NRP 53).
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) is launching a call for proposals for the National Research Programme "Resource Wood" (NRP 66). Interested scientists are requested to submit pre-proposals till 1 March 2011 via the electronic submission platform mySNF. A total budget of CHF 18 million has been made available for NRP 66.
The recording of the presentations for the press conference on the conclusion of NRP 56 “Language Diversity and Linguistic Competence in Switzerland“ can be found here (duration: 32 minutes).
Switzerland deals flexibly and pragmatically with plurilingualism. It does this successfully. Nevertheless, immigration and increasing international integration are posing new challenges to schools, economy and administration. If the potential of multilingualism can be tapped, it will be beneficial to the community. These are some of the conclusions of the National Research Program 56 “Language diversity and language skills in Switzerland.”
As part of the National Research Programme “Benefits and Risks of the Deliberate Release of Genetically Modified Plants” (NRP 59), the mature wheat plants were harvested last week in the experimental field in Reckenholz. Thanks to favourable weather conditions, the genetically modified wheat in the trial field in Pully could already be harvested at the end of July. In the process, it became apparent that the act of vandalism committed at the end of June only reached the border of the field and did not compromise the tested plants.
In the greenhouse, lines of genetically modified wheat carrying a resistance gene against the fungal disease mildew have a yield which is up to twice as high as that of control plants. In the field however, this ratio is reversed for certain, but not all, wheat lines. A study performed within the National Research Programme «Benefits and Risks of the Deliberate Release of Genetically Modified Plants» (NRP 59) concludes from these results that data from the greenhouse cannot be applied to the situation in the field and that therefore field trials are important.
At the end of June vandals destroyed part of a test field where the safety of genetically modified wheat is being researched as part of the National Research Programme “Benefits and Risks of the Deliberate Release of Genetically Modified Plants” (NRP 59). Shortly afterwards, unknown persons defaced the house and car of one of the NRP researchers. The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) regrets and particularly deplores actions directed at individual persons.
In 2009 the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) approved around 2,900 research proposals with funding totalling 707 million Swiss francs. Last year researchers submitted significantly more applications to the SNSF than in previous years, noticeably sharpening competition for research funding.