Foundation Council and Executive Committee of the Foundation Council

The SNSF is a foundation under private law with a public funding mandate.

As its highest body, the Foundation Council ensures that the SNSF is on mission to fulfil the purpose of the foundation. It supervises the activities of the bodies of the SNSF. Based on a recommendation from the National Research Council, it approves the principles of the SNSF's funding policy and, in particular, the multi-year programme. The Foundation Council is responsible for approving the annual statement and the annual report. It is composed of up to 45 members that include representatives of the federal government, the higher education institutions, the Swiss Academies of Arts & Sciences as well as of other organisations of the Swiss science sector.

The Executive Committee prepares agenda items of the Foundation Council and it directly supervises the activities of the National Research Council and the Administrative Offices. It elects the members of the Research Council and - together with the president of the Research Council - the Executive Management of the Administrative Offices. The Executive Committee also approves the service level agreement with the Swiss Confederation.

  • Presidency

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    President

    Jürg Stahl

    ​Vice President

    Prof. Maria Schönbächler, Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences

  • Representatives of the universities and Federal Institutes of Technology in Zurich and Lausanne

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    • University of Berne
      Prof. Daniel Candinas *
    • University of Fribourg
      Prof. Katharina Fromm *
    • University of Lausanne
      Prof. Franciska Krings *
    • University of the italian-speaking part of Switzerland
      Prof. Benedetto Lepori
    • University of Neuchâtel
      Prof. Etienne Piguet
    • University of Basel
      Prof. Torsten Schwede *
    • University of St Gallen
      Prof. Thomas Markus Zellweger
    • University of Geneva
      Prof. Dominique Soldati-Favre *
    • École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne EPFL
      Prof. Harald Brune *
    • University of Lucerne
      Prof. Gisela Michel
    • University of Zurich
      Prof. Stefanie Walter*
    • Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ)
      Prof. Sabine Werner*

    * Member of the Executive Committee of the Foundation Council

  • Representatives of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences

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    • SATW
      Prof. Konstantinos Boulouchos
    • ASSH
      Prof. Claudine Burton-Jeangros
    • a+
      Prof. Dr. Antonio Loprieno, Basel
    • ASSM
      Prof. George Thalmann
    • SCNAT
      Prof. Maria Schönbächler *
      Prof. Marcel Tanner

    * Member of the Executive Committee of the Foundation Council

  • Representatives of the universities of applied sciences and of teacher education

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    • PHSG
      Prof. Horst Biedermann*
    • HES SUPSI
      Prof. Maria Caiata Zufferey
    • BFH
      Prof. Sebastian Wörwag
    • FH Graubünden
      Prof. Jürg Kessler
    • IUFE, Geneva (University of Teacher Education)
      Prof. Isabelle Mili
    • ZHAW
      Prof. Jean-Marc Piveteau*
    • FHNW
      Prof. Falko Schlottig
    • HES-SO
      Dr. Christine Pirinoli

    * Member of the Executive Committee of the Foundation Council

  • Cooptations

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    • Non-commercial research centres outside academia
      Prof. Christophe Dessimoz, SIB
    • Research institutes of the ETH Domain
      Dr. Thierry Strässle, chief of staff and vice director, Paul Scherrer Institut
    • ETH Rat
      Prof. Michael Hengartner
    • swissuniversities
      Dr. Stefanie Wyssenbach
    • Young researchers' organisations
      Rachel Demolis
    • At the invitation of the Executive Committee of the Foundation Council
      Prof. Denis Duboule*
      EPF Lausanne and University of Geneva
    • Gebert-Rüf Stiftung
      Dr. Pascale Vonmont
    • Eos Entrepreneurs Foundation
      Dr. Erna Karrer – Rüedi

    * Member of the Executive Committee of the Foundation Council

  • Members elected by the Federal Council

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    • Jürg ​​Stahl
      President of Swiss Olympic *
    • Dr. Nicole Schaad*, a. i.
      Staatssekretariat für Bildung, Forschung und Innovation (SBFI)
    • Dipl. Phys. Ulrich Looser
      BLR&Partners AG
    • Prof. Cesla Amarelle
    • Monika Knill
      Minister of the canton of Thurgau (Department for Education and Culture)
    • Dr. Anja Isabella König*
      Geschäftsführerin, Novartis Venture Funds
    • Natascha Wey
      General secretary, VPOD/SSP (trade union for public service employees)
    • Dr. René Imhof
      Cellular Neuroscience CNS Discovery F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

    * Member of the Executive Committee of the Foundation Council

  • Regulations

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