Complementary funding of Swiss and Canadian researchers

“Through our international activities, we contribute to increasing research capacity in Switzerland and abroad,” says Matthias Egger, President of the National Research Council. “Canada is a priority country for the SNSF, and we are pleased to deepen our relationship through this cooperation.” The SNSF and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) provide complementary funding opportunities for joint projects in natural sciences and engineering. Researchers use the funding schemes in their respective countries.

Projects: first application in Switzerland

For joint projects, SNSF project funding can be complemented with the NSERC’s Alliance International Collaboration grants. Researchers in Switzerland first apply for SNSF funding, describing the Canadian partner and their contribution to the project in the proposal. Once the application to the SNSF is approved, the Canadian researcher can apply for an NSERC grant. The requested amount should be less than or equal to the SNSF grant, up to a maximum of 100,000 Canadian dollars per year for up to three years.

Exchanges and research stays

The SNSF Scientific Exchanges programme can be combined with the NSERC Alliance International Catalyst grants. Catalyst grants provide up to 25,000 Canadian dollars for one year to support Canadian scientists for exploratory research activities and scientific exchanges.

“NSERC recognises the profound impact that international collaboration can have on research outcomes,” says Alejandro Adem, President of NSERC. “We believe that working together with other international agencies and organisations, such as the Swiss National Science Foundation, will lead to great collaborations between Canadian researchers and their international peers.”

You will find an overview of the complementary funding schemes on the SNSF website.

• Overview of complementary funding schemes (PDF)