SNSF Consolidator Grants 2022
Consolidate your scientific independence in Switzerland.
Important information:
24 May 2023: The Federal Council decided to adopt transitional measures relating to the 2021–2027 Horizon package (Horizon Europe, Euratom programme, ITER and Digital Europe Programme). It will provide CHF 625 million in funding for 2023 calls for proposals. The Federal Council therewith provides the necessary funds for the 2023 execution of the ERC Consolidator and Advanced Grants as well as the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships at the Swiss National Science Foundation. As the relevant mandates have not yet been signed, we cannot for the time being answer any questions on possible calls for SNSF Consolidator Grants, SNSF Advanced Grants and SNSF Swiss Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023 or their participation requirements.
The SNSF has changed point 1.1.2 of the call document: A researcher participating as principal investigator in an ongoing ERC frontier research grant may not submit a proposal to the present SNSF Consolidator Grant Call 2022 unless the existing project ends before the end of January 2024. An SNSF Consolidator Grant can only start once the previous ERC frontier grant agreement has ended.
Due to Switzerland’s current status of non-associated third-country in Horizon Europe, the SNSF has launched the new transitional measure 'SNSF Consolidator Grants 2022' on behalf of the Swiss government. It is aimed at researchers (based in Switzerland or abroad) who planned to apply for an ERC Consolidator Grant in 2022. Successful applicants will be able to conduct research in Switzerland and consolidate their scientific independence.
The scheme is open to all fields of research; researchers of any nationality may apply.
Applicants can request a budget of up to CHF 1.75 million for a maximum of 5 years. Additional funding of up to CHF 870,000 may be requested for specific costs.
Participation requirements
You are eligible for this call if:
- You have a PhD or equivalent degree awarded >7 and ≤12 years ago at the time of submission.
- You have shown research independence and made contributions to science without the involvement of your PhD supervisor.
These benchmarks should be complemented by at least one of the following indicators:
- Several important peer-reviewed publications in a responsible role that have made an impact in your research field(s).
- Major research monographs (for research fields where monographs are the norm).
- A substantial record of invited presentations at well-established international conferences, organisation of international conferences, granted patents, outreach activities, general contributions to science, other artefacts with documented use.
For more information, please see section 1.1 of the Call document.
Application
Please consider the following important points when preparing and submitting a proposal:
- Extended synopsis and research plan
- Resources
- CV and track record
- Host institution commitment letter
- Extended synopsis (5.1 Call document)
- Research plan (5.2 Call document)
- Resources (5.3 Call document)
- CV (5.4 Call document)
- Track record (5.5 Call document)
- Commitment of the host institution (5.6 Call document)
- Open access (2.4 Call document)
- Open Research Data (2.5 Call document)
For more information about the documents for upload, refer to section 5 of the Call document.
More Information about mySNF accounts:
Uploading the proposal:
Multiple proposals and duplicate funding:
Eligible and non-eligible costs:
Evaluation procedure
A scientific Steering Committee, set up by the Presiding Board of the National Research Council, supervises the evaluation and funding activities related to the SNSF Consolidator Grants call. It also ensures application of the SNSF’s best practices and compliance regarding conflicts of interest. The Steering Committee is composed of the president of the National Research Council and one to two representatives of each of the research areas (humanities and social sciences; biology and medicine; mathematics, natural and engineering sciences) as well as members of the Specialised Committee Careers. The evaluation of the submitted proposals is based on the principle of competition. Discipline-specific panels will evaluate the proposals in a two-phase procedure.
The applications are assessed and rated based on expert reviews and interviews and ranked comparatively to the other proposals.
- Evaluation panels and external peer reviewers (7.1 Call document)
- Evaluation procedure (7.2 Call document)
- Evaluation criteria (7.3 Call document)
- Evaluation form – SNSF Consolidator Grants (PDF)
- Outcome and communication of decisions (7.4 Call document)
- Scientific Steering Committee
- Evaluation Panels Step 1 (PDF)
- Evaluation Panels Step 2 (PDF)
Guidelines and regulations
Legal basis:
The general provisions of the SNSF apply to the SNSF Consolidator Grants call 2022:
Ethics and integrity:
Research activities and methods that have ethical implications or may raise questions requiring sound ethical assessment must be declared in mySNF. Hence, please take note of the Swiss laws and ethical standards. Furthermore, the rules of scientific integrity must be respected.
Host institution:
The host institution must be established in Switzerland as a legal entity (public or private):
Budget:
Transitional measures of the SNSF:
FAQ
When are the earliest and latest dates a project can be started?
The earliest possible start date is 1 February 2023. The project start date can be postponed for up to 12 months after receipt of the decision.
What happens if I obtain a professorship and my salary is covered by the SNSF Consolidator Grant?
You must inform the SNSF accordingly. If the professorship is in Switzerland, you may generally continue to use the project funds. Any surplus from your salary must be refunded to the SNSF.
What happens to my SNSF Consolidator Grant if I am appointed to a higher education institution abroad?
Applications to transfer project funds from an SNSF Consolidator Grant to move abroad (see also https://www.snf.ch/en/cwEW5KbgFWs6YNmW/funding/supplementary-measures/money-follows-researcher ) are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Salary components of the grantee are not remitted abroad. As a rule, such applications can only be submitted to the SNSF two years after the start of the grant.
If I am awarded an SNSF Consolidator Grant, will I still be able to apply for other SNSF grants?
Yes, holders of an SNSF CoG 2022 can submit proposals under other SNSF funding schemes (such as project funding), as long as the proposals address different topics and have different aims and methodologies.
How many parallel SNSF projects may applicants hold?
SNSF CoG 2022 does not restrict the number of parallel projects since SNSF project funding is not linked to current ERC calls.
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