From AI advice to fascism: 324 million Swiss francs for pioneering basic research
From AI use and experiences of violence to the history of Swiss fascism: As part of Project Funding, the SNSF is supporting 345 projects with 324 million Swiss francs. Targeted measures have stabilised the success rate.
Young people are increasingly turning to chatbots – AI models with which they can interact – in their everyday lives. They use them for guidance, even in crisis situations, for example in cases of abuse and intrafamilial violence. Jelena Zumbach-Basu from the University of Basel is investigating why young people confide in chatbots after experiencing violence, what impact this has on them and how appropriate the chatbots' responses are. With the aid of surveys and experiments, the psychologist hopes to close an important knowledge gap and contribute to the safe and effective use of AI in dealing with vulnerable groups.
Wide-ranging basic research
This is one of the 304 projects supported by the SNSF with a total of 295 million Swiss francs. A further 41 proposals totalling an additional 29 million francs were proposed for funding as part of the international Weave and Lead Agency schemes. Following confirmation by the partner organisations, this results in a total funding amount of 324 million Swiss francs within the framework of Project Funding.
Project Funding supports the full breadth and diversity of outstanding Swiss basic research. Just under a third of the funded research projects are in the life sciences and more than a quarter in the social sciences and humanities. A further quarter are in the field of mathematics, informatics, natural sciences and technology, while the remaining projects are interdisciplinary (15 percent).
Measures to stabilise the success rate
The SNSF launches a call for its largest funding scheme twice a year. A total of 1,408 projects were evaluated in the autumn 2025 call. Around 25 percent of these were approved.
With a success rate of 24.5 percent, the result is below the level of previous years. The reason for this is that both the number of proposals submitted and the amount of funding requested have risen sharply in recent years. Due to the limited funds available, this has led to declining success rates and to the fact that many excellent projects could not be granted funding.
In order to prevent a further decline in success rates, the SNSF introduced additional submission requirements at the start of the call in spring 2026. "Thanks to these measures, we have been able to stabilise the success rates and ensure that we can continue to fund a broad range of outstanding research projects despite limited resources," says Pascal Fischer, Head of SNSF Project Funding.
Additional examples of funded projects
Social sciences and humanities
Damir Skenderovic from the University of Fribourg and Christian Koller from the Swiss Social Archives are shedding light on the history of fascism in Switzerland between 1918 and 1945. Unlike previous studies, they compare developments in Switzerland with international fascist movements. They also draw on current research from other countries. They analyse how the Fronts (Switzerland’s parallel movement to fascism in Germany and Italy) operated, how the fascist neighbouring countries Italy and Germany had an ideological impact on Switzerland and how corresponding ideas spread in Switzerland. The aim is to create a nuanced picture of fascist presences in Switzerland in their international context.
Mathematics, informatics, natural sciences and technology
Emmanuel Senft and Jean-Marc Odobez from the Idiap Research Institute want to improve assistive robots by optimising the collaboration between humans and robots using two approaches. Instead of technical commands, users – especially people with disabilities – should be able to interact with the robots using speech, gaze and simple gestures. The robot combines these signals with information from the environment in order to recognise intentions and react appropriately. Secondly, they are developing new systems based on the concept of shared autonomy, whereby humans and robots work together to perform an action, with the robot providing assistance. This creates more flexible and intuitive support in everyday life.
Andre Prevot from the Paul Scherrer Institute and his team want to investigate air quality in southern Poland, one of the regions in Europe most affected by air pollution. The burning of solid fuels was banned in Krakow in 2019, but a comprehensive assessment of the impact of this ban had not been carried out. The project compares the situation before and after the ban for the first time and also includes the surrounding areas, where coal is still being used. Using state-of-the-art measurement methods, the researchers will analyse which sources of particulate matter are particularly relevant to health. The results will provide a unique dataset and support targeted measures to protect the public.
Life sciences
The gut microbiota, the entirety of all microorganisms in the digestive system, plays an important role in animal health. In his research project, Philipp Engel from the University of Lausanne will study the honeybee's gut microbiota. He will investigate how different nutrient sources influence microbial diversity and function. Results from this project will advance our understanding of how certain gut microorganisms interact and how they share nutrients. Furthermore, this work may also contribute to the development of strategies aimed at improving bee health, an important goal given declines in global bee populations.
Spinal cord injury often causes permanent paralysis and has profound physical and social implications for those affected. Electrical stimulation can help reactivate muscles and restore movement, but current systems are complex and often require long expert-led setup. Jocelyne Bloch (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, NeuroRestore), Niels Kuster (Foundation for Research on Information Technologies in Society), Björn Zörner (Swiss Paraplegic Centre) and their teams aim to develop a novel spinal neuroprosthesis. The therapy with this device will be personalised and largely automated. This will allow for faster surgery, simpler calibration and use in general hospitals, enabling more people with paralysis to regain mobility and independence.
Interdisciplinary projects
Barbara Solenthaler (ETH Zurich) and Andreas A. Mueller (University Hospital Basel and Children's Hospital Basel) are developing the first comprehensive 3D model of a child's face, palate and skull. The project aims to improve care for children born with cleft lip and palate. It addresses a major gap in current medical models, as these are mostly based on healthy adults. Using advanced artificial intelligence and clinical data, the team can create patient-specific "digital twins" (virtual 3D models) that show both facial dynamics and growth over time. These models can support diagnosis, surgical planning and long-term treatment evaluation.
Farmers around the world face the challenge of producing enough food while minimising the negative environmental impact caused by fertilisers and pesticides. Luca Bragazza (Agroscope) explores how crop yield can be maintained while reducing the use of herbicides and reducing the intensity of soil tillage. To achieve this goal, the project team will compare five different strategies for reducing environmental impacts during cultivation. Together with Swiss farmers they will assess soil health, the occurrence of weeds and the profitability of the yield and thus gain practical insights for more sustainable farming practices.