Seven million Swiss francs awarded to strengthen international research

The European funding programme COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) strengthens scientific and technological research cooperation in Europe and worldwide. It aims to enable breakthrough scientific developments leading to new concepts and products (see box). The SNSF launches a call for this programme once a year. For the 2024 call, it evaluated 43 applications submitted by researchers based in Switzerland. Ultimately, 19 projects were approved to receive a total of almost 7 million Swiss francs in funding over the coming years. The research topics range from sociology and material sciences to biochemistry, microbiology, environmental sciences and cardiovascular research. The following three examples are among the approved projects:

• Sustainability and farm succession. Agriculture plays a critical role in biodiversity loss, climate change and deteriorating water quality. However, this also means that farmers can contribute significantly to improving these three issues by adapting their practices. In their project, Sandra Contzen (Bern University of Applied Sciences) and Melf-Hinrich Ehlers (Agroscope) are conducting interviews to find out how the handover of farms to the next generation factors into the necessary transformation process. Their goal is to advance sustainable change in the agriculture and food sector – both within and beyond Switzerland's borders.
• Biological invasions. Non-native species pose a serious threat to biodiversity, as they can disrupt the structure of native ecosystems. Cesare Alippi and Alberto Ferrante from the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), in collaboration with Dominique Mazzi from Agroscope, are developing innovative methods for monitoring native insect species whose populations are impacted by invasive insects. Their work leverages machine learning, specifically graph neural networks, to better understand the systemic consequences of the increasing prevalence of biological invasions. In addition, they are looking for patterns that will facilitate the early detection of critical ecological disturbances.
• Games in ancient Greece. Yannick Rochat and Sylvian Fachard from the University of Lausanne are investigating the social and spatial aspects of games in ancient Greece. They are also exploring new methods and techniques for preserving and presenting them. Under the direction of Barbara Carè, they are focusing on unpublished drawings discovered in Athenian temples (more specifically on the Acropolis). They are analysing the social context of the games as well as the creators and users of the drawings. The researchers are employing a multidisciplinary approach, combining machine learning techniques with cultural, historical and spatial analysis methods.

COST: fostering international networks

COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) promotes international scientific cooperation and coordination. Open to all disciplines, this funding programme brings together researchers from all over Europe to jointly advance ideas in international networks, referred to as Actions. COST Actions do not finance the research itself but cover networking costs such as conferences, occasional scientific exchanges, continuing education and research dissemination activities. On average, a COST Action involves research groups from 28 countries.

Every year, the SNSF launches a call for proposals for COST research projects in Switzerland related to recently approved Actions. Researchers working in Switzerland who are involved in COST Actions can apply for funding for a research project of up to four years. The maximum project budget is 400,000 Swiss francs, regardless of the duration of the project.