Frequently asked questions

Lead applicant and responsibilities

What are the responsibilities of the lead applicant toward the foundation?

The project leader will be responsible for all operational, scientific, reporting and financial aspects of the project for its duration. The funds will be paid out to the home institution of the lead applicant, whose responsibility it is to allocate the funds to the other participating institutions / co-applicants. 

Can a person be a lead applicant on one consortium and be a co-applicant in another consortium or a co-applicant in two consortia?

Yes, this is possible if the consortia are sufficiently distinct from each other with regards to their research and clinical aims. 

Is it possible to apply for a grant – as main or co-applicant – while already being a co-recipient of an ongoing grant from the Helmut Horten Foundation?

Yes, this is permitted.

Can there be two lead applicants (e.g. from different hospitals)?

No, the foundation requests a single responsible project lead for operational, scientific, reporting and financial purposes.

Is it possible to apply for both grants (i.e. Young Investigator and Consortium Project)?

No, the applicant should take a choice for which program to apply to as lead applicant. It is however possible to be a co-applicant in a Consortium Project, when applying for the Young Investigator program.

 

Types of applicants (e.g. internationality, private sector)

Can projects from outside Switzerland be supported?

In general, the grant can support projects outside Switzerland when the lead applicant is an independent group leader at a Swiss university or research institute. The foundation can only fund Swiss institutions directly, i.e. funds for outside Switzerland would need to be billed via the lead applicant’s home institution.

Can clinical trials by (international) biotech / pharma companies be funded?

The Foundation is not currently prioritizing funding for clinical trials led by an international biotech or pharma company but focuses its efforts on research within an academic setting (investigator-initiated trials) that combines clinical and basic scientific (experimental and computational) approaches.

 

Budget

What level of detail is required for the budget?

A breakdown of cost into personnel and consumables / equipment for the desired period is required. It has to be apparent from the submitted materials how the funds are allocated across institutions, group leaders and specific research activities. NB: Group leaders’ salaries must not be funded via the grant.  

What administrative costs for project management should be part of the budget?

Administrative costs that are «unique» to the project should be covered (e.g. recruiting patients for a clinical trial, organizing Institutional Review Boards (IRB) permits, logging and managing data etc.). Administrative costs that are part of a functioning research and translational environment (also necessary for other projects, such as fiscal reporting, ordering, HR procedures, general IT etc.) cannot be charged to the grant (the «usual» overheads). We expect that the environment in which the grantees work will support this (in-kind contribution).

Does the grant support the acquisition of major equipment for the project?

The Foundation does not support the purchase of equipment exceeding CHF 100,000. However, the project budget may include annual costs for the use of existing infrastructure or core facilities, where essential to the project.

 

Application 

In the “Pre-proposal Template”, what text counts towards the page limit?

Starting with the “Project Title”, all text provided by the applicant counts toward the page limit; i.e. information provided under “Applicant Name and Institution” does not count.

What is the guidance regarding figures in the Full Proposal?

Applicants may include figures in their PDF submissions where relevant – for example to illustrate preliminary findings, conceptual frameworks or methodological approaches. Please adhere to the following guidance:

• Figures should be integrated and serve to complement the written narrative.
• The word count should be respected and figures not be used to circumvent textual limitations.
• Ensure all visual elements are clearly labelled appropriately referenced in the text. 
• Use vector formats where possible or raster images with a minimum resolution of 600 dpi. Text within figures must be clearly legible when printed on A4 paper.
• Please ensure that all images comply with applicable ethical and legal requirements.

How should references / publications be presented – in relation to the Full Proposal?

Please list all publications relevant to the project in Annex 2.2. Applicants may list as many references as needed — the list can be longer than one page. 

• Use Vancouver style with numerical citations in square brackets [1] in the text.
• List references in the order of appearance in the proposal in the annexed bibliography.
• Include DOIs where available.
• Underline references authored by members of the applicant consortium.

Since the annex is submitted separately, it does not count towards the word limit for the full proposal.