Doc.CH: 27 grants awarded in the last call
In spring 2024, 218 applications were submitted to the last Doc.CH call. At the end of the evaluation procedure, the SNSF awarded 27 grants. Doc.CH has supported more than 550 PhD students in its 12 years in existence.
The Doc.CH funding scheme enables promising researchers in the social sciences and humanities to write a doctoral thesis on a subject of their choice. In the 23rd and final call in spring 2024, the SNSF received a record number of 218 applications, including 90 in the social sciences and 128 in the humanities.
57 research projects reached the second evaluation phase
After an initial assessment of the projects, the evaluation panels selected 57 applications for the second selection phase. These applicants were invited to present their dissertation projects at in-person interviews.
In July 2024, the SNSF awarded 27 Doc.CH grants. The recipients will carry out their research at thirteen higher education institutions in Switzerland, including two universities of applied sciences. They will receive an average of 222,576 francs for their projects. This amount covers both the project costs and the salaries of the beneficiaries. The average funding duration is 42 months, with timeframes ranging from two to four years.
Sociology, psychology and architecture
Topicality, innovation and diversity characterise the projects that were supported. For example, Hélène Widmann (Bern University of Applied Sciences), in a project relevant to the sociology of work and gender studies, is analysing two digital platforms that are used in the predominantly female cleaning industry in Switzerland. The research aims to identify the constraints faced by these workers and to explore their capacity for action.
In psychology, Anita Paparelli (University of Fribourg) is exploring the various eye movement mechanisms and brain processes that individuals use to recognise facial expressions. To do so, she combines eye tracking with cutting-edge brain imaging.
Tiffanie Paré (EPFL) examines how contractors shape construction culture and influence architecture and infrastructure development. Focusing on Zschokke (now Implenia AG) from 1909 to 1981, this research aims to reveal the central role of builders beyond construction, including their impact on urban and territorial development in Switzerland and abroad.
More than 550 doctoral students supported over twelve years
From Doc.CH’s introduction in March 2013 to the last submission deadline in March 2024, there have been 23 calls. A total of 2,261 applications were evaluated. All told, the SNSF awarded 552 grants to doctoral students in the social sciences and humanities (an average of 48 per year). The total amount awarded was 116 million Swiss francs, for an average of more than 210,000 francs per grant. The average success rate over the twelve years of the funding scheme's existence was 24.4%, with similar success rates for women (24.3%) and men (24.5%). The proportion of grants awarded to women was 58.3% on average, equating to 322 grants in total.
In terms of research domains, around 60% of applications and grants were in the humanities, including disciplines such as history, literature, law and philosophy, while around 40% were in the social sciences, covering disciplines such as psychology, sociology, political science and economics. In the social sciences, the proportion of women was over 60%, while in the humanities it was around 55%. The success rates for the two fields were similar: 24.8% in the humanities and 23.8% in the social sciences.
In light of the current financial constraints, the SNSF is refocusing its funding portfolio from 2025 onwards to concentrate on supporting research projects and careers at postdoctoral level (see the news published on 07.02.2023). There will thus be no further Doc.CH calls. However, the SNSF will continue to support the funding of doctoral students through its project funding scheme. The SNSF remains very committed to the promotion of early-career researchers and has decided to increase the salaries of doctoral students employed by SNSF projects from 2026 onwards. It is also currently conducting a fundamental review of support for early-career researchers, in dialogue with the various stakeholders involved (higher education institutions and early-career researchers).