a. What career funding schemes are best suited to UASs/UTEs?

Candidates working at a UAS/UTE can submit applications in all career funding schemes if they meet the formal requirements. All career funding schemes allow you to conduct your research for a limited time at a company or in public administration. We consider Ambizione, Eccellenza and PRIMA as particularly suited to researchers working at a UAS/UTE.

b. What conditions to I have to meet if I want to submit an application in project funding?

You need to hold an independent position at a work-time percentage of 50% or more. You must have held your doctorate for four years. Alternatively, you must have worked in research as your main occupation for at least seven years; three of those years will be regarded as equivalent to a doctorate.

These and further conditions ensure that you have the necessary independence, time and infrastructure to run the submitted project and that you are integrated into your institutions.

Project funding requirements

c. When do I have to tick the category "use-inspired basic research"?

Projects may be use-inspired in different ways, depending on the discipline. For this reason the SNSF does not offer a definitive definition of this category.

Instead we have compiled a list of typical characteristics, such as: The project aims to solve a practical problem. The research group includes stakeholders from practice. The results will be made accessible to a lay public outside academia. If several of the above-mentioned characteristics are given, the project is likely to be use-inspired.

Characteristics of use-inspired basic research

d. What will change in the evaluation process if I tick the category "use-inspired basic research"?

Use-inspired projects are more complex because they combine academic and practical aspects. The SNSF is currently implementing the recommendations made by an external evaluation team to assess use-inspired projects more adequately. As a result, it is attaching greater importance to the broader impact of projects that have been submitted as use-inspired basic research. At least one of the experts who writes a review should be from practice.

Use-inspired: recommendations made by the external evaluators

e. Can I use the SNSF grant to pay my salary?

In project funding this is not possible. The salaries of the applicants are not part of the eligible costs, but the salaries of scientific and technical staff are covered.

In most career funding schemes you can use the SNSF grant to pay your salary or part of it. If you obtain a BRIDGE Discovery grant, you can request that your salary be complemented by Innosuisse.

f. What conditions do I have to meet if I wish to employ a doctoral stu-dent in my project?

The SNSF approves positions for doctoral candidates at universities of applied sciences and universities of teacher education if there is a well-documented scientific cooperation with a university in Switzerland.

Are there no suitable university partners in Switzerland in your field? In this case the SNSF also funds doctoral students who are matriculated at a university abroad.

g. Can I also employ graduates with a bachelor's or a master's degree instead of doctoral students?

Yes, you can employ graduates who don't intend to do a doctorate.

h. Can I employ other staff on the grant budget?

Yes, if they make a specific contribution to the project. But their salaries cannot be charged to the grant over a long, uninterrupted period. You cannot request any career measures for these employees.

i. Can I hire technical staff for my project and at what work-time percentage?

Yes, they are considered "further employees". Their work-time percentage must correspond to the actual time spent working on the project.

j. Can I work with project partners?

Yes, you can work with partners who will complete a small part of the overall work. Partners are not employed in the project and do not have any overall responsibility. You can charge the costs of their work to the project grant.

Partners might include researchers working at universities and companies or in public administration and private organisations.

If, in turn, you act as a project partner, your services will be paid for by the project grant.

k. Can I submit an application if I have interrupted my scientific career in favour of working in a practical field? Does the SNSF offer any specific funding opportunities for such cases?

You can submit a grant application if you are currently employed at a university of applied sciences or a university of teacher education.

At this point in time we do not offer any schemes for researchers who wish to return to academic research.

l. How successful are applications by researchers from universities of applied sciences and universities of teacher education in the evaluation conducted by the SNSF?

The success rates vary depending on the research area and the funding scheme. In the humanities and social sciences, up to 40% of UAS and UTE applications obtain funding. In the career funding scheme Ambizione, the success rate climbed above 40% in 2017; in Sinergia, the success rate was over 20%.

These figures suggest that the UASs and UTEs achieve success rates comparable to universities and ETHs. However, their success rates are considerably lower in other schemes. The adapted SNSF evaluation procedure is expected to improve this situation.

Success rate compared to other higher education institutions