Swiss National Science Foundation

1987–1990: Alfred Schmid

1983–1986: Jean-François Poudret

History

The origins of the Swiss National Science Foundation (1930–1952)

At the beginning of the 20th century, apart from ETH Zurich and a few professional associations, there was no national institution for scientific research in Switzerland. It was not until the 1930s that the Swiss federal government sought to play a greater role in the organisation of scientific research. To this end, it invested taxpayer funds in research through a job creation programme. Otto Zipfel, the Federal Council’s delegate for job creation, made the first attempt in 1941 to establish a national funding foundation for scientific and technical research, but failed due to federalist structures.

After World War II and the resumption of exchanges with the international research community, many Swiss researchers and industrialists felt that the neighbouring countries that had been at war were far ahead in terms of scientific and technological development. Calls for a national organisation and funding of research in order to catch up and support Europe’s reconstruction grew increasingly loud.

Alexander von Muralt, a professor of physiology at the University of Bern, was particularly committed to promoting research in Switzerland. In 1948, von Muralt formed a commission to which he invited not only representatives of Swiss universities but also the umbrella organisations, including the Swiss Society for Humanities (now SAGW), the Academy of Medical Sciences, and the Swiss Society of Natural Sciences (now SCNAT), of which he himself was president. In 1951, the commission submitted a memorandum to the Federal Council proposing the establishment of a "Swiss National Science Foundation for the Promotion of Scientific Research". It called for the creation of two bodies – a National Research Council and a Foundation Council – and federal funding of 4 million Swiss francs per year.

The Federal Council subsequently drafted a recommendation that was approved by Parliament in March 1952 without opposition. On 1 August 1952, the SNSF was founded in the presence of two Federal Councillors. Alexander von Muralt became the first president of the Research Council.

New structures for new tasks (1960–1975)

In the 1960s, the scientific and research landscape in Switzerland became increasingly institutionalised, and the SNSF underwent restructuring. The National Research Council of the SNSF – responsible for allocating research grants – was subdivided into three divisions: Division I for the social sciences and humanities, Division II for mathematics, natural and engineering sciences, and Division III for medicine and biology.

In response to the crises of the early 1970s (the oil price shock and the economic crisis), the Federal Council tasked the SNSF with implementing National Research Programmes (NRPs). These programmes were intended to provide scientifically sound solutions to current issues of societal importance. This led to the creation of the National Research Council’s fourth division in 1974.

Internationalisation and expansion of research funding (1995–2023)

In 1995, the SNSF, together with the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation and Innosuisse, opened the Swiss Contact Office for Research and Higher Education (SwissCore) in Brussels, with the aim of connecting the Swiss and European research communities.

In 1996, Heidi Diggelmann, a physician, became the first woman to be elected president of the Research Council.

In 2001, National Centres of Competence in Research were introduced. They were intended to promote the structuring of the Swiss research landscape and to strengthen national collaboration among researchers, as well as to advance gender equality and to support early-career researchers.

Following Switzerland’s exclusion from the Horizon Europe Research Framework Programme in 2021, the SNSF launched a package of transitional measures on behalf of the federal government to promote the attractiveness and networking capabilities of Switzerland as a research hub. The transitional measures corresponded as closely as possible to the European calls for proposals but could not fully replace them. Since 1 January 2025, Switzerland has been fully associated with Horizon Europe – as well as with the Euratom Programme and the Digital Europe Programme. The SNSF consequently terminated the transitional measures at the end of 2024.

Present (2023–)

On 16 June 2023, the Federal Council approved the revised statutes of the SNSF, as amended by the Foundation Council. This reform laid out a new structure for the SNSF’s governing bodies. With this reorganisation, the SNSF responded to changing conditions in the research and higher education landscape and new demands on funding policy, particularly the sharp rise in the number of funding applications.

In the SNSF’s revised organisational structure, the Research Council has greater authority in determining funding policy and programmes. The Foundation Council was reduced from 42 members to between seven and 11 members. A new body – the Delegates Assembly – serves to represent the interests of Swiss higher education institutions and researchers. The new statutes came into force on 1 January 2024.

In early 2025, the Federal Council announced that, as part of relief package 27, it intended to cut the SNSF’s funding by 10 percent in 2027 and by 11 percent in 2028. The SNSF and other organisations in the research and academic community criticised these austerity measures in a press release.

In September 2025, the SNSF announced that, in response to the planned cuts, it would introduce various cost-saving measures as early as 2026, including the discontinuation and suspension of certain funding schemes and a reduction in the number of approved funding applications. In March 2026, the Swiss Parliament decided to cut the SNSF’s budget by five percent, rather than the planned 11 percent.

Programme Committee Careers

Programme Committee International Cooperation

Programme Committee Long-term Research and Infrastructures

Programme Committee Thematic and Solution-oriented Research

Presidents of the Research Council

Since 2025: Torsten Schwede

2017–2024: Matthias Egger

2013–2016: Martin Vetterli

2005–2012: Dieter Imboden

1997–2004: Heidi Diggelmann

Research Funding

Project and career funding

The majority of the SNSF’s budget goes towards project funding. The SNSF supports researchers to bring their scientific project to fruition.

In addition to project funding, the SNSF also supports scientific careers through various funding schemes that provide researchers with a salary or grant to support their work. These schemes enable researchers to carry out a project independently and, in some cases, to lead a team of researchers in Switzerland.

Postdoc.Mobility

The SNF Postdoc.Mobility fellowship is a competitive funding scheme for postdoctoral researchers seeking to undertake a research stay abroad. It is often regarded in academia as the Swiss equivalent of the European Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). The fellowship is highly selective, with applications assessed on factors including academic excellence, the originality of the proposed research, and the extent to which the planned research stay abroad represents a significant step in the applicant's career. Following Switzerland's temporary exclusion from parts of the EU's Horizon Europe research programme, Postdoc.Mobility has also gained importance as a national alternative to MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships, further increasing competition among early-career researchers in Switzerland.

Research programmes

Another key focus is funding through specific programmes. For these, the SNSF sets the thematic or organisational framework, in contrast to its project and career funding schemes that support researcher-driven projects.

The Federal Council launches the National Research Programmes (NRP) and the National Centres of Competence in Research (NCCRs) and mandates the SNSF to implement them.

National Research Programmes (NRP)

National Research Programmes (NRPs) make scientific contributions towards solving current challenges of national importance. Within an NRP, research projects are coordinated with a view to achieving a common goal. To maximise impact, collaboration and exchange with practice-based stakeholders are given high priority. NRPs last up to five years and are funded with between 10 and 20 million Swiss francs. Between 1975 and 2026, the federal government has launched 87 NRPs.

Proposals for NRPs may be submitted by various stakeholders. The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) compiles these proposals, consults the federal offices and submits recommendations to the Federal Council. The SNSF assesses the proposals on behalf of SERI to determine their scientific and organisational feasibility and develops the programme concepts. On this basis, the Federal Council decides whether to launch the programmes.

National Centres of Competence in Research (NCCRs)

National Centres of Competence in Research (NCCRs) serve to maintain and sustainably strengthen Switzerland’s position as a centre of research in fields that are crucial for the future of science, the economy and society. This is achieved by funding excellent research and building additional teaching and research capacity. NCCRs are based at one or more higher education institutions and consist of a centre of excellence as well as a national and international network. A National Centre of Competence in Research is supported for a period of ten to twelve years with funding of between 20 and 60 million Swiss francs from the SNSF, as well as additional funds from the higher education institutions’ own resources and third-party funding.

Other funding schemes

The SNSF funds science communication projects through the Agora funding scheme as well as supplementary measures through which the SNSF supports, for example, the advancement of female researchers or the reconciliation of family life and research work. In addition, the SNSF is involved in international cooperation with organisations and research programmes and also funds scientific conferences.

Open access

The SNSF funds the publication of academic works (primarily doctoral theses and postdoctoral theses). Since 2023, the SNSF has required that all scientific articles that it funds be made immediately accessible (open access) and use a free Creative Commons license that requires attribution. The rationale is as follows: “Scientific articles are primarily distributed and read digitally. Both researchers and the SNSF have an interest in ensuring that knowledge is disseminated as widely as possible and used in as many different ways as possible.”

Equality, diversity and inclusion

The SNSF is taking various measures to promote women and other under-represented groups in research: In 2024, it adopted the ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’ (EDI vision) to this end. In this vision, the SNSF commits itself to addressing the issues of equality, diversity and inclusion across all funding schemes. This is achieved, on the one hand, by giving special consideration to these issues in the selection processes; on the other hand, it offers funding schemes and supplementary measures designed to provide targeted support for the careers of under-represented groups in research.

Even before the EDI vision was adopted, there were various schemes and programmes in place to support women and promote equality: These include the PRIMA (Promote Women in Academia) programme, which was transferred to other career programmes in 2021; this budget continues to be earmarked exclusively for women.

In addition, from 2020 until its dissolution in 2025, the SNSF was responsible for the AcademiaNet database of outstanding female researchers, with the aim of increasing the proportion of women in senior academic positions.