The applications can be submitted via the mySNF platform as of 15 February 2020. The deadline is 11 March 2020, 17:00 Swiss local time.
The SNSF recommends reserving enough time for entering the proposal in mySNF. Setting up a new mySNF user account can take up to one week. Detailed instructions on entering and submitting proposals can be found in mySNF.
Proposals must be submitted in English and must contain the following information and documents:
Only the project description will be transmitted to the evaluators. It must be fully anonymised to ensure that the evaluators cannot identify the applicant or any current, previous or future position(s) or institution(s). Particular attention must be paid when referring to one’s own publications. In addition, the metadata of the project description (PDF document) must not contain any references to the identity of the applicant. The SNSF will not consider applications with insufficiently anonymised project descriptions.
Assessment criteria
The relevant criteria for the award of Spark grants are
- originality, novelty of the idea
- unconventionality of the proposed research project
- scientific quality of the project
- potential for significant impact
Double-blind evaluation
The proposals are evaluated in a double-blind process by members of a dedicated international pool of experts. The experts only evaluate the submitted project description without knowing the identity of the applicant or their position/institution.