The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) is promoting dialogue between researchers and the public by funding 18 communication projects this year. Each of the projects sheds light on different areas of current scientific research.
On 11 January 2012, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) got together with 250 participants from science, higher education institutions and politics to discuss the forward-looking topic "What more can we do to support young researchers?". Different workshops were held in which young researchers were able to formulate their needs. The subsequent committed and constructive discussions with decision makers were crowned by the first appearance of federal councillor Alain Berset at a public event. The event was organized in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the SNSF.
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) activated the research database P3 on its website (www.snf.ch) on 9 January. P3 replaces the existing project database and includes extended information on the content and, as a new feature, also on the output of projects funded by the SNSF. P3 is available in English, French and German and offers expanded and user-friendly search options.
On 12 January 2012, Karl Gademann will receive the National Latsis Prize 2011 at the Rathaus in Berne. A professor at the chemistry department of the University of Basel, he wins the award for his work on the isolation and synthesis of natural materials. The National Latsis Prize is worth 100,000 Swiss francs. It is awarded each year by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) on behalf of the Latsis Foundation to researchers up to the age of 40. The National Latsis Prize is one of the most prestigious scientific awards in Switzerland.
The Swiss Research Magazine "Horizonte" now has its own profile on the social network Facebook, both in German and French!
Researchers interested in the Romanian Swiss Research Programme 2011-2016 are now able to link up via a social network. By creating a new group on XING, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) offers support to researchers who are looking to find suitable partners in Romania or Switzerland respectively.
The latest edition of the Swiss research magazine Horizonte is out. It presents a wide selection of projects supported by the SNSF. The focal point of this edition is "use-inspired basic research". Horizonte is published in German and French.
As part of the Research Day, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) will be visiting on 7 december 2011 the University of Geneva to present the SNSF's funding schemes with information stands and lectures. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and to participate in workshops where individual funding schemes will be discussed in more detail. Researchers from all universities are welcome.
On 2 November, the SNSF welcomed advanced researchers from the whole of Switzerland to a special event at its offices in Berne. The aim was to inform applicants about the funding options offered by the SNSF. Approximately 150 persons attended the event. The responses received afterwards emphasised the event's usefulness and praised the high quality of the information and advice offered.
Researchers are sending out invitations for an exciting journey on 18 November: from the infinitely large to the infinitely small. Researchers from the National Centre of Competence (NCCR) "Nanosciences - Impact for life sciences, perennity, new information and communication technologies" will be on board.
The SNSF invites young researchers to formulate what it is they need from the SNSF, from the institutions of higher education and from the political authorities and to put their demands before decision-makers from these realms at a special event to be held on 11 January 2012. Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter will be among those speaking on this topic at the high-level event.
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 Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) supports practice-oriented media training courses for scientists. The courses are offered in German and French. They are aimed primarily at researchers receiving support from the SNSF (fellowships and research grants), the Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI)or the Gebert Rüf Stiftung (GRS). However, they are also open to other advanced researchers. The course schedule for 2012 is now available.
Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research and teaching are steadily gaining ground in Switzerland and around the world. Switzerland has recently hosted national and international conferences aimed at improving the general conditions for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research.
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has received 77 proposals for public science communication projects covering a wide range of disciplines and communication formats. The success of this initial call confirms the scientific community's eagerness to pass on its knowledge and engage in dialogue with the public.
The latest edition of the Swiss research magazine Horizonte is out. It presents a wide selection of projects supported by the SNSF. The focal point of this edition is "We are water". Horizonte is published in German and French.
The crossroads of chemistry and biology inspires the research of organic chemist Karl Gademann. By isolating and synthesising natural materials he discovers surprising relationships which open up new research fields. He receives the National Latsis Prize 2011 in recognition of his achievements in the total synthesis of natural products of biological interest. Worth 100,000 Swiss francs, the National Latsis Prize is awarded once a year by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) on behalf of the Latsis Foundation of Geneva.
On 2 November 2011, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) will welcome advanced researchers (postdoc level and higher) from all over Switzerland to its head office in Berne. The day for advanced researchers hosted by the SNSF is aimed at meeting applicants' information needs with regard to the funding opportunities offered by the SNSF. The event will be held in English, French and German and enough time will be set aside for answering questions from the researchers. Register now! There is no charge.
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has renamed certain divisions within its Administrative Offices as well as one of its specialised committees. Furthermore, it has reclassified its funding schemes and made the corresponding changes on its website. Finally, the SNSF has published online new guidelines and descriptions to help researchers in selecting an appropriate funding scheme.
The conference "ScienceComm'11" organized by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences and the association Science et Cité unites for the first time all Swiss players in the area of science communication beyond the language borders. On 30 September and 1 October 2011, Biel is becoming the centre for exchanging experiences, presenting best-practice projects and learning hands-on methods for science communication. The annual subject of ScienceComm'11 is going to be "Science for children and adolescents".
From 14 -16 September 2011, the fourth international conference of td-net, the network for transdisciplinary research of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, will take place in Bern. The conference will focus on the challenges of evaluating inter- and transdisciplinary project proposals. It will be organised in cooperation with the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) at the University of Bern.
From 18 - 24 July 2011, six prizewinners from this year's national competition run by Swiss Youth in Science (SJf) presented their research work at Expo-Sciences International (ESI) in Bratislava, Slowakia. Two of the three projects received special recognition.
The Montreux Jazz Festival provides an ideal platform for the National Research Programme "Affective Sciences" (NRP "Affective Sciences") to present and explain its activities and the topics of its research. This year the NRP organised two workshops aiming for a dialogue between the affective sciences, music and sculpture.
As of mid-August, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) will collect data on the output of SNSF-funded research. During and after a project, researchers will be able to enter details regarding publications, research events and communication activities along with other types of research output on mySNF.
No other National Centre of Competence in Research can boast global connections as wide-ranging as NCCR North-South. In nine centres on four continents, researchers are analysing the problems of global change. The emerging results are characterised by great cultural and topical diversity, which presents a special challenge when it comes to bringing results to the attention of decision makers and experts.
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”.
The Marie Heim-Vögtlin Prize ceremony held by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) will take place on 28 June 2011 at the University House in Berne. The ceremony will be attended by personages from science, such as Ulrike Landfester, Vice President of the National Research Council, and Dietmar Braun, President of the Specialised Committee Individual Funding of the SNSF. Subsequently, an opening event will be held for the commemorative brochure issued on the occasion of the MHV programme's 20th anniversary.
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).
On Saturday, 18 June 2011, the festival for children "Hérisson sous gazon" will take place in Charrat (Valais). The three National Centres of Competence in Research (NCCRs) "IM2", "Affective Sciences" and "MaNEP" will participate with science workshops for children. Their topics being smells, robots and a levitating scooter.
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.
Since 2009, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) annually has awarded the Marie Heim-Vögtlin (MHV) Prize. The prize is awarded in recognition of outstanding scientific achievements during an MHV subsidy. The winner of the 2011 prize is the classical philologist Dr Rebecca Lämmle. In her dissertation she explores the poetics of Greek satyr plays.
Researchers of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) "IM2 - Interactive multimodal information management" have developed a software that automatically captures and analyses eye movements. This opens up new avenues for market research. The researchers are currently presenting the new software in Hannover at the world's largest trade fair.
Researchers of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) "MICS - Mobile Information and Communication Systems" have developed a wireless sensor system to monitor the environment. They are currently presenting this system at the world's largest trade fair in Hannover.
In the context of federal measures to stabilise the economy, researchers of the EPFL have developed a robot which helps surgeons to perform operations on ears, noses and throats not only with more precision, but also much quicker. They are presenting a prototype of the robot at the world’s largest trade fair, which is currently taking place in Hannover.
Researchers of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) "MaNEP - Materials with Novel Electronic Properties" have developed a high pressure system which allows the production of kilometre-long superconductive high performance wires. They are presenting the new system at the world’s largest trade fair, which is currently taking place in Hannover.
Researchers of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) "MaNEP - Materials with Novel Electronic Properties" have further developed the method of spark erosion to coat conducting materials and to improve their properties. They are presenting the method at the world’s largest trade fair taking place at the moment in Hannover.
Researchers of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) "MICS – Mobile Information and Communication Systems" have developed a sensor system to help determine free inner city parking spaces and to improve traffic flows. They are presenting the system at the world’s largest trade fair taking place at the moment in Hannover.
Researchers of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) "CO-ME - Computer Aided and Image Guided Medical Interventions" working with a start-up company created in the context of federal measures to stabilize the economy, have developed a software which helps surgeons to plan and perform craniomaxillo facial (CMF) surgery with more precision. They are presenting the platform at the world’s largest trade fair taking place at the moment in Hannover.
Basic research can transmit a wide range of impulses to the economy. This is shown by the interim evaluation of 28 technology transfer projects from the National Centres of Competence in Research (NCCR). Seven projects are on display from 4 to 8 April 2011 at the world's largest industrial fair, held in Hannover.