The first three Summer Schools (Geneva 1997, Lugano 1998 and Neuchâtel 1999) were experimental; i.e. they were planned and financed as a National Science Foundation research project within the framework of the Demain la Suisse programme, as a key component of their post-graduate training programme scheme ("doctoral schools"). From the start it was clear that - after the three-year trial period and after careful evaluation - the Summer School needed a more permanent basis, both financial and organizational.
Since 2008, the Summer School is institutionally hosted by FORS , the Swiss Foundation for social science research. (Between 2000-2007 it was hosted by SIDOS, the Swiss Data Archive and established in Lugano at USI (Università della Svizzera Italiana); both institutions offer generous support to the Summer School; FORS administers the Summer School and USI offers the teaching and computing facilities, takes care of the local administration (administrative support during the Summer School) at no cost. The Summer School is now funded by participants' fees only; the SNSF grants a limited number of subsidies to PhD Students from Swiss universities. Demain la Suisse, until the end of the programme (December 2003), guaranteed the deficit of the Summer School. Since then the Summer School is financially on its own.