Second Swiss contribution
The SNSF is launching three funding programmes as part of the second Swiss contribution to selected EU member states. The programmes will strengthen research in these countries as well as collaboration with researchers in Switzerland.
Switzerland's contribution supports countries that have joined the EU since 2004 (EU-13) or that are subject to strong migration movements. The contribution is intended to help reduce economic and social inequalities in the enlarged EU. Switzerland is committing 1.3 billion Swiss francs, to be used by 2029. This commitment is an expression of solidarity and consolidates the basis for stable economic and political relations with the EU and its member states.
The funds are earmarked for projects and programmes in various fields tailored to the needs of the partner countries. Some of the EU member states which will benefit from the second Swiss Contribution have decided to allocate a part of the dedicated funds for research collaboration with Switzerland.
Three programmes
On behalf of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the SNSF is launching three new funding programmes which it will implement together with the relevant organisations in the partner countries Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, and Romania.
PROMYS for researchers in Bulgaria: the programme is aimed at researchers who worked in an EU-27 country or Switzerland for at least one year as doctoral students or postdocs, and who now aspire to an assistant professorship in Bulgaria. Researchers with two to seven years’ research experience since their doctorate can submit an application. To be eligible, they need to have worked for at least three years either in one of the EU-27 countries or in Switzerland, or they must be a national of one of the countries mentioned. They can apply for their own salaries, the salaries of project staff and other research costs. Under the terms of the grant, they will receive a maximum of 625,000 francs for a project duration of five years. The SNSF can finance three PROMYS projects in total. The call remains open until 29 February 2024.
MAPS for researchers in selected Central and Eastern European Countries: The multilateral call for research projects (MAPS: Multilateral Academic Projects) supports projects devised and conducted by researchers in Switzerland together with researchers in a minimum of two up to a maximum of all five of the following countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, Romania and Hungary. The projects will run for up to four years, and each team from each country will be funded with a maximum of 350,000 francs. The call was opened in April 2024.
SCIEX: Information on the Scientific Exchange Programme Bulgaria-Switzerland will follow.
As part of the first Swiss contribution (the “enlargement contribution”), the SNSF had promoted scientific cooperation with Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania through an SDC mandate. In addition, a PROMYS pilot call funded by the SNSF supported researchers in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania.
News