Since 2009, the SNSF has financed via overhead contributions the indirect research costs incurred at research institutions through projects funded by the SNSF. The now published progress report on the introductory phase (2009- 2011) confirms the effectiveness of the simple implementation model: each year parliament sets the level of the overhead contribution, which is paid pro rata to the eligible institutions on the basis of the SNSF funds they received in the previous year. The report partly draws on a survey conducted by the SNSF at these institutions, in particular at the universities. Together with the Rectors'Conference of the Swiss Universities (CRUS), the SNSF continues to demand an increase in the overhead to 20% in the medium term (currently 15%) as well as the inclusion of the National Centres of Competence in Research in the list of funding schemes eligible for overhead. However, the increase must not be to the detriment of direct research funding, and it cannot be implemented in the 2013-2016 period.

200 million for indirect costs
During the three-year introductory phase, the SNSF made overhead contributions of 200 million Swiss francs in total. The biggest shares were paid to: the University of Zurich (15%), ETH Zurich and the University of Geneva (14% each), and the University of Basel (12%). According to the survey, the contributions were most often used to pay for research and administration infrastructure and sometimes to compensate for grant reductions implemented by the SNSF. It is generally the rectors or the governing bodies of the institutions who decide how the overhead contributions are to be used. Only minor changes to the mode of payment were proposed; 88% of the institutions covered by the survey do not see any problems in this respect. Based on the positive development of the scheme up to now, the SNSF has issued indefinitely valid overhead regulations, which still need to be approved by the Federal Council.

(From: SNSFinfo print No 14 / October 2011)