Deadline: 25 March 2020
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) is convinced that Swiss research can make a difference and has therefore launched a special call on Coronaviruses.
Following the serious SARS and MERS epidemics of the past, another coronavirus has led to the Covid-19 epidemic, a public health emergency of global proportions. An intensification of research efforts is therefore urgently needed. For this reason, the SNSF is supporting projects involving research into coronaviruses – to tackle the current crisis and prepare for likely future epidemics.
It addresses researchers in all disciplines who are able to contribute to a better understanding of the virus, its spread, the resulting illness as well as diagnosis and treatment, or who can help the health system and society as a whole deal more effectively with the epidemic.
On completion of the project, research data must be made available for researchers and authorities worldwide and without delay. The special call is also aimed at enhancing research in Switzerland and expanding research capacity in important areas. This is the first time that the SNSF is launching a call for proposals in response to current events. Based on the experience gained in this call, the SNSF will define criteria to help decide when and how to react to similar situations in the future.
The call takes into account the agenda set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is in line with the priorities defined by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
The call covers the following priority areas:
- Virological, immunological, and immunopathological aspects of SARS-CoV-2 infection that may be relevant for understanding pathogenesis, for the development of vaccines and advancement into clinical testing of therapeutics (including repurposing) and diagnostic tools; Animal and environmental research on the origin and evolution of SARS-CoV-2, and research on control measures at the human-animal interface;
- The natural history, clinical characterisation and management of COVID-19 disease;
- Epidemiological studies, for example studies on key parameters determining transmission, risks of severe adverse outcomes, forecasting spread of the outbreak and estimating the effect of public health measures (clinical and economical benefits);
- Infection prevention and control, including best practice to protect health care workers; and prevent (or if not prevented, at least rapidly recognise and halt) hospital-acquired infections;
- The societal impact at large, including developing strategies to understand and combat misinformation, stigma, and fear;
- Impact of official and social media communications on understanding and behaviour of policy makers, health care workers, patients and populations;
- The social and political history, including for instance public communication, legal aspects, border controls, mobility restrictions by States of COVID-19 disease;
- International relations, global coordination, response systems and crisis management, including measuring/mitigating economical and political effects;
- Ethical considerations for research, including the design of clinical, epidemiological, anthropological, and public health studies.
- Projects conducted for directly commercial purposes will not be funded.
Funding Information
- A budget of five million Swiss francs has provisionally been earkmarked for the call.
- Applicants may request up to 300,000 francs for projects lasting up to 24 months.
- Bigger grants are conceivable, provided the applicant has good reasons for requesting a higher amount. The items covered by the grant are similar to those in national SNSF projects (e.g. equipment, research funds, salaries). The SNSF will endeavour to communicate its funding decisions by mid-May 2020 so that researchers can start work as soon as possible.
Participation Requirements
- Natural persons carrying out scientific research in Switzerland or with close links to Switzerland are eligible to submit an application.
- Scientific research is deemed to be conducted in Switzerland or to be closely linked to Switzerland if the applicant is employed as a researcher at a higher education institution or at a research institution outside the higher education sector that is domiciled in Switzerland and whose basic financing is predominantly Swiss in accordance with Swiss law, or if the applicant has been given an assurance of such employment in writing. The relevant place of research may be located outside Switzerland.
- The research activities, along with any scientific teaching activities, must constitute the equivalent of at least 50% FTE. Researchers devoting less than 50% of their time to scientific activities are eligible to submit an application if their scientific research and teaching activities are usually carried out as part of another professional activity. The details are set out in the Implementation Regulations issued by the Research Council.
- Self-employed researchers must meet, mutatis mutandis, all the requirements set out under paragraphs 1-3 and must be able to show that they are working as independent researchers in Switzerland.
- The Research Council may stipulate further requirements for individual funding schemes in the Implementation Regulations. In particular, it may:
- limit eligibility to specific target groups;
- make eligibility conditional on additional support from third parties;
- grant eligibility to legal persons;
- make eligibility conditional on a minimum degree of employment at a research institution;
- grant eligibility as an exception, even though no assurance of continued employment over the entire duration of the research project is given, particularly in the case of tenure track or other comparable positions.
- Applicants must be able to show that they have the scientific qualifications and background required for the relevant funding scheme and must provide proof that they are making a substantial contribution to the proposed research project.
Proposals may be submitted if all of the following personal and formal requirements are met. If several applicants submit a project together, each of the applicants has to meet all of the requirements. The same conditions apply as in project funding:
- Applicants must have an independent research position that enables them to independently conduct a research project, make a substantial personal contribution to the project and lead staff members. Researchers who assume such a post less than four years after obtaining their doctorate may submit applications as soon as they assume the said position.
- Applicants with a doctorate must have obtained the latter at least four years before the submission date of the application. For applicants without a doctorate (PhD), this four-year period generally starts once they have spent at least three years doing research as their main income source after the higher education degree, the latter period being necessary to achieve equivalence with a PhD.
- Applicants must be able to show that they are employed with a work quota of at least 50% for the duration of the research project at a research institution recognised by the SNSF. Special arrangements may be approved for researchers who have secured future employment as well as for clinical researchers, self-employed researchers and employees of museums and archives.
- Applicants need to show that the necessary research infrastructure is at their disposal.
- Grantees may not at the same time be employed as staff members in any other SNSF-funded project.
- In contrast to project funding, Ambizione and Eccellenza grant holders are eligible to submit an application.
For more information, visit http://www.snf.ch/en/funding/programmes/coronavirus/Pages/default.aspx#