The bilateral programmes of the Swiss Confederation

The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) has given the SNSF a similar mandate for the 2021-2024 period, namely to conduct calls for Joint Research Projects (JRPs) in collaboration with other countries.

The JRPs will enable researchers from Switzerland to address specific research questions together with researchers from the above-mentioned partner countries. The projects are generally completed within three to four years. Similar research costs are covered under the JRPs as in SNSF project funding. The SNSF is organising the calls together with partner organisations in the respective countries. Successful projects will be jointly supported, with each organisation funding the researchers based in its own country. Calls may be launched at irregular intervals and may be limited to specific subject areas that are relevant for both the countries involved.

A so-called leading house (LH) at a Swiss university or university of applied sciences will serve as a liaison office for each country or region taking part in the bilateral programmes. The LHs are in close contact with partner institutions in the respective countries or regions and sometimes have their own funding schemes. The latter are earmarked for an initial collaboration or exchange.

You will find more information about the calls, as well as links to the leading houses, on the web pages of the respective countries.

• Brazil
• China
• India
• Japan
• South Africa
• South Korea
• Ukraine
• Vietnam