Agora 

Under the Agora funding scheme, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) awards grants to researchers for projects involving dialogue with the general public on the subject of scientific research and its relevance for society.

The projects must aim for an interactive dialogue between researchers and the target public and involve the active participation of members of the public. For this purpose, they may employ various communication formats, e.g. exhibitions, events, debates, Internet platforms, games or artistic productions. Grants of between 5,000 and 200,000 Swiss francs are awarded for a maximum duration of three years. The funding of books or films is not considered, unless they are integrated within a range of communication measures leading to discussions or debates with the public.

Eligibility
Researchers from all disciplines working in Switzerland - or working abroad under an SNSF fellowship - may submit an application. Specialists in communication, education or the arts may participate in the project.

The projects must be linked to the applicants' current research, which must have been evaluated under a competitive procedure (e.g. peer review). Communication projects dealing with research conducted within the scope of an ongoing National Research Programme (NRP) or a National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) are excluded.

Next call for proposals: 15 May 2012
Deadline for the submission of applications: 15 August 2012
Funding decisions: end of January 2013
Start of grant: 1 February 2013 at the earliest

Applications are generally written in English and submitted electronically via the mySNF portal.

For further details, please refer to the Agora guidelines. You will find summaries of the ongoing projects in the SNSF’s research database P3.