SNSF Project Funding
Guidelines for a First Submission
Project funding is the main SNSF’s funding scheme. It
is the one mostly used by UNIGE researchers for individual projects. Around 300
applications are submitted each year.
- Submission deadline: April 1st and October 1st – each year
- Beginning of funding: 6 months after the submission deadline
- Duration: from 1 to 3 years – an extension of 3 years maximum is possible
Usually this funding scheme is intended to promote young researchers by financing their salaries.
The costs of your project can be calculated using the SNSF budget template.
Could the salary of the applicant or
co-applicant be financed by the project funding scheme?
I am not a professor can I be an applicant or a
co-applicant?
How many co-applicants are allowed?
In which language needs the application to be
written?
Can I submit more than one subject at the same
time?
My project needs legal authorization can I
submit my application before having that authorization?
How to handle the submission of the
application?
Can I ask a colleague to contribute to the
submission of the application via mySNF?
Which are the most important points which
should be put forward in the research plan?
How much can I ask for?
Might there be a difference between the amount
requested and the amount agreed?
Who can I hire with this subsidy?
Which collaborator’s salaries should be
mentioned?
What percentage and for how long a PhD may be
financed as part of a SNSF project?
What costs are accountable?
Which amount should be indicated in the budget
regarding travel expenses?
Curriculum Vitae and Publications
Is it possible to suggest some names of
experts?
How are applications assessed?
What is the applications’ success rate?
Should I send a copy of my application to the SNSF
research commission of the UNIGE?
Your project has been accepted … good to know for the next steps …
Deadline for requesting the release of subsidy
Possibility of requesting a complementary
subsidy after the main one has been granted?
Transfer of a Budget section to another after
obtaining the grant
Could the salary of the applicant or co-applicant be financed by the project funding scheme?
Applicant or co-applicant may not apply for the payment of their own salaries in individual projects funding; the funding instruments of the Career Funding division have been devised to cater for this purpose.
I am not a professor can I be an applicant or a co-applicant?
- Applicant/co-applicant must have a secured position for the entire duration of the subsidy since the subsidy cannot cover their salary. Applicant/co-applicant may have the following position: MER, privat-docent, chargé de cours, chargé d’enseignement, chef de clinique scientifique, biologist, scientific collaborator or maître-assistant. Between 2008 and 2011, 38% of the researchers who have been granted a SNSF subsidy were research and teaching collaborators.
- Project funding applications may only be submitted by researchers who have spent at least two years successfully doing research after their PhD and, applicants must be in a position to carry out a research project under their own responsibility and to lead the staff members involved in it. A mobility experience and publications as first author and last author (a plus) are part of the success criteria.
- If hiring PhDs is forseen, the applicant must be academically entitled to supervise doctoral candidates and if not he may need to entrust co-applicants or other competent persons with the task of supervising the doctoral candidates to be employed in the planned project. This must be stated in the application and clearly explained.
- If you foresee to hire a post-doc or research auxiliary, that person must be under the responsibility of a professor, MER or chargé de cours.
How many co-applicants are allowed?
- If you wish to apply for a project with several researchers as a research group, then a number from one to three co-applicants is normal. Each of the co-applicants has to give a substantial contribution to the project and the role of each of these persons must be described in the application. Researchers who give a less important contribution should be indicated under the section “collaboration” of the online mySNF application form.
- It is not essential to indicate a co-applicant. In 2012, 60% of the newly funded projects at UNIGE had no co-applicant.
In which language needs the application to be written?
Applications must be submitted in English apart from most disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. In these disciplines applicants can choose between German, French, Italian and English. The choice of language should be made dependent on the language of the majority of publications on the research topic concerned. This simplifies the search of external reviewers.
Can I submit more than one subject at the same time?
Applicants are entitled to submit two or more proposals for the same funding period or to submit a new proposal even if they already have ongoing projects at the SNSF but:
- the research projects must be thematically clearly demarcated and
- applicants must be in a position to make substantial input to each projects
My project needs legal authorization can I submit my application before having that authorization?
Yes but it is recommended to start authorization procedures to the relevant authorities as soon as possible. This is related to research involving human beings, embryonic stem cells, animals, genetically modified organism (GMO) or pathogenic agent. The SNSF will release the subsidy only when all authorizations and announcements for the financed period will be available. Copies of the required authorizations and announcement confirmations can be either scanned or attached to the application (uploaded) or sent by regular mail to the SNSF.
How to handle the submission of the application?
All applications have to be submitted online via the platform mySNF. When registering to open an account please allow 5 open days to be valid. It is strongly recommended to create an account as soon as possible because a lot of information can be taken from the mySNF platform. The application is made up by several sections which need to be documented. Each sections need to be validated (indicated by a green tick) when all fields are fully filled in. It is possible to fill in the form step by step, data can be stored and modified. Some application documents can be prepared apart and then uploaded in PDF format (CV, list of publications and research plan).
Can I ask a colleague to contribute to the submission of the application via mySNF?
You will find all settings with regard to the authorisation of third parties on your mySNF account in the main navigation bar on the left under "Authorisations".
Which are the most important points which should be put forward in the research plan?
The research plan needs to be outlined in five subchapters (from 2.1 to 2.5) according to the “research plan regulations” : Guidelines for applicants (page 11 Annex: requirements for the research plan)
- Point 2.1 (current state of research in the field) – you must show how your subject is original and different from what has been done by others until now.
- Point 2.2 (current state of your own research) – this point, with the list of publications and CV, is used by the experts for the applicant evaluation.
- Point 2.3 (detailed research plan). A good and structured argumentation is needed and a precise description of the methodological approach which has to be appropriate to answer the questions raised in the project. Show that your project is feasible by putting forward convincing preliminary results. Alternatives or plan B must be planned if the expecting results are not meeting and moreover if the applicant has one or more PhDs under his/her responsibility.
- Point 2.4 (schedule and milestones) is often not enough detailed and therefore frequently under critics. It is essential that the main intermediate milestones and the main tasks assigned to people funded by the SNSF are entrusted. The work plan is often presented in the form of a table.
NB: The SNSF requires experts to assess the following points: « Comments regarding the overall assessment », « Applicants’ scientific track record and expertise », « Scientific relevance, originality and topicality » and « Suitability of methods and feasibility ».
How much can I ask for?
There is no limit to the amount to be requested. A reasonable budget is awaited, avoid exorbitant budgets. If you asked for PhD or post-doc salary, enough workload should be prepared for that person. For example and for the UNIGE projects, granted subsidies are between CHF 60,000 and 150,000 per year in human and social sciences (division 1), between CHF 60,000 and 250,000 per year in mathematics, natural and engineering sciences (division 2) and, between CHF 80,000 and 200,000 per year in biology and medicine (division 3). This subsidy is most often requested for a period of 3 years.
Might there be a difference between the amount requested and the amount agreed?
The SNSF might diminish the required budget when the amount is not adapted or when some budgetary positions are not allowed. The SNSF makes sure that a recommended project submitted for approval is always feasible. Due to a marked increase in demand and the current financial situation, it regularly happens that the amounts required exceed the budget available. The budget requested is therefore lowered for the applications which have been less assessed. For example, during the last call of proposals, 24% of the UNIGE application’s budgets were not cut. 76% application’s budgets were on the average of 18%, cuts starts from a small percentage up to 66%.
Who can I hire with this subsidy?
You can financed doctoral students (called candocs (doctorate candidates) when they are financed by a SNSF project), post-doctoral collaborators (post-docts, maître-assistants, scientific collaborators), and other collaborators (laboratory assistants, research auxiliaries). Doctoral students are the most frequently financed people with this subsidy (52% of the hired collaborators on SNSF projects in Switzerland) compared to post-doctoral collaborators (35%) and to technical and auxiliary collaborators (13%). It is possible to send your application even if you do not already have identified who you will hire. This position will be indicated as “not nominated” (NN) in mySNF.
Which collaborator’s salaries should be mentioned?
For a PhD, the salary range is decided by the SNSF (Salaires des doctorants et barèmes des charges sociales). There is a yearly update.
For other collaborators, the UNIGE salary ranges have to be taken into account with an upper limit of CHF 105,000 for post-doctoral collaborators (i.e. a 17/6 maximal class for maître-assistant and for scientific collaborator 1) and of CHF 90,000 for technical and auxiliary personnel.
For Social security contributions you must indicate a rate of 20%.
Exact salary costs will depend on the CV of the collaborator, but if you do not have identified the person you will hire, you can use the mean gross salary found in the SNSF budget template.
If you know who you will hire, the exact cost will depend on his/her experience. You can obtain a salary simulation by asking the administration of your faculty or the HR administration in charge of your faculty :
- For the teaching staff
- For the administrative or technical
staff
You can also have a look at the UNIGE salary scale for teaching collaborators (per function) .
What percentage and for how long a PhD may be financed as part of a SNSF project?
Doctoral students funded by the SNSF are persons registered as PhDs who are collaborating to research works funded by the SNSF in the context of scientific works in order to elaborate their PhD thesis. The doctoral students receiving a salary via the SNSF must have a work-time percentage of at least 50% and devote at least 50% of a full-time equivalent to their doctoral thesis.
In addition to this minimum work-time percentage, they may be assigned other tasks, provided that they are paid for such work from other sources of funding in addition to the salary defined by the SNSF. They can be financed by SNSF subsidies up to a maximum of four years beginning from the date of their registration as PhD.
What costs are accountable?
Apart from collaborator salaries, accountable costs are research expenses (consumable, maintenance, travel expenses, conference and workshop expenses) and, more restrictively investment expenses (such as device expenses). Travel expenses may be charged to the SNSF grants, provided that approval for the corresponding trip is expressly given or implied at the time of the acceptance of the subsidy.
Which amount should be indicated in the budget regarding travel expenses?
The general implementation regulations for the Funding Regulations (chapter 6.7.4) give a range for effective expenses or lump sums which can be due. A reasonable amount for this budget can be fixed around CHF 3’000 per year and per person.
Curriculum Vitae and Publications
Each applicant must upload his/her CV and list of publication as a single PDF file. The CV must not exceed two DIN A4 pages and should be written in the same language as the research plan. The publication list should contain only the publications of the last five years structured according to the following sections: 1. Peer-reviewed articles (original publications), 2. Reviews, 3. Monographs, 4. Book contributions, 5. Other pertinent publications. The sub-categories "published" and "in press" are permissible. Articles connected to the research project must be clearly distinguished as such. A link to a website containing complete publication list of the applicant must be included at the beginning of the list.
Is it possible to suggest some names of experts?
On mySNF’s application, a section allows you to submit three external experts that you think are relevant (positive list). This list is not binding on the SNSF. If possible these experts should not be active as researchers in Switzerland. These persons cannot have collaborated to the publications of the applicant/co-applicant during the last five years or represent any other conflict of interest. Make sure that the research of these experts is quoted in your request.
It is also possible to submit a list of persons that should not be invited to give their expertise (negative list). Negative lists are considered if the applicants provide a valid reason for the requested exclusion and if a sufficient number of other experts are available.
How are applications assessed?
The SNSF asks external experts to provide a written scientific review of the proposal. At least two external reviews must generally be obtained for each application. The Administrative Offices assign applications to the members of the Research Council according to their field of expertise (and workload). For each application, a member of the Research Council assumes the role of referee and another member that of co-referee. In a final step, the referees rank the application in relation to other applications they are evaluating or have evaluated for the SNSF on a scale from one to six.
What is the applications’ success rate?
In 2012 the average Swiss success rate for all applications was 54%. It varies depending on thematic:
- 46% Division I: Humanities and Social Sciences
- 68% Division II: Mathematics, Natural and Engineering Sciences
- 50% Division III: Biology and Medicine
Should I send a copy of my application to the SNSF research commission of the UNIGE?
NO. Since 2012, the SNSF research commission automatically received application copies via mySNF website BUT applicants/co-applicants who are not full professor need to send a copy to their supervisor. He/her will be contacted by the SNSF Research Commission to control the eligibility criteria.
Your project has been accepted … good to know for the next steps …
Deadline for requesting the release of subsidy
Demand for release of subsidy must be made in the range of one year from the date of the decision. The subsidy is transferred on an annual base. If the request is not sent in time the subsidy becomes obsolete.
Possibility of requesting a complementary subsidy after the main one has been granted?
Additional subsidies can be granted:
- Participation to scientific meetings/conferences (travel and hotel expenses). In order to obtain this additional subsidy, the participant has to give a scientific contribution mentioned in the congress program. The granting is limited to two persons per congress and up to two congresses per year. This additional subsidy requests must be submitted at least six weeks before the beginning of the events and include a detailed budget of travel and hotel expenses.
- Funding for a stay abroad from six to twelve months for a PhD hired in the context of the project (a maximum amount of CHF 20’000 is possible). During that stay abroad the salary of the PhD is still carried on by the subsidy of the SNSF project. The length of four years which is given by the SNSF for the PhD thesis cannot be extended by a stay abroad. Requests must be submitted at the latest three months before the beginning of the stay abroad and nine months before the ending date of the project financed by the SNSF (application via mySNF – under the section "Supplementary grants").
- Financing costs arising unpredictably during the supported research. These costs need to be essential in order to achieve with success the research and cannot be counterbalanced by any other measures or covered by third party means. Requests must be submitted electronically via mySNF as soon as the circumstances responsible for the extra costs arise.
Transfer of a Budget section to another after obtaining the grant
The main budget items listed in SNSF rulings and letters of approval or in subsequent approved budgets and the corresponding amounts are binding on grantees. In principle, transfers of amounts from one budget section to another must be approved in writing by the SNSF in advance. Approval is not required for such transfers if the amount to be transferred is less than CHF 20000.
On the links below you will find SNSF guidelines and regulations that are
useful and important for researchers, applicants and grantees:
Project funding – Guidelines for applicants (Annex: requirements for the research plan)
General implementation regulations for the Funding Regulations
Salaires des doctorants et barèmes des charges sociales (not in english)
Project funding – Description of the evaluation procedure
Guidelines for requesting a mobility grant
Directives relatives à l’examen des demandes de subsides supplémentaires pour les frais de participation à des réunions scientifiques (not in english)