The SNSF strives to make its funding schemes as family-friendly as possible. This means that it respects local regulations on maternity leave. In some circumstances, projects may be extended or replacements hired for the project. If you have any questions, please contact the division that administers the relevant grant.
Fellowship holders who become mothers in the course of the research fellowship are entitled to paid maternity leave of four months. Fellowship holders who become fathers may be granted paid paternity leave of up to four months in the course of the SNSF fellowship in response to a justified request.
Project staff
The SNSF allows grant holders to employ part-time staff in their project. For doctoral students, the minimum work-time percentage is 60 per cent.
In principle recipients of career funding grants must have a work-time percentage of 100 per cent. This may be reduced to not less than 80 per cent in the event of family care duties, or if the reason for reduction is the pursuit of activities that facilitate an academic career. Doc.Mobility and Early-Postdoc.Mobility fellowship holders must generally devote at least 80 per cent of a full-time equivalent to the approved research project. A lower work-time percentage may be approved in response to a justified request, particularly in the event of teaching commitments, clinical activities or family care duties.
The Flexibility Grant helps in taking some pressure off doctoral students and postdocs with family commitments. Both staff employed in SNSF-funded projects and recipients of various career funding grants may apply for it.
Flexibility Grant
Mentoring programmes make a significant contribution to equal opportunities at universities by supporting young researchers in planning their careers. Since 2006, the SNSF has financially backed the programme "Réseau romand de mentoring pour femmes". For an overview of the mentoring programmes offered by Swiss higher education institutions, please refer to the website of Gender Campus.
As of January 2020, the SNSF will run the AcademiaNet platform for a period of at least five years. The online portal contains the profiles of over 2800 outstanding women researchers from all over Europe. AcademiaNet lends them greater presence and visibility, thereby increasing their chances of obtaining, for example, senior academic positions as well as opportunities to speak at academic conferences or to brief journalists in an expert role.
AcademiaNet