Postdoc.Mobility

If you encounter difficulties in carrying out your SNSF fellowship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, please contact the SNSF at pm@snf.ch.

The mobility fellowship must be started no later than twelve months after the date of the ruling. The chosen starting date can simply be indicated in the form “Request for release of funds” on mySNF. Please submit the form “Request for release of funds” via mySNF approx. 1 - 2 months before the definitive start of the fellowship. For a deferral of three months or more, please attach a new letter of invitation from the host institute(s) as well as a document describing the most important changes compared to the original research plan (not necessary if there is no change).

Upon request, it may be possible to postpone the beginning for a further twelve months in case of important reasons such as an illness, an accident or family duties. The grantee must submit with her/his justified request a new confirmation letter from the host institute(s) and eventually an updated research plan (by e-mail to pm@snf.ch). Other funds received, for example another fellowship, do not represent a valid reason to postpone the beginning for more than twelve months.

Postdoc.Mobility grants can only be requested for periods where no other funding has been awarded by the SNSF or third parties and no other career grants have been applied for. However, it is possible to apply for funding starting after expiry of the Postdoc.Mobility fellowship or the return grant. During the evaluation process for a return grant, it is also possible to submit a parallel application for an Ambizione, PRIMA, or Eccellenza.

Please check that you fulfill all participation requirements on the date of the submission deadline for Postdoc.Mobility. If this is the case, you need to create a new Postdoc.Mobility application in mySNF. In the container "Link to other SNSF projects", please enter the number of your Early Postdoc.Mobility fellowship. Please indicate (under "type of relationship") if the Postdoc.Mobility project is a scientific follow-up of the Early Postdoc.Mobility project or if it is a new project. If there is a gap between the end of the Early Postdoc.Mobility fellowship and the possible start of the Postdoc.Mobility fellowship, you have to mention if you will be financed or not and where you are staying during this interruption.

According to current practice, the funding period of 36 months comprising Early Postdoc.Mobility and Postdoc.Mobility fellowships may not be exceeded. As holder of an Early Postdoc.Mobility fellowship lasting 18 months, you would therefore have the option to request a Postdoc.Mobility fellowship for at the most another 18 months.

Yes, foreign candidates who are already funded by an Early Postdoc.Mobility fellowship and who therefore do not hold a valid Swiss permanent residence or residence permit anymore may submit an application for a Postdoc.Mobility fellowship in order to extend their research stay abroad (min 12 months; the funding period of 36 months abroad comprising mobility fellowships for Early Postdoc.Mobility and Postdoc.Mobility may not be exceeded), as long as they fulfill the requirements according to the Postdoc.Mobility Regulations. The beginning of the Postdoc.Mobility fellowship must start directly after the end of the Early Postdoc.Mobility fellowship. Exceptions can be considered if the Postdoc.Mobility application is submitted while the Early Postdoc.Mobility fellowship is still ongoing and the Postdoc.Mobility fellowship starts at the latest 6 months after the end of the Early Postdoc.Mobility fellowship. If there is an interruption between the end of the Early Postdoc.Mobility fellowship and the start of the requested Postdoc.Mobility fellowship, please clearly state in your application whether you are funded or not during this time and where you are staying during this interruption.

Yes, if at the time of the submissions deadline you are abroad with an ongoing Doc.Mobility fellowship and you fulfill all the other participation requirements, you may submit a proposal even if your residence permit is not valid anymore. Please take note that beneficiaries of Doc.Mobility fellowships must continue their doctoral studies and obtain their doctorate at their home institution once the mobility fellowship has ended.

A further stay or return at the institution of education, where the bachelor's or master's degree (or equivalent) or the PhD was obtained, is formally not possible. However, a research stay at the same geographic location (e.g. city) but at a different institution (other than the institution of education) is formally possible. In this context, it should nevertheless be noted that the expected extent of mobility represents an important evaluation criterion. It is a primary aim of the mobility fellowships to promote the mobility and related aspects (promotion of the scientific independence, improvement of the scientific/academic profile).

No, these two are not to be used synonymously. The net academic age is the amount of time you have actually been able to dedicate to research, after deducting interruptions and non-scientific work. The net academic age is taken into account in the evaluation. For more information, see the page "Your curriculum vitae - all about the CV format" and the document "SNSF net academic age (PDF)".

The personal requirements are stipulated by article 6 of the Postdoc.Mobility Regulations (PDF). The time window may be extended if one or more of the reasons set out in Clause 1.11 of the General implementation regulations for the Funding Regulations apply. The reasons for extending the time window must be outlined in the application.

In the statement of mobility, you are expected to justify the choice of the research institution and to present your past and planned mobility. Please also refer to the guidelines and the corresponding form. The content of the document will be part of the evaluation.

You should clarify as early as possible whether a stay at the host institution is subject to any conditions. For example, some host institutions ask fellowship holders to contribute a sum of money towards the institution's overhead. The SNSF does not cover any overhead costs incurred at host institutions abroad, however. The host institution may also ask for funds to cover the research costs. Fellowship holders who bring their own financial contribution for covering living costs should generally receive adequate support from their host institution; this support should encompass, among other things, infrastructure as well as any consumables. In this context, please take note of point 11.2 of the Information set “Postdoc.Mobility” (PDF) as well as chapter 2.4.3 of the guidelines (PDF). Please also clarify your status at the host institution. Some host institutes, especially in France, demand that fellowship holders be officially employed at the institution and that the SNSF directly transfers the fellowship to the host institution. In such cases, it is possible that a large portion of the fellowship is spent on social security contributions. The amount that ought to be available to the fellowship holders to cover their living costs is therefore reduced. Another solution, which may enable to keep the fellowship’s amount unchanged, would be that the beneficiary of the fellowship considers with the host institution the possibility of signing a “hosting agreement for volunteer researchers” (“convention d’accueil pour chercheur/chercheuse bénévole”, similar status as for Researchers Emeritus). Some host institutes, especially in the USA, also require minimum rates for their researchers, which may depend on the academic age after the PhD. Please clarify this with the responsible offices at the host institute as early as possible. The fellowship rates defined by the SNSF are binding for the year of approval. If the host institution increases the financial requirements, the SNSF will not be able to adjust the fellowship accordingly. In such a case, the SNSF expects the host institution to cover any financial gap..

No, the fellowship rates defined by the SNSF are binding for the year of approval. If the host institution increases the financial requirements, the SNSF will not be able to adjust the fellowship accordingly. In such a case, the SNSF expects the host institution to cover any financial gap.

Concerning the return period, the regulations do not formally exclude the possibility to return to the place of education. However, such a choice could be critically evaluated with regard to the increasing independence expected from Postdoc.Mobility fellowship holders and with regard to the chances to pursue an academic career. The return period must be conducted at a Swiss higher education research center.

Applications for return grants must be submitted by the official deadlines while the Postdoc.Mobility fellowship respectively is still ongoing.

No Data Management Plan needs to be submitted for the mobility fellowships.

The information set "Postdoc.Mobility" (PDF) gives you detailed information on tax and insurance issues as well as on other administrative matters.