Research Council and evaluation bodies
The Research Council of the SNSF evaluates several thousand applications each year and makes funding decisions. It is composed of 100 researchers, most of whom work at Swiss higher education institutions. The Research Council is supported by 90 evaluation bodies comprising about 1000 members in total.
Research Council of the SNSF
The Research Council comprises the following four divisions:
- Humanities and Social Sciences
- Mathematics, Natural and Engineering Sciences
- Biology and Medicine
- Programmes
Three Specialised Committees are responsible for cross-divisional matters:
- International Co-operation
- Careers
- Interdisciplinary Research.
In addition to the permanent commissions "Gender Equality in Research Funding" and "Research Integrity", the Research Council can appoint specialised commissions and panels for specific evaluation tasks.
The Research Council is led by the Academic Board. It is responsible for defining funding policy, allocating roles within the Research Council and ensuring the quality and fairness of the evaluation procedures for the researchers and projects that the SNSF supports. The Academic Board comprises seven members with a four-year term of office, which can be renewed once.
Evaluation bodies
The evaluation bodies evaluate proposals and lay the groundwork for the funding decisions made by the Research Council. The members of these bodies are for the most part researchers working at higher education institutions. A third are women, and a third work at institutes based abroad.