SNSF Starting Grants: The SNSF is funding 41 outstanding researchers
Searching for extraterrestrial life, supporting LGBTIQ+ people or treating speech disorders: The SNSF has approved 41 projects as part of the SNSF Starting Grants 2025 call.
It is the highest level of career funding at the SNSF: A total of 425 applications were submitted in 2025 under the SNSF Starting Grants funding scheme. In a two-stage process, the SNSF approved 41 applications. It is now supporting 40 outstanding researchers with a total of 70.4 million Swiss francs (three projects are showcased in the box below). Another project is financed by a bequest that the SNSF received to support cancer research. In addition to their salaries, the researchers receive up to one million Swiss francs over a period of five years to lead a project with their own research team at a Swiss research institution.
Majority conduct research at cantonal universities
24 female and 17 male researchers will be supported. Ten of the 24 grants awarded to female researchers will be financed through the additional budget of 16.8 million francs, which is available for high-quality projects by female applicants. Around 80% of the grant recipients will carry out their research project at a cantonal university, 15% in the ETH Domain. The remaining 5% will conduct research at a university of applied sciences or other institutions.
Next call in February 2026
The next SNSF Starting Grants call will open on 1 February 2026. As always, it is aimed at researchers who would like to lead a project with their own research team in Switzerland. It is open to all disciplines and research topics. Applicants must have a doctorate, an equivalent qualification or a medical degree as well as several years of research experience. They must also have a connection to Switzerland.
Three examples of funded projects
Social sciences and humanities
Tabea Hässler from the University of Zurich is investigating how individual, group-related and structural factors influence the well-being and health of LGBTIQ+ people. To explore these questions, the project brings together almost 100 researchers from over 65 countries. Tabea Hässler is developing a platform for collective learning and coordinated action. The aim is to develop the necessary knowledge and evidence-based solutions to influence scientific research, politics and practice worldwide.
Mathematics, informatics, natural sciences and technology
The mystery of the origin of life on Earth and its possible uniqueness is closely related to the origins of organic chemical complexity in the earliest history of our solar system. With her project, Nora Hänni from the University of Bern wants to contribute to the search for extraterrestrial life through a process of elimination. To this end, she is investigating original organic compounds in comet Chury. These compounds were devoid of life when they were formed and therefore cannot provide clear evidence of extraterrestrial life.
Life sciences
Silvia Marchesotti (Haute école du Paysage, d'Ingénierie et d'Architecture, HEPIA) aims to help people with speech disorders regain their ability to communicate. To do this, she decodes their imaginary speech based on brain activity. She combines non-invasive EEG recordings with rare single-neuron recordings to understand how the brain represents internal speech in different brain regions. The project could pave the way for rehabilitation tools that translate brain signals into real-time communication for patients with severe speech disorders.