Humanities and social sciences: Simplified submission for women researchers with ERC proposals to continue in 2017

The SNSF is extending its temporary measure to improve the participation rate of the humanities and social sciences at the European level by one year.

Applications for research grants under the prestigious funding schemes of the European Research Council (ERC Starting, Consolidator and Advanced Grants) are evaluated by panels of international experts and compared with proposals from all over Europe. A study commissioned by the SNSF (published in July 2014) shows low participation rates in ERC calls for researchers in the humanities and social sciences in Switzerland. Participation is particularly low among women.

In 2016, the SNSF introduced several measures to improve the participation of researchers in the humanities and social sciences in European calls. The temporary measure for women researchers in the humanities and social sciences who have submitted a proposal to the ERC has now been extended by one year.

Women researchers in the humanities and social sciences who were rejected in the second evaluation stage by the ERC will benefit from simplified submission conditions in SNSF project funding and career funding schemes in 2017. The proposal has to be submitted one year after rejection by the ERC at the latest.