The SNSF Starting Grants instrument was established as a transitional measure due to Switzerland’s status as a non-associated third country in the Horizon Europe program.
The SNSF Starting Grant 2025, opened on 15 October 2024, enables grantees to lead an independent research project and direct a team of researchers in Switzerland.
An SNSF Starting Grant comes after several years of research after the PhD, or an equivalent qualification or medical degree, during which time the grantees have already conducted research independently and contributed to impactful research in their field.
The scheme is open to all disciplines and topics; researchers of any nationality may apply. Applicants can request a budget of up to CHF 1 million for a period of five years.
The details can be seen at the SNSF Call document here.
The College of Humanities (CDH) supports projects in areas related to the interdisciplinary field of digital humanities (bringing research in the social sciences and humanities together with cutting-edge empirical methods from computer science, data science, and engineering), and with potential connections to other EPFL schools/colleges.
The Call at a glance:
Eligibility:
- Min. 2 years of scientific activity after PhD completion
- Max. 8 years since obtaining the PhD
- A Swiss link (min. 2 years of research in CH or CH nationality or CH degree)
- Recipients of e.g. an SNSF project grant, a Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant, or Advanced Grant from the ERC or the SNSF are NOT eligible
- Recipients of smaller scale fundings, e.g. Ambizione or Spark, REMAIN eligible
Funding and duration:
- Max. CHF 1 M for a max. of 5 years (comprising applicant’s salary, if applicable)
Title conferred:
- Grantees, who are not professors yet, shall be appointed by the ETH-Board as assistant professors (non tenure track) for the duration of the grant.
Important dates :
- Call opens on 15 October 2024
- EPFL applicant workshop (date will be communicated soon)
- CDH internal pre-application deadline: 29 November 2024
- SNSF deadline: 15 January 2025 at 17:00 CET, Swiss local time
Pre-application process at the CDH
Candidates interested in applying with the CDH as host must follow an internal pre-application process, comprising:
- Carefully read the Call guidelines and then the EPFL application toolkit.
- Contact the CDH expressing interest and requesting preliminary support.
- Send a pre-application dossier including:
Motivation letter addressed to CDH Director, Prof. Frederic Kaplan
Short CV (max 3 pages)
Publication list
Research plan (max 3 pages)
Budget estimation
> The pre-application dossier must be sent to [email protected] by Friday, 29 November, 2024. - Once the CDH Director confirms his support, the candidate should contact the EPFL Research Office for an eligibility check.
Contact
For questions regarding CDH process: Dr. Gabriela Tejada
For questions on the call guidelines and application requirements please contact [email protected]