Federal budget cuts: SNSF to adapt its research funding from 2026

The SNSF supports research in Switzerland on behalf of and with funding from the Confederation. As part of relief package 27, the Federal Council is planning to reduce the SNSF's funding by 10 percent in 2027 and 11 percent in 2028. The SNSF criticises this massive cut of 270 million Swiss francs. Even though Parliament will not decide on the cuts until next year, the SNSF must already decide on initial measures now, as it usually invests the funds in multi-year research projects. If the SNSF organises a call for proposals in 2026, for example, most of the projects will start in 2027 and end in 2030.

In order to ensure fair and sustainable funding for the coming years despite the cuts, the SNSF will spread the burden over several years, thereby avoiding a stop-and-go approach to calls for proposals. To this end, the SNSF conducted a broad-based decision-making process for the cuts under the leadership of Torsten Schwede, President of the Research Council: “Together with representatives from all higher education institutions, the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences and early-career researchers, we looked for solutions to maintain Switzerland attractiveness as a centre of research – especially for young researchers.”

Changes to funding schemes from 2026

In order to better distribute the burden of the Confederation's cost-cutting programme in the coming years, the SNSF has already decided on the following measures starting in 2026:

• The Spark funding scheme for novel and unconventional ideas will be suspended until at least the end of 2027.
• The implementation networks will not be continued after their pilot phase.
• The international funding scheme SPIRIT will be paused until and including 2028.
• The SNSF will not launch any new calls for COST projects. (Switzerland will continue to participate in the international COST Actions).
• The budget for European Partnerships will be reduced by 25 percent.
• In future, fewer applications will be approved for the SNSF's main funding scheme Project funding and for Career funding than at present. For the next three years 2026 to 2028, the Research Council will decide on the extent of these cuts each year based on the budget decisions of Parliament at the end of the year. Ongoing research projects can continue as planned.

Based on these decisions, the Research Council will draft the 2026 funding plan by the end of October. This will define the budgets allocated for the upcoming calls of all funding schemes. A reduction in the overall funding budget will also have a proportional impact on the budgets for the Administrative Offices, honorary bodies and evaluation.

The SNSF speaks out against cuts

The SNSF is very aware of the federal government's tight budget situation and has already contributed to the reorganisation of federal finances. In its statement on relief package 27, the SNSF speaks out against the Federal Council's proposed cuts of over 10 percent per year. The cuts would massively weaken Switzerland as a centre of knowledge and the quality of Swiss research. As a result of the planned cost-cutting measures for 2027/2028, the SNSF would have to reject at least 500 innovative research projects, on whose results the Swiss economy, society and administration depend. This would result in the loss of jobs in most cantons.

Strong research funding, on the other hand, creates jobs and tax revenue. Several national and international studies have shown that investments in research generate a high economic return. For this reason, the SNSF will continue to oppose budget cuts of this magnitude.