SNSF Starting Grants 2024: 61 projects approved

Following a two-phase evaluation process, the SNSF has decided to support 61 of the 499 applications evaluated for SNSF Starting Grants 2024. A total budget of 105.4 million francs will be allocated for a duration of five years.

The 61 grant recipients include 40 female researchers and 21 male researchers. Of the 40 female researchers supported, 15 are funded by the supplementary budget of 26.9 million francs earmarked for excellent female candidates. Nearly 64% of the grant recipients will carry out their research project at a university and 33% in the ETH Domain. The remaining 3% will be hosted at universities of applied sciences or at other research institutions. Moreover, 10% of the grantees will be relocating from abroad to carry out their SNSF Starting Grants in Switzerland.

Next call

The SNSF Starting Grants 2024 are intended for researchers who want to lead their project and research team in Switzerland. This was the last SNSF Starting Grants call in the framework of the transitional measures. As of this year, researchers looking to submit an application with a Swiss host institution can again apply to the ERC Starting Grants. In addition, the SNSF launched its own SNSF Starting Grants 2025 call on 15 October 2024.

Examples of funded projects

Social sciences and humanities

Nataliya Tchermalykh (Haute école d’art et de design, HES-SO) examines iconoclasm (the deliberate destruction of images, objects or monuments) as a transhistorical cultural phenomenon carried out by individuals, grassroots movements or institutions of power around the world. In contrast to previous research, this project aims to provide a socio-anthropological analysis of the contemporary dimension of iconoclasm as a form of political expression in modern liberal democracies.

Mathematics, informatics, natural sciences and technology

The use of passwords and biometrics is challenged by the rise of quantum computing, as protection against quantum attacks requires cryptographic keys that are impractical to memorise for humans. In her project, Julia Hesse (IBM Research) will combine quantum-safe communication and password-based security to propose ready-to-deploy authentication schemes. The aim is to enable safe usage of human-generated passwords and biometrics in the quantum era.

Life sciences

Mattia Aime (University of Bern) will investigate how the brain stores emotional memories during sleep, focusing on the different roles of NREM and REM sleep states in consolidating and preserving these memories. This research is of significant clinical relevance, especially for mood disorders often associated with sleep disturbances, for example in the cases of post-traumatic stress disorders and depression.