Young Investigator Grants

Aim of the program 

Accelerate the careers of talented young group leaders to develop their independent research within the medical sciences

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 group’s general research program. It is not intended for partial or supplementary project support or for purely clinical studies
• The Foundation aims to fund a maximum of five projects.

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

Eligibility criteria

• For the entire duration of the project, applicants must have their salary secured and be employed as independent group leaders at a Swiss university, research institute or hospital.
• The start of the project is no later than ten (10) years after the applicant has obtained their highest academic degree. For clinical researchers, who have obtained the status of a medical specialist, (in German: Facharzt) this deadline is extended to fifteen (15) years after the attainment of their highest academic degree in order to compensate for the time spent on clinical training.
• Extension of eligibility for reasons of maternity, paternity, national service or major factors outside the applicant’s control will be considered. For parental leave, the Foundation applies the same rules as defined by the European Research Council (ERC).
• The application must comply with the Foundation's purpose as well as with international standards for medical ethics. 

Evaluation process 

Criteria
Projects are evaluated and compared on the basis of excellence along the following dimensions:

• Scientific originality
• Investigator track record 
• Feasibility
• Budget justification and coherence

Process 
The evaluation is conducted in a two-step evaluation by the Foundation. The two steps are:

1) Short Proposal
2) Full proposal (selected from submitted short proposals)

Deadline and decisions

Submission of Short Proposals by Thursday February 15th, 2024 (end of day).

• Rejection or invitation to submit Full Proposal during the week commencing March 11th, 2024.

Submission of selected Full Proposals by Sunday May 5th, 2024 (end of day).

• Foundation funding decision during the week commencing July 8th, 2024.

The Foundation does not provide feedback on its decisions. 

Structure of applications

Short Proposal
1) One page project outline (font 12pt) with:

• Project title
• Summary of scientific and/or medical problem to be addressed
• Key hypothesis of the project 
• Project aims / objectives
• Project delivery in best-case scenario
• Project duration and budget

2) CV of applicant condensed to max. two pages
3) Publication list of applicant

Full Proposal
Template to be shared with selected applicants in March 2024