Four years of independent research thanks to Ambizione
78 young researchers have been awarded Ambizione grants in 2019. These awards provide funding for SNSF projects at higher education institutions and other research institutions in Switzerland.
For the last eleven years, the SNSF has launched Ambizione calls to promote promising young researchers from Switzerland and abroad. Scientific collaborators at higher education institutions can also apply for project funds.
Two-stage evaluation procedure
In November 2018, 360 young researchers submitted their Ambizione application. 139 of them were invited for an interview with an evaluation commission. Following this two-step evaluation procedure, the SNSF awarded 78 new grants. The targeted share of female grant holders (35%) was almost achieved, with 25 grants (32.1%) going to women.
Thanks to their Ambizione grant, the 78 researchers will be able to conduct their first independent project at a higher education institution in Switzerland. On average, they will receive 750,000 francs. The SNSF is giving them the opportunity to take a big step forward in their career. At the same time, this is a major contribution to the promotion of young researchers in Switzerland.
Wide range of topics
Of the approved projects, 33% are in the humanities and social sciences, 44% in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering, and 23% in biology and medicine. This distribution is reflected in the wide range of topics. For instance, Michelle Harris (University of Bern) studies the influence of social relationships on self-esteem. Joao Forjaco Jorge (University of Lausanne) investigates how the anatomy of the brain could be depicted using modern methods. And Luis Gilarranz (EAWAG Dübendorf) examines resilience in complex ecological systems.
Most of the projects will start in autumn 2019 and will run for four years. The full list of projects can be found on the Ambizione website.