For food security, against cystic fibrosis: 6 million francs for 13 SPIRIT projects
The SPIRIT programme fosters scientific cooperation between Switzerland and countries that receive development aid from Switzerland. The SNSF is funding 13 international research teams with 6 million francs.
Cystic fibrosis is a severe disease caused by a genetic defect that varies worldwide. Hugues Abriel from the University of Bern is working with researchers from Kenya, Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo to develop effective strategies for diagnosis and treatment in Africa. They plan to identify and characterise pathogenic gene variants in these three African countries. The aim is to use robust tests in underserved regions to facilitate early diagnosis and thus improve the quality of life of people affected by the disease.
This is one of 13 projects that the SNSF is funding with a total of six million francs as part of its SPIRIT programme (Swiss Programme for International Research by Scientific Investigation Teams). The programme fosters scientific cooperation between Switzerland and countries that receive development aid from Switzerland.
Computer-aided geometry and food security
Each project is to receive between 250,000 and 500,000 Swiss francs and will be carried out by two to four researchers. Nine projects relate to the life sciences and one to the humanities and social sciences. Three are in the MINT (Mathematics, informatics, natural sciences and technology) domain.
Researchers from the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, ETH Zurich and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in Lima (PUCP) are involved in another of these projects: They are investigating how community kitchens in Lima and Basel can contribute to new concepts of food security and food sovereignty in times of climate crisis, displacement and war. They are also outlining new agroecological cultivation areas.
Researchers at ETH Zurich and the National University of Mexico are investigating knowledge gaps related to the Tverberg theorem. This mathematical theorem is used in computer-aided geometry, at the interface between mathematics and computer science. Other projects are focusing on disciplines such as hydrology, infectious diseases, biophysics, molecular biology and ecology.
Focus on equal opportunities
Roughly equal numbers of women (17) and men (18) are involved in the funded projects. Equal opportunities and the advancement of women are a particular focus of the SPIRIT programme.