Research grants for Swiss researchers

COST funds research networks (COST Actions) on any topic, bottom-up, rather than research costs. The 2026 Open Call will fund up to 80 Actions.

EIC call (HORIZON-EIC-2026-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01): HORIZON EIC Grants

EIC call (HORIZON-EIC-2026-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01): HORIZON EIC Grants

EIC call (HORIZON-EIC-2026-STEP-DEFENCE-01): HORIZON EIC Equity Only

EIC call (HORIZON-EIC-2026-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01): HORIZON EIC Grants

ERDERA Clinical Trial Call 2026 (pre-announcement), listed under ERDERA on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

Invite-only full application stage for NERC Large Grants. Applicants must be based at UK research organisations eligible for NERC funding. Associated studentships may be available. Proposals must align with NERC's environmental science remit.

Call for a consortium of two Technology Transfer Offices (universities/research organisations) and one Entrepreneurship Support Provider to deliver a six-month venture building programme helping researchers incorporate healthcare start-ups, including masterclasses, mentoring and a Pitch Day over two cohorts.

Call for consortia to design and deliver EIT Health Bootcamp learning paths for health start-ups covering digital health validation, deep tech/AI commercialisation, cross-border scaling and patient access. Funding covers max 50% of eligible costs via actual-cost model; remaining 50% must be co-funded from non-EIT Health sources. Individuals may not apply.

Call for a consortium of two Technology Transfer Offices and one Entrepreneurship Support Provider to deliver the Beyond the Lab: From Research to Venture programme, including masterclasses, mentoring and a Pitch Day for two cohorts over two years.

Funding to deliver a venture-building programme for Master's and PhD students developing early-stage healthcare solutions; applicants must form a consortium of one University Incubator and one Entrepreneurship Support Provider with demonstrated venture-building experience.

Call for a consortium of one University Incubator and one Entrepreneurship Support Provider to deliver activities of EIT Health's Beyond the Idea: From Concept to Venture programme, supporting MSc and PhD students building healthcare ventures over two cohorts.

Funds consortia to design and deliver Summer Schools and Certified Innovation Path Residentials in Health Data, Digital Medical Devices, High Value Care, or Biotech. Open to higher education institutions, research organisations, healthcare providers, and industry partners; funding spans programme iterations in 2027 and 2028.

Supports randomised controlled clinical trials (RCTs) of high scientific quality addressing unmet medical/societal needs, not in industry focus. Applicants must be natural persons meeting SNSF eligibility requirements, affiliated with Swiss institutions, forming a research group. Excludes pilot, proof-of-concept, observational, and preclinical studies. Patient and public involvement (PPI) is required. A PPI preparatory grant of up to CHF 5,000 is available alongside the letter of intent.

SNSF Ambizione lets early-career researchers run an independent project at a Swiss host institution (salary + project funds, up to 4 years). Requires a Swiss link (Swiss nationality/degree or 12+ months research in Switzerland).

Novel ecosystems: biodiversity, socio-ecological consequence, listed under Biodiversa-plus on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

Joint international call coordinated by Canada supporting interdisciplinary projects that harness disruptive technologies to advance UN Sustainable Development Goals. Only members of consortia that already submitted a notice of intent to NFRF may participate; Swiss co-applicants must meet SNSF Project Funding criteria.

Water4All 2026 Joint Transnational Call - Sustainable Water, listed under Water4All on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

Seed funding for early-stage, pre-development technology concepts in cancer immunotherapy; applicants must hold a tenure-track position at a not-for-profit research center or institution. Does not support clinical trials or refinement of existing technologies.

SBEP Fourth Joint Call - 2026 (preannouncement), listed under SBEP on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

New cancer-immunotherapy technologies at the pre-development concept stage. Routine application or refinement of existing technologies is generally non-responsive; clinical trials are excluded. Applicants need a tenure-track position at a nonprofit institution; co-PIs may apply.

Supports researchers employed at eligible Swiss institutions to participate in major international research infrastructure projects in particle physics, astrophysics and astroparticle physics, including LHC-related maintenance and computing grid contributions.

Supported by the European Commission, this network of research and innovation funders across Europe and beyond advances a resilient and sustainable blue economy through transnational collaborative projects.

DUT Call 2026, listed under DUT on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

Topic HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-TIPT-09-01. Funds scale-up of European trapped-ion quantum computing platforms to >1000 physical qubits, integrated with HPC, targeting TRL 4→7. Participation limited to legal entities in EU Member States or EuroHPC JU Participating States; entities controlled by non-eligible countries require guarantees. Indicative 1 grant of up to €20M.

M-ERA.NET Joint Call 2026, listed under M-ERA.NET 3 on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

MSCA Doctoral Networks fund partnerships of universities, research institutions, businesses and other socio-economic actors to implement doctoral training programmes, including Industrial and Joint Doctorates with joint supervision arrangements. Open to organisations from EU, Associated and third countries.

Pilot Weave/Lead Agency scheme between SNSF and Spain's AEI for joint Swiss-Spanish research projects, part of SNSF's Project Funding scheme. For this round AEI is lead agency (proposal to AEI's PID2026 call, copy to SNSF); project must start 1 September 2027. Certain topics (e.g. some clinical research) excluded; trilateral proposals not possible.

Joint Swiss-Spanish research project proposals under the Weave collaboration model; part of SNSF's Project Funding scheme with no additional budget, standard national eligibility applies. Certain clinical research topics excluded per AEI restrictions; trilateral proposals not possible; project must start 1 September 2027 for AEI-led call.

Covers MSCA Doctoral Networks, Joint Doctorates (joint/double/multiple doctoral degrees) and Industrial Doctorates (mandatory non-academic sector involvement); beneficiaries must recruit and host doctoral candidates under full employment contracts.

Improved system design for innovative PV applications, listed under EUPI-PV on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

Supports pioneering immunotherapy clinical trials designed and led by academic researchers. Requires a clinical trial focus; applicants must be academic investigators leading immunotherapy trials.

Targeted Grants to Math+AI Institutes, offered by the Simons Foundation's Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) division, support institutes working at the intersection of mathematics and artificial intelligence.

Supports innovative investigations at the intersection of laboratory discovery and clinical application in cancer immunology, accelerating translation of immunological discoveries into cancer therapies.

Team research on immune prevention or interception of primary cancer and recurrence. Clinical trials are excluded. Tenure-track assistant professor or higher by award activation; applicants without the appointment must supply institutional confirmation with the LOI. Nonprofit research institutions worldwide.

Supports pioneering immunotherapy clinical trials designed and led by academic researchers.

Supports clinically relevant research that bridges laboratory and clinical discovery to advance immunotherapies for chordoma.

FORESTPathways, listed under FOREST on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

Supports candidates intending to pursue a career in basic research on fundamental problems in plant biology, understanding the inner workings of plants at the whole-organism level or below.

Award for groups/organisations contributing to the fight against blindness and visual impairment, primarily in developing regions, or developing innovations/technologies improving quality of life of the visually impaired. Open to laboratories, organisations, or collaborative projects of any size, local to international.

Summer research program for doctoral/PhD students hosted at IIASA; Finnish applicants apply via Research Council of Finland funding for participation.

Funds hypothesis-driven, innovative research projects aiming for groundbreaking discoveries in DIPG/DMG. Submitted via Proposal Central.

Supports newly independent DIPG/DMG researchers establishing labs, or established researchers new to DIPG/DMG research. Application via Proposal Central; opens 16 October 2026.

Funds hypothesis-driven, innovative research projects addressing major challenges in DIPG/DMG research with potential for groundbreaking discoveries. Application via Proposal Central; opens 16 October 2026.

Supports newly independent DIPG/DMG researchers establishing labs, or established researchers new to DIPG/DMG research. Submitted via Proposal Central.

For researchers 5-15 years post-PhD with an excellent research proposal; project must be hosted at a public or private research organisation in an EU Member State or Associated Country. Applications accepted in any field of research on a bottom-up basis.

Supports digital/AI-enabled medical devices (MDR/IVDR) at Innovation Maturity Level 6 aiming to reach IML 7, funding clinical validation, regulatory submission (CE-mark), product finalisation and market readiness. Commercialising entity must sign a Financial Sustainability Contribution Agreement.

Supports talented early career scientists in facilitating their transition into tenure-track faculty positions, with a $600,000 three-year faculty research grant focused on autism and neuroscience research.

For mid-career scientists (tenure-track assistant professors with ≥3 years in role or associate professors with ≤3 years) holding an MD, PhD, or MD/PhD, committing ≥80% time to research. No citizenship restrictions; research may be conducted at non-profit medical schools/research centers in the US or abroad, but not at for-profit institutions.

Branco Weiss Fellowship (Society in Science, administered by ETH Zurich) funds postdocs (PhD ≤5y, before first faculty post) pursuing independent, interdisciplinary research at any host institution worldwide. Not host-country-restricted.

Doctoral programme funding at the European University Institute; Finnish applicants apply via Research Council of Finland funding.

Supports new faculty appointments in scientific software research within the Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) program, for appointments starting no later than September 1, 2028.

Supports excellent postdoctoral researchers for up to two years, with international mobility a key requirement. Includes salary/stipend, relocation allowance, and support for fellows with children. A host laboratory may support a maximum of one candidate per selection round.

Supports independent scientists at Swiss research institutions for industry-independent cancer research projects with clear relevance to cancer, across basic, clinical, epidemiological, psychosocial and health services research. Maximum one ongoing project per main applicant permitted.

Fellowships for early-career clinicians with a medical degree and prior cancer research or treatment experience to gain research experience abroad. Requires two support letters and proof of sponsorship from an eligible host organization; applications submitted online via the Grant Application Portal.

Applicants must be mentored postdoctoral researchers when applying. Applicants must never have held an independent faculty or equivalent position. Cancer immunotherapy research; at most five postdoctoral years unless CRI approves an exception; at least twelve mentored months before transition.

Fellowships for postdoctoral researchers to conduct a research stay abroad, aimed at researchers who completed a doctorate in Switzerland or hold Swiss citizenship/permanent residence. This is the final submission round before the scheme is replaced by a new postdoctoral funding scheme in 2028.

Funds cancer target identification or validation using novel model systems, antibody or small molecule approaches for adult cancers. Open to academic researchers worldwide with their own lab; projects run collaboratively with Cancer Research Horizons' drug discovery scientists.

Funds hit identification, druggability assessment, and further development of early therapeutic projects for adult cancers using antibody or small molecule approaches. Open to academic researchers worldwide with their own lab; run collaboratively with Cancer Research Horizons.

For postdoctoral researchers in immunology or cancer immunology, conducted under a sponsor holding assistant professor rank or higher at a non-profit institution; applicant must have <5 years mentored research experience post-PhD. Can be performed in the US or abroad; no citizenship restrictions.

Supports early-career scientists with mentorship, training, and resources to launch independent research in immunology and cancer immunology.

Supports postdocs with a doctoral degree pursuing hypothesis-driven cancer immunology research integrated with computational biology/data science, conducted under a sponsor (assistant professor or higher) at a non-profit host institution; no citizenship restrictions. Applicants must have fewer than 5 years of mentored research experience (exceptions for MDs).

Supports digital or AI-enabled medical devices (MDR/IVDR) at Innovation Maturity Level 6 aiming to reach IML 7, requiring clinical validation, regulatory submission and market readiness activities. Lead applicant must be a commercialising company; solutions must target 150,000 EU patients/citizens and generate revenue within 3 years post-funding.

Funds hypothesis-driven, innovative research projects addressing major challenges in DIPG/DMG with potential for groundbreaking discoveries. Focused on DIPG/DMG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma / diffuse midline glioma). Applications submitted via Proposal Central.

HORIZON-CL5-2027-02 - BATTERIES and ENERGY, listed under Batteries (BATT4EU) on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

Production technologies for solar photovoltaics beyond the s, listed under EUPI-PV on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

Supports newly independent DIPG/DMG researchers establishing a lab, or established researchers new to DIPG/DMG research. Focused on DIPG/DMG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma / diffuse midline glioma). Applications submitted via Proposal Central.

Lead Agency project funding for Swiss researchers collaborating with partners in South Tyrol; applicant may hold max two simultaneous project funding grants with clearly distinct topics. Project start date is 1 January of the year following submission.

Bilateral Lead Agency project funding between SNSF and FWO (Flanders) for joint research projects; applicant must partner with a researcher at a listed Flemish university or institution. Belgian researchers must start the approved project in January of the following year; project duration must not exceed 48 months and be the same in both countries.

Bilateral SNSF–FWO Weave/Lead Agency scheme funding joint research projects between Swiss researchers and researchers at Flemish universities (e.g. KU Leuven, Ghent, VUB, Antwerp). Applicants may hold max two simultaneous project funding grants; project duration identical in both countries, max 48 months. Application submitted to one agency (Lead Agency) with a copy to the other within 7 days.

Supports life scientists who have been group leaders for less than four years at time of application in setting up their laboratories. Provides financial support for networking for four years, training opportunities, support for lab members and mentoring.

Scheme for projects with a co-investigator employed in Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden or UK (UK limited to humanities and social sciences). Foreign co-investigator budget capped at 50% of total (30% for SSH projects with UK).

Bilateral Switzerland–Croatia collaborative research projects under the Weave procedure. Swiss applicants apply to SNSF as Lead Agency (deadlines 1 April / 1 October); Croatian partners apply to HRZZ under its 'Research Projects' scheme. Projects must run for the same duration (max 48 months) and start simultaneously in both countries. Up to 3 simultaneous SNSF grants allowed if topics differ.

MSCA call (HORIZON-MSCA-2027-COFUND-01): HORIZON TMA MSCA Cofund Doctoral programme

MSCA call (HORIZON-MSCA-2027-COFUND-02): HORIZON TMA MSCA Cofund Postdoctoral programme

HORIZON-CL5-2027-04-Two-Stage - BATTERIES and MOBILITY, listed under Batteries (BATT4EU) on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

Transnational call for international consortia of researchers and societal partners, part of Horizon Europe. SIA makes budget available per round for participation of Dutch hogescholen. Executed by the DUT partnership.

MSCA call (HORIZON-MSCA-2027-SE-01): HORIZON TMA MSCA Staff Exchanges

For researchers with a doctorate who fall within an eligibility window (typically 2-8 years post-PhD) and have a demonstrated link with Switzerland (Swiss-link), requiring at least 2 years of research experience at 0.8 FTE. Applicant must lead an independent research project and team at a Swiss institution; host institution must offer an assistant professor or group leader position for the grant duration.

MSCA call (HORIZON-MSCA-2027-CITIZENS-01): HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-01 - Research Infrastructures 2027, listed under European Open Science Cloud on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

MSCA call (HORIZON-MSCA-2027-PF-01): HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships

MSCA call (HORIZON-MSCA-2027-DN-01): HORIZON TMA MSCA Doctoral Networks

Challenge Programme 2027 theme on hybrid bio-electrocatalysis and electron transfer mechanisms (TRL 1-3). Main applicant must be a tenured/tenure-track researcher at a European (EU/Schengen/UK) university, hospital, or non-profit research organisation with ≥75% employment; at least one applicant must be ≥75% employed in Denmark. Industry collaboration allowed but industrial partners cannot receive funding.

Supports training for staff of core facilities that provide services to research institutions or universities via international exchanges of up to one month.

Funds development of dynamic multiscale Virtual Human Twin (VHT) models integrating AI and multi-omics/imaging data to understand cancer onset, progression and personalise treatment, contributing to the EU Cancer Mission. Successful projects join the Cancer Mission 'Understanding' project cluster; multidisciplinary consortia including clinicians, patients, AI experts and SMEs expected; data must be made FAIR and shared via UNCAN.eu and the Advanced VHT Platform.

Open to arts and humanities researchers for collaborative research projects; applications require a project lead and at least one project co-lead. International project co-leads and project partners (UK or overseas, including EU) may be included. Projects must start at least nine months after submission.

For emerging or established research groups in health-related humanities, social sciences or bioethics, proposing a research development programme that builds a sustainable research agenda and career development. Host organisations can be anywhere except mainland China; funds cannot be transferred into mainland China.

For highly qualified academics living and working in a developing or transition country whose research is relevant to that country's development; applicants must have resided in an eligible country for at least 12 of the last 18 months and plan to return there. Stay in Germany must be at least 6 months; good knowledge of German or English required, with German language certificate needed for humanities/social sciences research requiring German or for physicians working with patients.

Open to research groups and individuals in environmental science for curiosity-driven, high-risk/high-reward research; must sit predominantly within NERC's remit. Does not fund PhD studentship costs or data archival services. International collaboration supported via Lead Agency agreements with NSF (US), FAPESP (Brazil), and FNR (Luxembourg).

For researchers who completed their doctorate within the last 12 years (up to 16 years in some cases), holding a leadership role (e.g. assistant professor, group leader), all nationalities and fields, to conduct research in Germany with a self-chosen host. Not for German nationals (with exceptions). Good knowledge of German or English required depending on field.

Supports Swiss-based researchers participating in major international research infrastructure projects in particle physics, astrophysics and astroparticle physics (e.g. LHC experiments, WLCG). Applicants must be employed at an eligible Swiss institution; only one submission accepted per experiment.

Awarded to pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellows under a mentor's guidance to develop next-generation leaders in DIPG/DMG research.

Funds humanities, social science and bioethics exchange programmes; covers staff salaries, equipment, overheads, travel, subsistence and overseas allowances including for low- and middle-income country researchers working abroad.

Funds research on early intervention for cognitive and functional outcomes in people experiencing or at risk of psychosis; excludes animal models, blue-skies research, phase III pharmacological trials, and implementation science as sole focus. Requires lived experience involvement in design/delivery/dissemination. Host organisations cannot be based in mainland China.

Funds collaborative teams researching anxiety, depression and/or psychosis through the lens of sleep and circadian science. Requires involvement of people with lived experience throughout the project; host organisations anywhere in the world except mainland China and sanctioned territories; lead applicant must commit at least 20% research time, coapplicants at least 10%.

Funds research into causal mechanisms underpinning early interventions for anxiety, depression and/or psychosis, requiring involvement of people with lived experience throughout the project. Lead applicant must commit at least 20% research time; co-applicants at least 10%. Host organisation must confirm salary underwriting arrangements.

Helps young scientists explore topics outside their current area of expertise to pursue a new research direction for their future work.

Research action integrating climate-related exposures into human exposome studies, requiring SSH expertise and multidisciplinary approaches; proposals with clinical studies must submit a dedicated annex. International cooperation with under-represented regions is encouraged.

Joint SNSF–FAPESP Weave/Lead Agency scheme funding bilateral Swiss-Brazilian (Sao Paulo) research projects under FAPESP's Regular Grants or Thematic Grants schemes. Applications must be submitted in English; applicant may hold max two simultaneous project funding grants with distinct topics.