How researchers fund their projects even without EU money

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In relation to its gross domestic product, Switzerland is one of the countries that spend the most on research and development. Since mid-2021, however, the European Union has treated Switzerland only as a third country in the Horizon Europe research and innovation funding program. Fundraiso shows researchers and fundraisers alternatives.

"Horizon Europe" is the name of the 9th framework program for research and innovation in the EU. It officially came into force on May 12, 2021. The Horizon budget is around 96 billion euros. This makes it the largest research and innovation funding program in the history of the EU. Due to the expiration of the bilateral agreements, the EU now treats Switzerland only as a "non-associated third country" in the Horizon Europe program. This means that researchers in Switzerland can only participate in around two-thirds of the calls for proposals.

Horizon Europe: Submit project proposals online to the EU as before

With the new status as a third country, applicants in Switzerland must first submit their project and funding applications to the European Funding & Tenders Portal, as before. Newly, however, in the category "non-associated third country". The European Commission does not fund projects from Switzerland, but they must be positively evaluated by the Commission. Only then can the funding application be submitted to the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). For funding applications, a basic distinction is made between collaborative projects and individual projects.

In addition to Horizon, there are other major research funders in Switzerland such as the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the Swiss Agency for Innovation Promotion (Innosuisse). The federal government is responsible for funding both research and innovation funding agencies. It also finances the Association of Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences and thus supports around 30 research institutions of national importance.

The Swiss National Science Foundation for research at universities

The SNSF basically promotes research at universities. It focuses on areas such as physics, medicine, or sociology. In 2021, the SNSF supported 1,800 projects with 876 million Swiss francs. Of this, a good half was invested in project funding. Now that Switzerland is only classified as a third country in Horizon Europe, the SNSF has launched four new funding measures.

Selecting the right SNSF funding instrument

To receive funding, researchers must select the appropriate SNSF funding instrument. For this purpose, the SNSF offers a website with an overview of current funding opportunities. The instructions are easy to find. In most cases, the application must be submitted via the online application system mySNF. Be sure to submit your application on time. You can find out about the exact submission deadlines on the SNSF website.

Switzerland and the United Kingdom strengthen research cooperation

There is now some light on the funding horizon for researchers in Switzerland: on November 10, 2022, the Federal Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding in London on cooperation in research and innovation. The aim is to further strengthen the good partnership between the two countries in these areas. For example, the United Kingdom is Switzerland's third most important partner in terms of the number of joint projects under Horizon 2020. In addition, the SNSF has approved just over 1100 grants in the period from October 2017 to September 2022 that include a collaborative component with researchers in the UK or will be conducted there.

Science funding with grant-making foundations

Foundations are an important source of research funding in Switzerland. According to the Swiss Foundations association, funding foundations comprise about half of all charitable foundations in Switzerland. Many funding foundations also support universities of applied sciences and universities in Switzerland with research money. The online database of fundraiso.ch alone contains 1358 funding foundations in the field of research and science. The majority of these are active in the fields of education, research and social welfare. Manuel Bamert, deputy head of the "Research and Development" staff unit at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), says: "In 2021, a total of around 1,400 projects were active in the field of applied research and development at the ZHAW. Of these, 125 projects, or about 9 percent, were fully or partially funded by foundations." Foundations thus play an important role in research funding.

Many universities have internal contacts

Many universities and universities of applied sciences employ staff specialized in the sometimes demanding application process. Lisa Müller, Head of Research Funding at the University of Zurich (UZH), says: "Various UZH units support researchers in obtaining third-party funding. This includes identifying suitable funding opportunities and providing advice and assistance in preparing project proposals, as well as clarifying administrative, legal and technical issues in advance of the application."

How to find the right foundations for your research projects

There are several ways to find the right funding foundation. Dr. Dr. Elisa Bortoluzzi Dubach, author of the guidebook "Foundations: The Applicant's Guide," recommends, "First, researchers should search for foundations in internal databases. Many large universities collect a large number of foundations in such databases, to which researchers can submit applications. A next step would be to analyze similar projects. The question to be answered is: Which funding foundations support which projects? Reading the professional press as well as the newsletters of professional associations can also be useful. However, the most efficient and fastest way is to turn to databases such as Fundraiso.ch or StiftungSchweiz.ch."

A memo can be useful for preparation

Book author Bortoluzzi Dubach advises money-seeking scientists to create a memo about their project for themselves: "On it, the researchers give a brief overview of their project. They describe what distinguishes them as scientists, what the project is specifically about, and what the unique selling points of the project are." The added social and scientific value as well as the fulfillment of the foundation's purpose must be communicated quickly and clearly with the note, he said. Among other things, this serves to identify keywords that are useful for searching for suitable foundations in the databases and to optimally formulate applications.

Funding research with the help of specialized platforms

Researchers can also use online services such as Research Professional, Research Connect or Scientify Research to fund their projects, in addition to the Swiss platforms. What these platforms have in common: They maintain databases that help researchers find a tailored selection of funding opportunities for their project. Research Professional, Research Connect and Scientify Reasearch are foreign companies. Their databases are not limited to foundations. Swiss universities and universities of applied sciences work with some of these platforms. Thus, they save time and effort in finding funding for their projects.

These are the largest funding foundations in Switzerland

Jacobs Foundation: The Zurich-based funding foundation is one of the wealthiest funding foundations in Switzerland. The Jacobs Foundation has funds amounting to 7 billion Swiss francs. It is active in the field of child and youth development. Its goal is to ensure that all children have access to education and learning opportunities.

Ernst Göhner Foundation: It distributes funds annually primarily in the areas of culture, the environment, social affairs, education and science. Like the Jacobs Foundation, the Ernst Göhner Foundation has an endowment of almost 7 billion Swiss francs. It is a founding member of SwissFoundations, the association of charitable foundations in Switzerland.

Sandoz Family Foundation: The Sandoz Family Foundation is not a charitable foundation. However, it is involved in areas such as innovation, science, and culture. The Sandoz Foundation has a stake in the pharmaceutical company Novartis, owns luxury hotels and watch companies, and is active in promoting research and culture. For this reason, it is popular with fundraisers, hoteliers, watchmakers, cultural figures and researchers. The Sandoz family operates a total of 3 foundations: "Sandoz-Fondation de Famille" - estimated assets 7 billion Swiss francs, "Fondation Edouard et Maurice Sandoz" - estimated assets 25 million Swiss francsand"La Fondation Philanthropique Famille Sandoz".

Tips for foundation fundraising

Foundation purpose: The project's goals, target groups and impact must match the foundation's purpose. Also pay detailed attention to the foundation's funding areas and criteria.
Timing: Timing must be right for foundation applications. Deadlines for submission and dates of award meetings can usually be found on each foundation's website.
Funding: each foundation has different requirements. Find out in detail about the requirements before applying. For example, does the foundation have a maximum amount in its bylaws that it cannot exceed? Occasionally, own funds must also be available in order to be supported by the foundation at all.
Application wording: Use simple, easy-to-understand language in foundation applications. Remember: the first recipient at a foundation is usually not an expert in your field.
Language: Find out in which language the application must be submitted. If a foundation is based in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, this does not necessarily mean that its application must be written in German.
Mode of dispatch: Clarify whether the foundation would like to receive its grant application by mail or e-mail. There are still many foundations that require a postal application.