CISA Interdisciplinary Call for Projects

Seed funding for the development of new interdisciplinary research initiatives

Dear Colleagues,

The Swiss Center for Affective Sciences (CISA) is pleased to announce the launch of its Interdisciplinary Call for Projects, aimed at strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers affiliated with the CISA.

This call provides seed funding from the CISA (up to CHF 10,000 per project) to support the creation of new interdisciplinary research projects. It encourages researchers (3 at least, 2 professors minimum) from at least three different disciplines to work together in developing innovative ideas. Co-funding is required from the PIs themselves and/or an external funding application. We strongly recommend applying with the University of Geneva Foundation (FUNIGE; https://www.funige.ch/appels-projets ) (“soutien” grants)- deadline December 15th. The project can lead to larger-scale external funding applications (e.g., SNSF, Horizon Europe, or equivalent programs).

  Objectives

The CISA funding is designed to:

  1. Stimulate new interdisciplinary collaborations within the CISA community;
  2. Provide co-funding to enable promising research initiatives, ideally funded by the University of Geneva Foundation (FUNIGE; https://www.funige.ch/appels-projets ) - deadline December 15th.
  3. Facilitate the preparation of competitive proposals for external funding;
  4. Promote innovative approaches that combine theoretical, empirical, and applied perspectives across disciplines;
  5. Reinforce the CISA’s mission to integrate knowledge on emotion, cognition, and behavior across multiple scientific fields.

  Eligibility

Projects must meet the following criteria:

Be new initiatives, not extensions or continuations of existing projects;
Be led by at least three CISA researchers (two of them CISA professors);
Involve at least three distinct disciplines represented within the CISA;
Demonstrate a clear interdisciplinary added value;
Aim to prepare a future application for a larger external grant (SNSF, Horizon Europe, or similar);
Optionally include national or international partners.

  Funding and co-funding

The CISA will provide up to CHF 10,000 per project.

This contribution must be complemented by co-funding from at least one other source, ideally the University of Geneva Foundation (FUNIGE) (“Soutien” grants) (although other institutional, national, or international agencies are possible too). The CISA funding will only be released if the FUNIGE (or other funding agency) application is successful. PIs may contribute their own co-funding too. All co-funding must be clearly identified in the proposal.

Eligible expenses include:

    1. temporary personnel support (e.g., postdoctoral or research assistant contracts);
    2. costs related to proposal writing or research activities;
    3. services necessary to initiate the collaboration.

  Selection criteria

Proposals will be evaluated by the CISA Steering Committee, with possible consultation of external experts, based on the following criteria:

    1. Scientific quality and originality of the proposed project;
    2. Interdisciplinary scope and added value;
    3. Feasibility and clarity of objectives and work plan;
    4. Relevance for future external funding applications;
    5. Quality and adequacy of the proposed co-funding structure;
    6. Potential long-term impact within the CISA and beyond.

  Timeline

    1. Call launch: November 13, 2025
    2. Submission deadline: November 30, 2025
    3. Evaluation and results announcement: Beginning of December 2025

  Application procedure

Applications must include the following documents, compiled into a single PDF file:

    1. A summary of the project (objectives, methodology, expected results, relevance), highlighting interdisciplinary aspects (max 2 pages).
    2. A budget, specifying the requested CISA contribution, expected co-funding, and any other sources of funding (max 1 page).
    3. A short CV (max. 2 pages) for each PI involved in the project.

Applications must be submitted by email to:

  cisa(at)unige.ch

with the subject line: CISA Interdisciplinary Call 2025 – Support Scheme

  Contact

For any questions regarding the call or the submission process, please contact:
Eva Pool, Fabrice Teroni, & Didier Grandjean

  cisa(at)unige.ch