Grants
Submitted projects last up to 3 years and have a budget between CHF 5,000 and CHF 200,000.
Applicants
Researchers based in Switzerland or doing their research abroad under an SNSF fellowship may submit an Agora application irrespective of their career level and their experience in science communication. All applicants must make a significant contribution to the project and assume personal responsibility.
AGORA projects are regarded as research output pursuant to the principles of DORA and accepted by the SNSF as part of an applicant’s track record.
Principles of DORA
Communicated topic
The topic communicated by the Agora project must be clearly linked to the recent research of the applicant(s).
The communicated topic must be of interest to the target audience and the underlying research must have been peer-reviewed. This implies that the research has been published in at least one peer-reviewed journal and/or has received competitive funding as approved by the SNSF or another funding institution in Switzerland or abroad.
Project team
The applicant or applicants can choose to work with other people who have the expertise required to carry out the project successfully. The role of project partner is available to persons who make a contribution to the project without bearing individual responsibility. Non-academics can also collaborate on the project, e.g. because they know the target audience, they are communication experts or have relevant artistic qualifications.
Sub-projects that cannot be run by the applicants or by project partners can be sub-contracted as an external mandate.
It is highly recommended that applicants work with the communication service of the host institution. In this sense, a contact with the communication officer of the institute is required prior to the release of the fund (art. 10.3). A list of all communication services of higher education institutions in Switzerland is available on the website of SUPRIO (Swiss Universities Communications Officers Conference).
Swiss Universities Communications Officers Conference
Other stakeholders in the area of science communication may also be able to offer assistance, e.g. the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences and their competence centre for dialogue "Science et Cité".
Target audience(s) and means of communication
Agora projects always address an audience that is non-specialised in the communicated topic. This includes adults, adolescents, schools or people generally distant from cultural centres. Agora projects can also address smaller target audiences who play a pivotal role in society such as politicians, social workers or teachers.
Applicants can freely choose the means of communication. However, the chosen means must encourage a dialogue between researchers and target audience.
Target audiences and means of communications must be clearly defined in the project plan.
Restrictions
The following types of projects are excluded:
- Communication with other researchers.
- Communication linked to academic teaching, technology transfer.
- Projects whose primary goals are to promote the profile or reputation of an institution (e.g. marketing initiative).
- Projects whose primary goals are to generate public acceptability for a scientific achievement or technology.
- Research into science communication (such projects are financed under the research funding schemes of the SNSF)
- Projects linked exclusively to National Research Programmes (NRPs) or National Centres of Competence in Research (NCCRs) as these programmes have a science communication budget of their own.
Costs
Costs for the development and realisation of the project are assumed by the SNSF (salaries, fees, material, production costs, project management etc.) as well as advertising and distribution costs in Switzerland and abroad. The applicant's salary is not included in the budget. Material and service costs exceeding 20,000 Swiss francs must be accompanied by competing offers from more than one supplier/service provider.
Third-party funding
The SNSF is open to third parties contributing to the funding of the project. You must specify the amount, the source and the stage (approved or requested) of your third party funding so that the SNSF can evaluate the feasibility of the project as a whole. Make sure that the communication project does not rely on sponsors and is not mistaken as a marketing measure.
mySNF
Proposals have to be submitted using the mySNF platform:
mySNF
It is advisable to start entering the application data on mySNF as soon as the call is launched (July 2017). New user accounts must be requested at least five working days before the submission deadline.
You will find detailed instructions on how to prepare and write an application on mySNF.
Project plan
The project plan must be uploaded as a PDF file. It will be sent to international experts. For this reason, it has to be written in English. Exceptions may be granted for German, French and Italian in justifiable cases if a corresponding request is made prior to the submission of the application.
Closely follow the instructions provided in mySNF or in the following document:
For projects with submission deadline (up to CHF 200'000):
Requirements for the Agora research plan (PDF)
For Agora Rolling Call projects, without submission deadline (from CHF 5'000 to 50'000):
Requirement for the Agora Rolling Call research plan (PDF)
CV and publication list
Each applicant has to submit his or her CV and publication list, they need to be uploaded to mySNF as two separate documents. These documents will be sent to international experts. For this reason, they have to be written in English.
Closely follow the instructions provided in mySNF or in the following document:
Guidelines for CV and research output list
Assessment criteria
The evaluation of the proposals is based on the Agora Regulations (Article 9):
- Expertise of the project team (applicant, project partner and employees).
- Quality of the content to be communicated.
- Suitability of the methods or the communication design in view of the defined target group.
- Feasibility of the project.
- Expected impact in terms of quality and quantity.
Evaluation
The evaluation consists of three stages:
1) Formal verification: The administrative offices of the SNSF verify whether the application meets the personal and formal requirements. They may also check if the application meets the rules of scientific integrity:
Regulations of the National Research Council on the treatment of scientific misconduct by applicants and grantees (PDF)
2) International peer-review process: each application is evaluated by at least two international experts using a questionnaire based on the evaluation criteria for Agora. At the end of the evaluation process, applicants can view the anonymised external reviews on mySNF
List of questions for the assessment of Agora applications
3) Assessment by the Agora evaluation commission: each application is examined by two members of the evaluation commission; they assess the external reviews and classify each application according to the evaluation criteria of Agora. In a plenary session, the members of the commission then discuss and compare all the applications and make a provisional funding decision on each application. Subsequently, the Presiding Board of the Research Council examines whether the procedures have been correctly applied and the budget and other conditions complied with. If this is the case, it endorses the decision of the evaluation commission.
Communication of the funding decision
Final decisions are generally taken five-and-a-half to six months after the submission date. The Administrative Offices of the SNSF forward the final decisions to the applicants as soon as possible in the form of a ruling (in accordance with the Federal Act on Administrative Procedure).
The list contains the names of the members of the evaluation body Agora Evaluation Commission. For the SNSF, interaction between applicants and members of evaluation bodies over applications is not compatible with academic best practices.
Agora Evaluation Committee
Starting the Agora Call 2017, the SNSF is working with a partner to offer a scientific communication training. This prize will be awarded in relation to the communicative potential of the project and chosen among the projects submitted to the competition.