Dutch on board
The SNSF and the Dutch Research Council have agreed to finance joint projects. This will make it much easier for Swiss researchers to collaborate with their Dutch counterparts.
Projects led by Swiss researchers and conducted together with Dutch partners can be supported financially by the SNSF, including the sub-projects based in the Netherlands. The SNSF covers the costs incurred by the latter, up to a cap of 50 per cent of the overall budget. By the same token, the Dutch Research Council (NOW) will finance the Swiss parts of their funded projects.
Submission deadlines: 1 April and 1 October
Such agreements - so-called International Co-Investigator Schemes - are already in place with Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. For the UK, the agreement is limited to the humanities and social sciences. For projects with Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the financing of sub-projects abroad is limited to a maximum of 50 per cent of the overall budget, while for the UK the cap is set at 30 per cent. Swiss researchers need to submit by the usual deadlines, i.e. 1 April and 1 October. The participation requirements and financial provisions of the SNSF apply.
Cross-border research simplified
The International Co-Investigator Scheme is one of several SNSF schemes designed to facilitate cross-border project funding. Another is the Lead Agency process: here either the SNSF or the funding organisation in the partner country is responsible for the evaluation. The SNSF finances the sub-projects in Switzerland. Such lead agency schemes have been agreed with Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovenia and South Tyrol. Applications are normally submitted once a year either to the SNSF or to its partner organisation.
In 2019 and 2020, the SNSF was funding 74 projects under the International Co-Investigator Scheme and the Lead Agency process.