Explore the most popular individual funding opportunities for established researchers at EPFL.
Important: to download the toolkits, please login with your EPFL email address.
If you are looking for collaborative funding opportunities, follow this link.
BRIDGE Discovery supports experienced researchers for basic and applied research to implement the innovative potential of research findings.
- Deadline: call currently closed
- Application toolkit
- BRIDGE Discovery webpage
Swiss-based researchers are eligible to apply to the 2024 ERC Advanced Grant.
The Principal Investigators should be exceptional leaders in terms of originality and significance of their research contributions. No specific eligibility criteria with respect to the academic requirements are foreseen.
- Deadline: 29 August 2024
- Application toolkit
- ERC AdG webpage
Swiss-based researchers are eligible to apply to the 2025 ERC Starting Grant.
The Principal Investigators must have successfully defended thir first PhD > 2 and ≤ 7 years prior to 1 January 2025. Please check additional eligibility criteria in the application toolkit below. Submission restrictions apply.
- Deadline: call closed
- Application toolkit
- ERC-2025-StG webpage
The Gebert Rüf Stiftung mission is to promote Switzerland as a top location for business and as a place to live. It supports impact-oriented entrepreneurial projects in any disciplines, as well as science outreach.
- Deadlines for InnoBooster and Scientainment: 1 February, 1 May, 1 September, 1 December (every year)
- Application Toolkit
- Gebert Rüf Stiftung webpages:
The purpose of the Hasler Foundation is to promote information and communications technology (ICT) for the well-being and benefit of Switzerland as an intellectual and industrial centre. The Foundation aims to play an active role in ensuring that Switzerland continues to take a leading position in science and technology in the future.
- Deadlines: rolling call
- Application Toolkit
- Hasler Stiftung webpage
Innosuisse helps leverage your innovation: we support science-based innovation projects carried out by companies – particularly SMEs – working with public-sector research partners.
- Deadline: rolling call
- Application Toolkit
- Innosuisse webpage
Fondation Leenaards supports people and institutions in the fields of culture, aging and biomedical science in the Lake Geneva region. The annual Leenaards Prize for Translational Medical Research is awarded to collaborative projects, which investigate a clinical problem, linking it to a component of advanced basic research.
- Deadline: call currently closed. Next call: March 2025
- Application Toolkit
- Leenaards webpage
The purpose of our Foundation is to foster medical-biological science by supporting research projects conducted at Swiss universities in the field of medicine and medically oriented biology/biochemistry and by co-funding research fellowships abroad. The Foundation offers funding for research projects, fellowships and young investigator.
- Deadlines: 1 February, 1 May, 1 October every year
- Application Toolkit
- Foundation’s webpage
FreeNovation supports unconventional biomedical research projects with the ultimate aim to provide healthcare solutions for patients.
- Deadline: call currently closed
- Application Toolkit
- Novartis Research Foundation webpage
In 2024, EPFL researchers are eligible to apply to the ERC Advanced Grant (see above).
As a replacement measure, the SNSF Advanced Grant will most likely not open in 2024.
Scientists of any nationality who want to pursue innovative, high-risk research in Switzerland can apply for an SNSF Advanced Grant. Applicants must have a track record of outstanding research over the past ten years and be recognised as a leader in your field.
SNSF Advanced Grants are awarded up to a maximum of CHF 1,9 million for a period of up to 5 years, additional funding can be requested for specific cost categories (up to CHF 870,000).
- Deadline: call currently closed
- EPFL toolkit
- SNSF AdG webpage
Your first step towards scientific independence! The purpose of SNSF Ambizione grants is to enhance researchers’ scientific profile and to help them become scientifically independent in conducting their own research projects.
- EPFL internal deadline: contact your host
- SNSF deadline: 1 November 2025 (to be confirmed)
- SNSF Ambizione webpage
- Application Toolkit
- Check out this video-interview to get advice from our grantees and professors!
Transitional measure replacing ERC Consolidator Grants.
Applicants must have PhD or equivalent degree awarded >7 and ≤12 years ago at the time of submission, and show research independence and contributions to science without the involvement of a PhD supervisor.
Applicants can request a budget of up to CHF 1.75 million for a maximum of 5 years. Additional funding of up to CHF 870,000 may be requested for specific costs.
- Deadline: call currently closed
- Application Toolkit
- SNSF CoG webpage
Make your ideas reality with the SNSF! Single-applicant and collaborative project proposals (disciplinary and interdisciplinary) can now be submitted under the Project Funding programme.
- Deadlines: April 1 and October 1 (every year)
- Application Toolkit
- SNSF Project Funding webpage
- Check the amended Project Funding Regulations.
The aim of Spark is to fund the rapid testing or development of novel and unconventional scientific approaches, methods, theories, standards and ideas, etc. It is designed for projects that show unconventional thinking and introduce a unique approach. The focus is on promising ideas of high originality for which preliminary data are not necessarily available (high-risk research).
- Deadline: call currently closed
- Application Toolkit
- SNSF Spark webpage
The SNSF Starting Grants call is an integrative call which replaces the ERC Starting grants and covers as well the SNSF Professorial Fellowships. This grant allows outstanding researchers to lead an independent research project in any disciplines and a team of researchers in CH.
Funding: max. CHF 1.8M for max. 5 years (including applicant’s salary, if applicable). Eligibility: max. 8 years after PhD + min. 3 years of research after PhD.
- EPFL internal deadline: contact your host institute
- SNSF deadline: 15 January 2025
- EPFL Toolkit
- SNSF webpage
SNSF Supplementary measures comprise very specific, targeted funding schemes that are available to grantees of the SNSF if certain conditions are met.
The Swiss Cancer League and the Swiss Cancer Research foundation (SCL/SCR) support basic, clinical, psychosocial and epidemiological research projects on the causes, prevention and treatment of cancer.
- Deadlines: January 31 and July 31 (every year)
- Application Toolkit
- Swiss Cancer webpage
- Department of Energy (DOE) application toolkit
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) application toolkit
- Funding opportunities on Grants.gov
- EPFL guide to Grants.gov workspaces
Contact the Research Office to find the right US funding opportunity for you!
The Velux Stiftung supports basic and applied research in the fields of Daylight, Healthy Ageing, Ophthalmology and Forestry. The foundation aims to have an impact on and contribute to sustainable improvement and the benefit of society. This is achieved by supporting the creation of new knowledge through cutting-edge research and the fostering of its application and dissemination. The foundation attains leverage by focusing on projects with a high potential to initiate change and impact.
- Deadlines:
- Forestry: 23 September 2024
- Daylight Research: 30 September 2024 and spring 2025
- Healthy Ageing: 30 September 2024 and spring 2025
- Ophthalmology: spring 2025
- Application Toolkit
- Velux Stiftung webpage
EPFL internal funding programmes
In order to restore scientific exchange and encourage new collaborations, the EPFL Presidency has decided to dedicate funds in 2022 to a Science Seed Fund.
- Deadline: call currently closed
- EPFL Seed Funds webpage
Funding solutions for reducing our energy dependence and carbon footprint as well as leveraging EPFL’s capabilities in research and innovation around Green Energy, Storage and Sustainability and Carbon capture, Usage and Storage to create an excellence area with demonstrators on our Campus and solutions ready for scale-up.
- Deadline: call currently closed
- EPFL Solutions4Sustainability webpage
Funding solutions for advancing Open Science among ETH Domain researchers and institutions. Different calls are running in parallel:
- Deadlines: calls currently closed
- ORD webpage
The Fondation Bertarelli has donated CHF 5 million to create a Catalyst Fund, designed to foster innovative research and the development of life-saving treatments for diseases affecting the brain, the spinal cord, the peripheral nervous system, and the sensory organs.
- Deadline: call currently closed
- Catalyst Fund webpage
Gaznat and EPFL have established a strategic cooperation to set up a competence pole on CO2 capture, storage, and use for the production of synthetic gas in Western Switzerland.
- Deadline: call currently closed
- Gaznat Fund webpage
The Research-IDEAS initiative of ZEISS and EPFL aims at fostering a research-oriented industry-academia cooperation by addressing the broader research community at EPFL to connect research with advanced development activities at ZEISS.
- Deadline: call currently closed
- Research-IDEAS webpage
The goal of the Science and Technology for Humanitarian Action Challenges is to support project-based research between EPFL researchers, ETH Zurich researchers, and the ICRC to develop effective solutions for a greater impact of humanitarian action.
- Deadline: call currently closed
- Humanitarian Action Challenges webpage
The International Latsis Foundation grants an EPFL head of unit or a group of heads to support the organization of a scientific symposium.
- Deadline: call currently closed. Next call: March 2025
- Application toolkit
- Latsis Foundation webpage
Personalized Grant Writing Services
In the preparation phase of your grant application, we offer support to strengthen the clarity and impact of your proposal.
