Swiss Quantum Call 2024: 13 projects approved

Of the 36 applications received in response to the Swiss Quantum Call 2024, the SNSF has decided to support 13, which corresponds to a success rate of 36%.

Of the 13 projects selected, seven will receive a total of CHF 10 million in funding as part of the transitional measures. The other six will be covered by 6 million francs from the Swiss Quantum Initiative (SQI). The total budget of 16 million francs, which includes a 15% overhead, is being provided by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).

The funded projects relate to the following quantum fields: quantum computation (6), quantum sensing (4), quantum simulation (2) and quantum communication (1).

The success rate for independent early-career researchers was 43%, while that for established scientists was 34%. 69% of beneficiaries will carry out their research projects in the ETH domain, 23% in a university and 8% in the private sector.

An evaluation panel of international experts assessed the 36 applications. They submitted their evaluations to a steering committee, which then decided whether each selected project should be funded under the Swiss Quantum Initiative or the transitional measures.

The funding of these research projects is intended to strengthen the position of Swiss research in the field of quantum technologies, particularly in light of the fact that Switzerland is not currently associated with the Horizon Europe programme.