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 applicant’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.
• Academic age (details in FAQs): The start of the project is no later than ten (10) years after the applicant has obtained their highest academic degree. For academic clinicians,who have obtained the status of a board-certified specialist,  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.
• The application must comply with the Foundation's purpose as well as with international standards for medical ethics. 

Evaluation process 

Criteria

Project proposals are evaluated and compared based on excellence along the following dimensions:

• Scientific originality
• Investigator's 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) Structured Summary and (2) Full Proposal (selected from submitted structured summaries).

Deadline and decisions

Structured summary and full proposal must be submitted simultaneously.

The submission deadline is Tuesday, September 09, 2025 (end of day). 

• Rejection or notification that the Full Proposal is under review will be communicated during the week commencing October 20, 2025.
• The Foundation communicates its funding decision during the week commencing December 15, 2025.

The Foundation does not provide feedback on its decisions.

Structure of applications

Please use the templates for the structured summary and full proposal as well as for the budget which can be downloaded below.

Please submit in pdf format the two documents (structured summary and full proposal - which includes the budget) via email to applications@helmut-horten-stiftung.org. The email subject line should read: 2025-YIG First name Last name

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.