Aim of the program 

Support innovative research projects of independent, early-career group leaders in Switzerland.

Areas of the program

• The Foundation grants its funding within any field of medical research – from basic to clinically-applied research.
• The grant is intended to support well-defined research activities within the applicant’s general research program. It is not intended for partial or supplementary project support or for purely clinical studies.

Duration, volume and location of funding 

• Duration of funding: maximum 3 years
• Volume of funding: maximum CHF 400'000 in total
• The beneficiary carries out the research activities predominantly in Switzerland
• The Foundation funds approximately ten projects per year.

Eligibility criteria

Eligible for applications are independent, early-career group leaders in Switzerland

• "Independent" is defined as holding an employed position for at least the duration of the project as an independent principal investigator (PI), such as group leader, assistant professor, tenure-track professor, or research fellow, with eligibility to apply for project funding from SNSF as an independent applicant.
• "Early-career" is defined as within the first 6 years of independence as group leader by the deadline date of the relative call (i.e. March 2026) and after deducting any eligible interruptions (see FAQ for details on eligible interruptions).

Exclusion to apply

Applicants are not eligible to apply if:

• they have already been HHF YIG beneficiaries in the past
• they already hold a tenured professorship position.

Multiple or overlapping funding applications

Double funding for the same project is not permitted.

Applicants must declare whether the same application—or an application with overlapping content—has been submitted to another funding agency. If so, please specify the funding agency, provide an estimate of the percentage overlap with the submitted HHF application, and include the summary sheet of the other application. Applicants must also inform the Foundation without delay if, during the evaluation process, they submit a similar application to another funding agency.

Evaluation process

The evaluation is conducted in a two-step process, including multiple experts, covering a broad scope in biomedical research. The two steps are: (1) structured summary review and (2) full proposal review (selected from structured summaries).

Proposals are evaluated based on excellence along the following criteria:

• Scientific originality
• Investigator's track record
• Feasibility
• Budget justification and coherence.

Deadline and decisions

The 2026 Call "Young Investigator Grants" is now closed. Review is in progress. Late applications will not be considered!  

Structured summary and full proposal must be submitted simultaneously.

The submission deadline is Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at noon (12:00 CET) 

• Rejection or notification that the full proposal is under review will be communicated during the week commencing April 20, 2026
• The Foundation communicates its funding decision during the week commencing June 29, 2026.

The Foundation does not provide feedback on its decisions.

Structure of the application

The application documents shall include:

1. Structured summary (template below), including the following annexes in a single PDF:
1. Curriculum Vitae (must be the official SNSF CV created and completed in the SNSF system – mySNF/SNSF CV platform SNF Portal)
2. Up to 10 most relevant publications of the applicant; please underline the ones relevant to the project
3. If applicable: declare any same/overlapping submissions to other funders by providing name of the funder, estimate percentage overlap, and attach the other application’s summary sheet.
2. Full proposal (template below), including the following annexes in a single PDF:
1. Curriculum Vitae (must be the official SNSF CV created and completed in the SNSF system – mySNF/SNSF CV platform SNF Portal)
2. Up to 10 most relevant publications of the applicant; please underline the ones relevant to the project
3. If applicable: declare any same/overlapping submissions to other funders by providing name of the funder, estimate percentage overlap, and attach the other application’s summary sheet.
3. Independent eligibility calculator table (template below). Note that the type and duration of the deductions are visible only to the HHF office for eligibility check, and will not be disclosed to our reviewers.
4. If applicable: applicants whose contract is renewed on a yearly basis or expires before the end of the proposed project may include a letter from their employer to guarantee extension of their contract minimum until the end date of the proposed project.

The application templates will be available from 29 January 2026.

Please submit via email to applications@helmut-horten-stiftung.org the abovementioned documents (original PDF documents - scanned documents are not accepted).

Filenames convention:

• Save the structured summary as 2026-YIG_FirstName_LastName_StructuredSummary.pdf
• Save the full proposal as 2026-YIG_FirstName_LastName_FullProposal.pdf
• Save the independent eligibility calculator table as 2026-YIG_FirstName_LastName_IndependenceCalculator.pdf

The email subject line should read: 2026-YIG First name Last name.

Please do not alter the structure of the templates; keep the default font, font size, and page margins unchanged.

The Foundation will acknowledge the receipt of the application.

Please note: 

• Non-compliance with the application format and process will result in rejection to ensure fairness in the selection process.
• Applicants who provide false information will be automatically excluded from future evaluations, and their institutions will receive a formal notification or warning.
• The Foundation reserves the right to update the requirements and application process. Please refer to the website before submitting your application for the most up-to-date information.