National Centres of Competence in Research (NCCRs)

From sustainable architecture to the evolutionary origins of language to quantum computers: the NCCRs fund long-term research projects on topics of strategic importance to Switzerland.

The NCCRs maintain and sustainably strengthen Swiss research in areas that are important for the future of science, the economy and society at large. The NCCRs achieve this by promoting outstanding research and creating additional teaching and research capacities.

An NCCR is always based at one or more higher education institutions. One of these home institutions hosts the NCCR management. The NCCRs moreover form a network with partners from the academic, public, and private sectors. In so doing, they improve the structures and international connectedness of the Swiss research community.

The NCCRs also implement measures in five additional areas:

  • Education and training of the next generation of scientists
  • Equal opportunities
  • Open science
  • Knowledge and technology transfer
  • Science communication and outreach

Five NCCR series have been launched (2001, 2005, 2010, 2014, 2020) and 42 NCCRs established since 2001. The first three NCCR series have been concluded. 14 NCCRs are currently ongoing.

On behalf of the Swiss Confederation, the SNSF periodically launches new NCCR calls. At the end of November 2023, the SNSF published a call for a sixth series of NCCRs.